Wallen Concert Bee Invasion Successfully Managed
Thousands of Bees Swarm Morgan Wallen's Pittsburgh Concert Stage, Safely Relocated by Apiary
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Thousands of honeybees had other plans for Morgan Wallen's Pittsburgh concert. On June 2, 2026, an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 bees swarmed the stage scaffolding at Acrisure Stadium during setup for Wallen's "Still The Problem" tour, according to WPXI. A local beekeeper was called in, and the show went on without delay.
The swarm weighed roughly 4 to 5 pounds, according to WPXI. Al Fine, owner of Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela, PA, arrived around 1:00 PM and removed the bees in under two hours. He captured about 95% of the swarm. The bees were relocated to a permanent hive the next day.
A Former Honey Queen Saves the Concert
Stadium workers didn't call an exterminator. They called Alyssa Fine, a 2012 National Honey Queen, according to WPXI. She connected the crew with her father, Al Fine, a beekeeper with over 40 years of experience. The stadium chose live removal over pesticides — a decision later praised by local wildlife advocates.
Al Fine made clear what was at stake. "No, actually, we saved the bees," he told WPXI. "If you couldn't get somebody to take them, someone would have had to opt to kill them, and we don't want to do that." The 15,000 rescued bees are now part of a managed apiary contributing to regional pollination.
Sugar Water and Spearmint Oil Did the Trick
Fine used a mix of sugar water, lemon grass, and spearmint oils to lure the bees into a "nuc box" — short for nucleus colony box — a small portable hive used to transport swarms, according to WPXI. The aromatic blend mimics a natural bee pheromone that worker bees use to orient themselves. That's why it worked so fast.
The entire operation took roughly 90 minutes to two hours, according to WPXI. Fine said the warm, sunny weather made the bees more active than usual — and he got stung twice. Still, 95% of the swarm was captured successfully. By Wednesday, June 3, the bees were settled into their new home.
Why the Bees Chose a Concert Stage
Late spring is peak swarming season for honeybees. When a hive gets too crowded, the queen and roughly half the worker bees leave to find a new home. They cluster temporarily on structures — trees, fences, scaffolding — while scouts search for a permanent spot. The Acrisure Stadium stage just happened to be in the way, according to WPXI.
Fine noted that swarming bees are generally calm. They have no hive or honey to protect. This isn't even his strangest call — he has previously removed swarms from the upscale Duquesne Club in downtown Pittsburgh and an Eat'n Park takeout window, according to WPXI.
No Tickets Refunded, No Delay, 140,000 Fans Showed Up
The removal wrapped up well before showtime. Wallen's two-night run at Acrisure Stadium on June 5 and 6 featured Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley as supporting acts. More than 140,000 fans were expected across both nights, according to WPXI. A failed removal could have disrupted the high-precision setup required for Wallen's pyrotechnic stage production.
Fine put the broader importance of bees in simple terms. "A third of every bite you take is probably directly pollinated by honeybees," he told WPXI. What started as a concert headache ended as a small conservation win — 15,000 bees alive, one stadium crisis solved, and zero songs canceled.
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