New York City cop helps remove 25,000 bees from terminal, stung just a few times
New York City police's beekeeping unit was quick to remove the swarm, but not without some stings
Sunday was just another day for New York City Police Department's beekeeping unit.
The agency responded to a call from security at the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island regarding some intruders of the buzzing kind -- all 25,000 of them.
The discovery was made by Lt. Michael Molinari, who then reached out to the police's beekeeping unit for assistance. Officer Darren Mays attended the scene, where 25,000 honeybees were found attached to a metal awning inside the building.
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Although Mays didn't suffer any serious injuries, he told The New York Times he was stung three or four times out of the 30 to 40 times he had helped relocate a swarm. Luckily for him, he was wearing protective netting and a white beekeeping suit top on as he sucked up the bees with a vacuum, with a hose connected to a hive-like box. The insects were safely removed by nighttime.
Bees at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on Sunday. Photo: New York City Police Department
The officer stated he can estimate how many bees are in a swarm just by the weight.
“Three pounds of bees is usually about 10,000,” he said. In this particular situation, eight pounds of bees took 30 minutes to vacuum up, Mays added.
The police department's beekeeping unit consists of two officers and sometimes a third with expertise on the insects. Mays offered a quick explanation for why the bees were drawn to the metal awning.
“The queens picks a spot,” he said. “So they all ended up staying there.”
The ferry, which is operated by the New York City Department of Transportation, did not immediately comment on the removal.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of the New York City Police Department.
Sources: New York Times | Silive.com