A flight out of Miami International Airport was delayed yesterday after a swarm of bees decided to attach itself to one of the plane’s wings, either looking for a free ride, or just trying to mess with some foolish humans who thought they knew about flying.

According to Miami News 7, a midday American Airlines flight out of Miami International Airport, headed to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, had to remain grounded when thousands of bees were discovered on the wing.

An American Airlines spokeswoman told CBS News that they couldn’t take off while the bees were still on the wing because, “Obviously, you don’t want the bees in the air.” There was also a concern for the safety of the workers around the cargo area, who were in danger of getting stung.

The airline contacted the city, which was able to get in touch with a beekeeper who was able to come out to the airport and remove the bees. The keeper’s arrival took several hours, delaying the flight in the process. One onlooker, who shared an image of the bees, also said the beekeeper got stung multiple times in the process of removing the bees.

Eventually the bees were removed and the airplane was able to take off. It is still unclear why the bees swarmed on the wing in the first place.