BEVERLY, Mass. -- It may be these bees were too tired to fly for themselves. In any case, a gang of honeybees created a rare sight Sunday at Beverly Airport.

Some 10,000 honeybees landed on the wing of a plane used for flight school training at the Beverly Flight Center.

It was the type of landing owner Arne Nordeide had never witnessed.

"I never saw anything like it," Nordeide said. "The plane had already flown around 8 a.m., and all of a sudden, the bees decided to land."

At first, the 10,000 the bees swarmed over the left side of the aircraft. They then landed on top of the left wing.

Nordeide called police, who said to call local bee removal expert Alan Wilkins.

"I thought they crash-landed in the airport," joked Wilkins.

Wilkins, who was not wearing any protective gear, used a specially designed vacuum to suck the bees off the plane and into containers.

Wilkins said the windy day may have forced the swarm down as it came across the airport, and the other bees congregated around the queen bee to protect her.

Wilkins, who’s been a beekeeper for nearly three decades, had a bear ravage the hives at his Middleton home in April. He plans to relocate the airport bees to those hives where they will produce honey.

"This is replacing the hives the bear ate," he said.