Bees swarm into Bay Ridge

July 1, 2015 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A bee expert at work removing a hive from a tree on 83rd Street in Bay Ridge Monday night. Photo by Kate Cucco

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A swarm of bees had Bay Ridge buzzing! Thousands of honey bees made themselves at home in a tree on a residential block on 83rd Street between Third and Fourth avenues Monday night to the consternation of local residents who feared getting stung.

The police department was called in to handle the situation and cops in turn called in a bee expert to round up the flying insects before anyone got hurt.

The bee wrangler, who was dressed in full protective clothing, was lifted by a cherry picker to the upper branches of the tree where the bees had gathered. He painstakingly worked to remove them from the tree.

Kate Cucco, chief of staff to Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny (D-Bay Ridge-Coney Island), was on her way to a meeting of the Merchants of Third Avenue at The Pearl Room restaurant on Third Avenue and 82nd Street when she spotted the NYPD trucks on 83rd Street and decided to take a closer look.

“It was an amazing thing to see all of those bees!” Cucco told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Why did the bees come to Bay Ridge? It is swarm season and the bees are on the move, expanding their hives, CBS2 reported. And the bees aren’t fussy about where they set up house.

Here are a few handy tips bee experts offered CBS2 on how to avoid getting stung: don’t make any sudden movements and don’t swat at them. Also, if you are dining outdoors, be sure to keep the lid on any sugary drinks.