World’s Chillest Beekeeper Goes Viral After Saving The Day At Chaotic Tennis Match

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Carlos Alvcaraz was the biggest name involved with the tennis match that was derailed on Thursday after bees invaded the court where he was playing, but that incident spawned an internet celebrity in the form of Lance Davis, the beekeeper who swooped in to save the day at Indian Wells.

On Thursday, Carlos Alcaraz faced off against Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, but they didn’t make it very long into their match before things took a very unexpected turn.

The two tennis players were tied 1-1 in the opening set when both men scrambled off of the court courtesy of the massive swarm of bees that forced the umpire to temporarily suspend the match before seeking refuge as well.

When everything was said and done, the match resumed after being delayed for an hour and 48 minutes. Things got back on track thanks to Lance Davis, the beekeeper who strolled onto the court without any protective equipment and casually vacuumed the bees off of the Spidercam where hundreds of the insects had decided to gather.

Davis was already the go-to Bee Guy at the tournament, as he told the ATP Tour Indian Wells hired his company (Killer Bee Live Removal) to address the various swarms that had already descended upon the venue before disrupting the Alcaraz-Zverev match.

Davis said he had to rush to a garage where some mechanics had just started to work on his truck when he received the call informing him his services were needed and estimated the swarm he successfully dealt with was likely home to around 3,500 bees, adding:

“I had my equipment set up and I vacuumed up the bees into a live-catch cage. Then I can take them out… and release them into one of my hives that I have. They’re set up just for this type of thing.

This time of year is swarming season, so they go everywhere. And I’m just happy to be there for them so they could not have any incidents.”

The hero received a round of applause from the crowd and also posed for a number of selfies with spectators who flagged him down as he was making his way off of the court.

This isn’t his first brush with fame, as Davis (who’s been a beekeeper since the 1970s) has done similar jobs for the folks at Coachella and Stagecoach and also had a run-in with Jamie Foxx in 2018.