MLB bee delay: Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks pushed back nearly two hours due to swarm behind home plate

Fans were buzzing at Chase Field on Tuesday night. So were the bees. Tuesday’s game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers (GameTracker) was delayed close to two hours — 1 hour and 55 minutes to be precise — because a swarm of bees took up residence on the protective netting behind home plate.

The entire section behind home plate had to be cleared of fans for safety reasons. Here are the bees:

The D-Backs said the game would begin “promptly following the successful removal of the beehive by a professional beekeeper.” First pitch was scheduled for 6:40 p.m. local time and the beekeeper, Matt Hilton of Blue Sky Pest Control, arrived at approximately 7:50 p.m. The game finally began at 8:35 p.m.

Fans in attendance cheered Hilton when he arrived and after he removed the bees, and the D-Backs had him throw out the ceremonial first pitch as well. He made the most of it:

“I thought I was here to just take care of a bee problem, but people were pretty hyped up,” Hilton told the Los Angeles Times. “Pretty cool.”

The bees, it should be noted, were not killed. They were treated with a non-pesticidal solution and will be released off-site.

Because of the lengthy delay, the D-Backs scratched lefty Jordan Montgomery from the start. Montgomery had warmed up prior to the game and was prepared to take the mound when the bee delay was called. Lefty Brandon Hughes started what will be a bullpen game in his place. Dodgers rookie righty Landon Knack started the game as scheduled.

There are handful of bee delays in baseball each season, typically in the Southwest but not always. Playing while the bees linger is impractical — all it takes is one foul ball to the net for all hell to break loose — so all MLB can do is wait for the beehive to be cleared. Sometimes is happens quickly. Sometimes, like Tuesday, it can be a lengthy delay.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained the logistics to SportsNet LA.

The Dodgers enter play Tuesday with an NL West leading 19-12 record. The D-Backs are 13-17.