These days it seems impossible to get on a plane without the threat of some creature disturbing the flight.
Just a few weeks ago, on an Aug. 5 Delta flight from Wisconsin to Georgia, a bat suddenly began flying around the cabin, much to the passengers’ dismay. This time a Russian plane, operated by Yakutia Airlines and bound for Moscow, was invaded by bees. A trafficker, whose name was not disclosed, said that when he boarded in the southwestern city of Blagoveshchensk, an airport official gave him two cardboard boxes full of the insects, telling him someone would retrieve them once he landed, 10 hours later.
Shortly after takeoff, the bees became agitated in the pressurized cabin and began buzzing about. Flight attendants struggled to contain the insects inside a business-class wardrobe, using tape to seal it shut. After enduring an ordeal that recalled the plot of the movie Snakes on a Plane, all passengers landed safely in Moscow — and apparently without any stings.
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Frances Romero is a writer-reporter at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @frances_romero or on Tumblr. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.