A Giant Swarm of Overheated Honey Bees Descend Upon a Times Square Hot Dog Cart Umbrella

An incredible heat wave hitting New York City during this last week of August has caused most sentient beings in the area searching for cooler air wherever it can be found. This group includes a giant swarm of 25,000 or so honeybees who descended upon the umbrella of a hot dog vendor’s cart in the middle of Times Square. This amazing sight delighted, amazed and/or scared passersby who didn’t know what was going on. Luckily, the rather humorous, official NYPD Bee Twitter account explained the mysterious throng of apis visitors.

About 25k were relocated after getting notified from our great crowd in Times Square. Over crowded hive on a very humid day caused them to take temporary residence while scout bees are out finding a new permanent residence. https://t.co/SkKIDoEJZV

— NYPD Bees (@NYPDBees) August 28, 2018

The police were called and officers with skills appropriate to such events suited up and vacuumed the errant bees into a container for relocation to a local apiary.

Ok ok. Ladies and gents, please be advised that we are sworn ???? officers first and ? keepers by choice. Our primary job is are beat officers ? that serve and protect. We respond to remove ? and relocate them when called upon.

— NYPD Bees (@NYPDBees) August 29, 2018

Here’s an apiary where bees that are relocated and kept. We do take pride in removing and relocating our precious pollinators. Yes, the electric fence is to bear proof it from bears as well as curious human consumptionators. Did I just make up that word????? pic.twitter.com/1MKuisgNI0

— NYPD Bees (@NYPDBees) August 29, 2018

Really catching a lot of buzzzz. Not many things can surprise New Yorkers, but this one sure did!!! https://t.co/qT67BhtC5k

— NYPD Bees (@NYPDBees) August 29, 2018

We'll let them bee, but they have to leave the hot dogs for the tourists! https://t.co/yOuTFGAR2w

— NYPD Bees (@NYPDBees) August 28, 2018

A post shared by Reuters (@reuters) on Aug 29, 2018 at 3:47am PDT

News 12 anchor Michelle Divon posted a hilarious version of the video set to the particularly appropriate soundtrack of “Flight of the Bumblebee“.

Flight of the bumblebee in Times Square. Literally. The stuff nightmares are made of.

A post shared by Michelle Divon (@michelledivontv) on Aug 28, 2018 at 1:22pm PDT

via Reuters, Complex