Drunk on Smoke: Notre Dame’s Bees Survive Fire

Confounding officials who thought they had perished, the bees clung to life, protecting their queen.

  • Published 19 April 2019
Image via AP Photo/Thierry Mallet

This article was republished here with permission from The Associated Press, however it is no longer available to read on Snopes.com.

PARIS (AP) — Hunkered down in their hives and drunk on smoke, Notre Dame’s smallest official residents — some 180,000 bees — somehow managed to survive the inferno that consumed the cathedral’s ancient wooden roof. Confounding officials who thought they had perished, the bees clung to life, protecting their queen. “It’s a big day. I am so relieved. I saw satellite photos that showed the three hives didn’t burn,” Notre Dame beekeeper Nicolas Geant told… Read at AP News