Pitch invasions are usually unwelcome in sport, and especially if the invaders can sting you.

That's what happened to players of Liga de Portoviejo and Manta FC of Ecuador's second division on Saturday, when bees descended 26 minutes into the game at Reales Tamarindos Stadium.

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Players and officials hit the ground in near unison, leaving them on the deck for half a minute as they waited for the flying insects to pass.

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"Match stopped. Bees invade the playing field. #ThingsThatHappenInFootball," reads a translated tweet from Manta FC's account. Exactly what type of bees they were, or why they decided to swarm the field remains to be seen.

Once the danger had passed, players resumed the game. Portoviejo couldn't come back from bee-hind, as Manta FC was eventually triumphant with a 3-2 win.

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Last year, bees also invaded the pitch during a cricket game in South Africa, which forced play to stop for an hour.

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Staff used a fire extinguisher, and eventually a beekeeper, to help ward off the bees.

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