What’s so sweet about Times Square? Only the bees know.
On Tuesday, July 20, 2021, NYPD beekeepers were called in to remove a swarm for the second time in two weeks.
The first swarm two weeks ago was around 25,000 bees, this time it was ‘only’ 10,000 bees.
At around 2pm, NYPD Officer Darren Mays, a beekeeper, was called to Times Square along with other NYPD beekeepers to handle the bees for their own protection as well as for public safety.
The honeybees were gently removed and relocated.
The bees flew into a recycling receptacle at 3 Times Square, where they had made their home. The previous swarm, two weeks earlier, was in the same general area.
The police department posted pictures on their Twitter page. Their footage even shows how some of the bees worked their way into a soda can.
This 0:32-second video by CBS New York showcases this story:
The first swarm on July 6, 2021, had closer to 25,000 bees in it. The same Officer Mays showed up at the Crossroads of the World to remove the bees, according to the police department.
NYPD beekeepers said the bees from the first swarm were taken to Hudson Valley and released there.
This is not the first time — or second — that swarms of bees have descended on Times Square NY.
Two years ago, a small swarm of hundreds of bees landed on the umbrella of a hot dog stand at 43rd and Broadway in Times Square. Maybe some honey in the condiments section lured them. Police shut down part of the street at the time.
Three years ago, in June 2018, around twenty thousand bees swarmed on a NYPD camera at the intersection of W 42nd Street and Broadway at Times Square, according to a CBS Philly newscaster. New York City’s official police beekeeper was called in to take care of the matter and save the bees. No onlookers or tourists were harmed, and the bees came out of their adventure in good shape too.
Four years ago, in June 2017, CBS New York reported that there was a ‘big buzz’ in Times Square. Seventeen stories above ground, 30,000 bees swarmed on a ledge. Andrew Coté, fourth generation beekeeper, came to the rescue. The bees were moved to a hive in Bryant Park. Reporter Alice Gainer said it was the third swarm in that month alone. Coté shed light on the mystery of where the bees were coming from… a rooftop hive at a hotel across the street.
This 2:07-minute video by CBS New York shows this bee swarming event. (Credit: andrewshoney.com)
You can see why this is looking like a unique annual bee pilgrimage to Times Square... something sweet is going on!