PHOENIX — Mayor Vicki Bear was apparently caught off guard Thursday afternoon by a swarm of bees that made their exit before police, fire and public works personnel could arrive in answer to her phone calls for help.

Two calls to the Mail Tribune inquired about a reported emergency at First Street near Bear Creek. Chief Rod Brown explained that the mayor had called public officials when part of a swarm of bees flew into her vehicle.

"There was a nearby beehive that swarmed, flew across First Street and kind of spooked some people," said Brown, a beekeeper. "The fire truck went down there and I went down just to look because I work with bees, but they weren't there. They'd apparently already gone on.

"The mayor was the one who saw them and called us. Swarms are usually several thousand and it can be pretty bad if somebody gets stung. The mayor is allergic, which is part of what frightened her."

Rob Wouters, owner of Advanced Transmission on Highway 99, said he saw a "massive" and "pretty scary" swarm of bees downtown.

"Oh, it's a good size swarm. I guess that's the new 'buzz' around town," he said with a laugh. "I could see her Bear being pretty nervous. I don't know I'd call the fire department. There's not much they can do."

Bear did not return calls seeking comment.

Brown, who has some experience with beekeeping, said not much can be done about wayward swarms without help from a beekeeper. And they're usually not a threat, he said.

"When they're swarming they're not hostile at all," Brown said. "It's all about taking care of the queen. The hive, at that point, has probably split and the original queen has taken half the worker bees out to find somewhere else to be."

Should a swarm decide to make a path, or set up hive, in a heavily populated area, Brown suggests calling a professional.

"Bees generally aren't hostile," he said. "It's when you start messing with them that it becomes a problem. If they're somewhere they shouldn't be, look up a beekeeper. Otherwise, leave them alone and they'll leave you alone."

Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at buffypollock@juno.com.