'It was really scary': Swarms of bees send Punggol residents fleeing from their homes

A resident in Punggol got a rude shock when he and his three-year-old daughter reached home after dinner.

"As soon as I opened the door, all I saw were bees," the resident surnamed Li, who lives at Block 665 Punggol Drive, told Shin Min Daily News.

"They were crawling all over the TV screen and lights. There were at least a hundred of them, it was really scary. Luckily my daughter was still outside."

He quickly grabbed his daughter and pet dog, and ran out of the house - with a swarm of bees chasing them.

Their neighbour, surnamed Chen, saw the family running and the bees, and opened her door to let them into her house. 

Li later found out that he was not alone in his situation. At his neighbour's home, he called the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council for help and was told that 20 other homes nearby were also invaded by bees. 

He said that he stayed in Chen's home till the wee hours of the morning as he waited for the town council workers to clear the bees. 

AsiaOne has contacted Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council for more information. 

Residents worried

Other residents in the estate told Shin Min that it wasn't the first time that bees have flown into their homes.

They recalled that there was an incident between July and August last year and saw several bee carcasses along their corridors. 

A resident, also surnamed Chen, said that her neighbour's mother-in-law was stung by a bee.

The residents said they were worried that the insects might hurt their young children, and hope that the authorities can resolve the issue. 

Bees will only fly around if provoked: Expert 

John Chong, founder of Bee Amazed Garden at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, told Shin Min that the bees which invaded the Punggol estate were likely giant honey bees. 

These bees are not likely to attack unless provoked, he said. 

"They live in colonies and return to their hive at night. They were likely provoked, and hence were flying about and entering people's homes." 

The 65-year-old added that the bees were likely attracted to the bright lights in the HDB flats. 

In such situations, Chong advises homeowners not to panic. The bees will leave on their own once the lights are turned off and the windows are open, he said.

READ ALSO: 'I thought it was a rag': Woman panics after bees build nest on her clothes rack, calls town council for help

claudiatan@asiaone.com