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Buick Century attracts 15,000 bees searching for new hive

By most accounts, the fifth-generation Buick Century isn't considered a desirable place to live. For a swarm of 15,000 bees, however, the lure of the front-drive A-body proved irresistible, much to the chagrin of the car's Las Cruces, N.M. owner. The unidentified man had gone shopping in an Albertson's grocery store, returned to his car, placed his purchases in the car, and began driving away. Then he noticed that something was, according to the New York Times, "amiss." The Buick owner called 911, which dispatched the Las Cruces Fire Department to the scene. Luckily, one firefighter and paramedic in the brigade, Jesse Johnson, is a hobbyist beekeeper. Though he was off duty at the time, Johnson sprung into action and arrived at the Buick with equipment to transfer the bees safely, including an empty hive box, a beekeeper's outfit and lemongrass oil, which mimics the scent of the queen. Johnson told the Times that bee colonies will often split in springtime, with a swarm following a queen to search for a new home. Apparently, the partially open window of a 1982-96 Buick Century looked like an inviting, perhaps temporary, location as the bees relocated. Johnson removed 3.5 pounds' worth of bees in a span of less than a half hour. He is rehabitating the bees at his home, where he maintains other hives. “IÂ’ll do anything to keep people from killing the bees,” Johnson told the Times. He also explained that when bees swarm like this, they are typically pretty docile. Amazingly, the Buick owner was only in the store for 10 minutes, the paper reports. Johnson believes the bees came from a nearby neighborhood. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident. One Albertson's security guard was stung, according to the Las Cruces Fire Department, and another firefighter was stung on the lip. For the record, the Las Cruces Fire Department says they don't routinely handle bees. It was just fortunate that Johnson was around. It's not clear if the bees would have flocked to a similar era Chevy Celebrity or Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. Related Video:

We recap the 2017 Detroit Auto Show | Autoblog Podcast #499

We're back with our first Autoblog Podcast of 2017! This week, Greg Migliore and David Gluckman discuss the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, including the hot debuts, some new versions of bestsellers, and an unofficial theme we picked up on. Then it's on to what they've been driving lately, and we wrap up with Spend My (Your) Money buying advice to help you, our listeners. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And please send trivia questions! You'll get the honor of stumping your fellow listeners, and we'll thank you too. Autoblog Podcast #499 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics and stories we mention Our 2017 Detroit Auto Show coverage America was the unofficial theme of the 2017 Detroit Auto Show 2017 Chevy Malibu Hybrid 2017 Volkswagen Passat 2017 Buick Envision Used cars! Rundown Intro - 00:00 Detroit show recap - 03:04 What we're driving - 25:04 Spend My Money - 35:46 Total Duration: 49:45 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Podcasts Detroit Auto Show Buick Chevrolet Ford Honda Jeep RAM Toyota Volkswagen Crossover Minivan/Van SUV Sedan Ford Bronco kia stinger gt

Buick Encore blitzes first-year sales predictions

With its first full year of sales in the bag, it's safe to say that Buick has a hit on its hands with the Encore. US buyers have snatched up 31,046 of the small, premium crossovers since the Encore went on sale in January of 2013, while 97,311 were sold globally (not counting its counterparts from Opel and Vauxhall).
While we liked the Encore when we first drove it, we'll admit, we weren't sure how the tiny CUV would do. In fact, the first thing Executive Editor Chris Paukert wrote about the Encore was, "We admit it. We have no earthly idea how this whole thing is going to shake out." But it's done well, and has been subject to heavy demand over the past year, blowing away the estimates of analysts, who, according to an August story from Automotive News, projected no more than 18,500 units would be sold in 2013.
"Right out of the gate, demand for the Encore was high," Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick marketing said in a statement. "It accounted for most of the segment's growth last year and that's because it offers the right safety, technology and features in the right-sized vehicle for many customers."