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When you live in New York, it's always something. And this story brings the phrase, "Only in New York" to mind.
The subways always on the blink, everything costs a million dollars, and to top it all off you have to navigate hordes of angry, bloodthirsty bees just to get a hot dog.
At least, this week you did.
Recently, in Times Square, the hot dogs served by one of the city's iconic stands came with more than just ketchup and mustard.
The stand was taken over by a colony of swarming bees -- some 25,000 of them. According to the NYPD's bee keepers (yes, the greatest city in the world actually has on-staff bee keepers!), "Much like New Yorkers, in the summer the bees feel that the hive is just too....crowded. So they take off for a little relocation."
In this case, to the hot dog stand umbrella at 43rd and Broadway.
Authorities cordon off section of Times Square to respond to a massive group of bees that are swarming a hot dog st… https://t.co/9yMjQV4o7h— ABC News (@ABC News)1535481793.0
Of course, we all know how precious bees are nowadays, so you'll be happy to know that they all survived. How? The NYPD bee keepers simply sucked them up with a vacuum, then relocated them far away from any hot dog stands to go about their buzzy business.
The Times Square bee patrol is here https://t.co/FLL37BxcIp— Daniel Rubin (@Daniel Rubin)1535481332.0
What caused this un-bee-lievable phenomenon?
"The hive got overcrowded because it was hot and humid and they just needed a new place to go so they can keep cool," said Officer Darren Mays, one of the NYPD beekeepers. This phenomenon is called an "absconded hive." The 25,000 bees decided to "take temporary residence while scout bees are out finding a new permanent residence."
Of course on Twitter, New Yorkers were abuzz about Times Square's newest residents:
the brown on the top of that umbrella. is a swarm of bees https://t.co/Kd2OXGbqRP— Astrid Rotenberry (@Astrid Rotenberry)1535478131.0
TFW you graduate the police academy only to fid yourself vacuuming bees off a hotdog stand in Times Square https://t.co/b1dsqCEcGo— Sarah Mimms (@Sarah Mimms)1535481151.0
@soniasaraiya If they can... make it there...they'll make it...anywhere....— Aimbelievable (@Aimbelievable)1535491780.0
While some seemed to welcome their new bee overlords:
@soniasaraiya YASSS drive those tourists out of town.— realNewYorkValues🌎🌍🌏 (@realNewYorkValues🌎🌍🌏)1535488009.0
@soniasaraiya Bees are smart af, I wouldn't doubt they had a months long blueprint to gather the proper resources a… https://t.co/GryahECanS— Brendan (@Brendan)1535493909.0
@soniasaraiya agreed, they know what they’re doing, it’s time— Lara Kristin Herndon (@Lara Kristin Herndon)1535494358.0
Weirder still, apparently these bee invasions happen every year!
Some, of course, raised some valid questions:
@ABC Are the police there because it's a sting operation?— Charlotte Clymer🏳️🌈 (@Charlotte Clymer🏳️🌈)1535483986.0
While others had more pressing concerns:
@Reuters What I'd really like to know, were any hot dogs harmed in the making of this video?— ❄️Theresa S❄️ (@❄️Theresa S❄️)1535517953.0
And of course, even when the bees expanded their territory, some couldn't help but see this spectacle as just another reason their city is so unique:
update: the swarm of bees have now occupied "a vending machine." the entirety of 43rd street between 7th and 8th av… https://t.co/Kl4FDqQsdY— David Bradley Isenberg (@David Bradley Isenberg)1535481251.0
Truly bee-witching, bee-guiling and bee-wildering, just like the Bee-ig Apple itself! (I'm truly sorry, I'll stop now.)