THIS WEEK IN 1989: Children escape '˜black cloud' fury

jpns 260518 retro may 2018

Bees - Anne Boyd with Adam and Nathan and the hive that houses the swarm — jpns 260518 retro may 2018 Bees - Anne Boyd with Adam and Nathan and the hive that houses the swarm

Thousands of Italian honey bees swooped towards two-year-olds Adam Gray and Nathan Reid as they played on the lawn at Lyndale Road, Locks Heath.

But thanks to the quick thinking actions of their mothers, peacefully soaking up the sun at the time, the boys escaped without a single sting.

Tina Gray said: ‘We heard them first and when we looked up the sky was black.

‘We ran for the children, grabbed them, and then dashed for the house. The bees smothered the back windows and they settled in a tree in a big clump.’

A beekeeper estimated 11,000 bees had settled in the garden and had probably come from hives about a mile away.