A woman huddles up as she walks past a swarm of about 5,000 honeybees that have been attracted to a discount sign on the window of a London store. (PA, Philip Toscano/AP Photo)

Shoppers were forced to dive for cover after thousands of bees suddenly swarmed a London clothing store.

An estimated 5,000 bees swarmed the front of the London store Topshop, according to the BBC. Professional beekeepers were called in to smoke out the bees and coral them into boxes to keep shoppers and staff out of harm's way.

"We have either had a virgin Queen or an old Queen, she has left the nest and she has brought the swarm and settled on the shop front," Tony Mann, a trained beekeeper, told the BBC. "The bees were flying around the area like scouts to try to find out where the next best place to go is."

Passers by check out a swarm of about 5,000 honeybees. (PA, Philip Toscano/AP Photo)

Photos appeared to show a few unlucky shoppers attempt to escape bees as they passed by the front of the store. According to the BBC, the bees were moved across the street to Westminster Cathedral, where the colony will be tended by local bee keepers.

It's unclear where the bees came from, but according to the BBC multiple shops in the area have their own beehives on the roof.

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