Bee invasion forces closure of Universal's Hagrid coaster

Swarms of bees invaded the Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure coaster on Wednesday afternoon, forcing Universal Orlando to shut down the attraction.

Hundreds — possibly thousands — of bees were swarming near the attraction at Universal Orlando‘s Islands of Adventure theme park, which led Universal officials to have to close the attraction for the day on Wednesday as they worked to resolve the issue.

A Universal spokesperson wrote in an email to local news station Spectrum News that the theme park would “reopen the attraction as soon as we’re able to do so,” but as of early evening on Wednesday, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure remained closed.

One guest shared some images of the bees to Twitter today:

Welcome to Hagrid’s Care of Magical BEES NO NOT THE BEES!!

Photos from Nathan in Park Stop group: https://t.co/9N8v07Wp2s pic.twitter.com/DPyGinkikO

— Alicia Stella (@AliciaStella) October 2, 2019

Universal hasn’t publicly stated what they are doing to clear the bees from the area, but it has been reported that they have plagued the Islands of Adventure roller coaster in the last few weeks. One guest Tweeted on September 25 that the attraction had closed that day due to “a swarm of bees.” However at this time it is unclear what Universal had done to clear the bees on September 25 and if they will take a different approach to tackling the bee infestation today.

omg Hagrid’s ride is closed because of a swarm of BEES

— Sean Doherty (u/s Sidney Prescott) (@theruraljuror_) September 25, 2019

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure quickly became a fan favorite at Universal Orlando Resort. Guests reportedly wait hours on end to experience the attraction which is considered to be one of the theme park’s most advanced. But even though the attraction is known among fans to be a thrilling ride, it has still had its fair share of issues.

The bee invasion is the latest in a series of unfortunate events that the coaster has experienced since it opened on June 13 earlier this summer. It experienced several technical issues in the days after it opened. And within weeks of its grand opening, Universal Orlando Resort announced that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure would have a different operating schedule than the rest of the attractions in the Islands of Adventure theme park, opening later and closing earlier for “routine maintenance.”

We’re not sure when or how Universal Orlando will be able to clear the bees from the coaster so the attraction can resume its normal operating schedule, but we will update this story if more information becomes available.

Source: Spectrum News