Video Shows Bees Swarming Times Square Hot Dog Stand

Video footage showed bees swarming a hot dog stand in the middle of New York City on Aug. 28.

The footage was taken in the Times Square neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan.

The street was closed off as police officers responded to the swarm, which was gathered on top of the stand’s umbrella at Broadway and West 43rd Street.

Officer Michael Lauriano, an 18-year veteran of the New York Police Department who is known as the force’s “Bee Guy,” suited up in a beekeeper’s suit and sucked the bees into a special vacuum as he stood on a ladder.

“We try to get as many as we can,” Lauriano told the New York Post. “We like to keep the families together.”

He couldn’t say where the bees would be taken but said he'd find them a hive.

“We’ve got to determine [where to take them], but definitely in a hive,” Lauriano said.

Bees in New York City

Bees have made a comeback in the city in recent years as hives were placed on top of some buildings so residents could harvest honey.

The New York City Beekeeper’s Association advises residents to make sure to place hives in the correct places, advising quiet areas not directly against a neighboring property for them unless there’s a solid fence or dense plant barrier between the two properties.

“Hives should be kept as far away as possible from roads, sidewalks, and rights of way. Flight paths into the hive (generally ten feet in front of the hive entrance) should remain within the owner’s lot, although barriers (e.g., fencing and tall shrubs) can sometimes be used to redirect the bees’ flight pattern,” the group stated, adding that hives placed on roofs should be level and preferably only six stories high or lower.

According to The Honeybee Conservancy, there are a number of bees native to the city including mason bees and leafcutter bees. The group states that bees in the city can be found just about anywhere, from a hole in the ground to a hollow tube.

“Now more than ever, locals should be interested in boosting the native bee population. Although they do not produce honey, bees living in the wild play a crucial role in pollination, as well as in being an accurate barometer of biodiversity,” the group said.

“Locals can help native bees by creating proper nesting grounds for them. Growing native plants also helps the bees by offering them the kind of nutrition they are best adapted to. Because most wild NYC bees seek refuge in the soil, concerned locals should avoid using pesticides or dumping polluting chemicals.”

From NTD.tv