Bees are unwelcome visitors at minicamp

DAVIE DeVante Parker didn’t see the swarm of bees.

He was paying attention to the football, which had just landed neatly into his outstretched arms. But soon, Parker realized what he had run into— hundreds of bees. He took off his helmet and ran.

“I watch Animal Planet a lot,” safetyWalt Aikens said, “but thatwas crazy.”

It was a fairly normal Wednesday at the Miami Dolphins’ minicamp until the bees arrived. Hundreds suddenly appeared toward the end of practice, hovering just above the orange pylon near the end zone closest to the Dolphins’ practice facility.

Several Dolphins assistants in golf carts drove into the swarm before realizing their mistake, swerving sharply to avoid it. Bystanders on the sideline quickly moved to the other end of the field.

But the players were slower to notice. After Parker ran along the left sideline, beating corner XavienHoward for a touchdown, the players’ eyes were finally drawn to the black mass circling just above the field.

“I didn’t care, but DeVante might have,” offensive lineman Anthony Steen said. “The [bees] were probably just trying to celebrate with him.”

Parker and Howard immediately swiped at the air and started to run back down the field as the bees surrounded them. Most of the bees remained in the end zone.

“I’m just glad he caught the ball and that he didn’t get stung,” offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod said. “I’ve never seen bees like that.”

After noticing the bees, and after seeing his players’ reactions, coachAdamGase and the Dolphins moved to the opposite end of the field for the rest of practice.

“I was standing right in the middle of it,” Gase said. “I started seeing something flying around, I didn’t know what was going on. A couple guyswere freaking out.”

After practice, Gase said he didn’t think anyone had been stung. But the impact the bees left on his players was palpable.

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of bees,” defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. “I’d rather not be stung if I don’t have to be.”

Gase said the Dolphins will be prepared if a swarm of bees decides to invade during a regular-season game.

As practice ended, the team brought out yellow tape and quarantined the area, funneling panting players away from the end zone and into the training facility.

“It got to the point where I was like, I’m not gonna run,” Bushrod said. “If [the bees] getme, they get me.”

iacohen@ sun-sentinel.com or Twitter @icohenb