Bees on a plane delay Delta flight to Atlanta

You've heard of snakes on a plane, but how about bees on the wing of a plane?

Passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were ready to board Delta flight 1682 on Wednesday afternoon when they were informed the airplane already had a buzzy group of passengers. A swarm of bees had latched onto the winglet of the A320 aircraft meant to take them to Atlanta.

Passenger Robert Earl Glenn II shared a picture of the congregation of bees, showing almost the entire winglet covered in the insects.

Glenn and other travelers were not allowed to board the plane while the bees were onboard.

In a playful statement, Delta Air Lines said the "friendly group of bees evidently wanted to talk shop with the winglet" of the plane, "no doubt to share the latest about flying conditions at the airport.”

The airline also apologized to customers, explaining that the delay was necessary.

"Looking out for the welfare of congregated bees on the wing of our aircraft yesterday as well as to ensure that no surfaces of our aircraft were contaminated during departure, this flight needed to be delayed," the airline said.

The bees were finally shook loose of the plane after airport employees conducted a pushback using ground safety equipment, according to Delta. Other "safe actions did not prove successful," the airline added.

The flight, originally set to take off at 12:25 p.m. C.T., was delayed approximately three hours, according to Delta. FlightAware.com says the flight departed from the Houston airport four hours and 29 minutes late at 4:54 p.m. C.T.

The flight landed in Atlanta at 7:41 p.m. E.T.

According to Delta, bees swarming onto a plane "is rare but not unheard of" and can happen to any structure outdoors where the insects are found in nature.