Swarm Season Brings Throngs Of Bees To City, Suburbs Alike

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Bees buzz, sting and terrify, and they don't care if they live in a tree, a country barn, or the walls of a New York City apartment.

As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, honeybees are on the move because it is the height of the swarm season. And experts have some advice on keeping them away.

"I've never seen anything like it before," said Brigid Marr of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

"Bees everywhere," said Rita Bukhari of Bay Ridge.

Indeed, honeybees are swarming and expanding hives all over. Huge colonies of bees have appeared on trees, including one that has turned many heads on 83rd Street in Bay Ridge.

"There were tons of bees up and down the block," Bukhari said.

A bee removal expert spent hours collecting and moving them from the tree, but then had to return hours later and do it again.

The demand for bee removal services has never been higher. Crews had to come remove a wasp's nest from a woman's window in Mahwah, New Jersey, while in Wallkill, Orange County, a colony estimated at more than half a million was found hiding behind siding of Brian Paffenroth's home.

"As long as the bees are taken care of, that's the best part," Paffenroth said.

They are calling in Mickey the Beekeeper – a man so comfortable around bees that he covered his nearly naked body with them for a video.

"A lot of people are noticing now a lot more bees," he said.

Mickey the Beekeeper's latest job was removing 40,000 bees from inside a Coney Island, Brooklyn apartment.

"They were coming in the drain spout on the outside and going in between the rafters," he said.

The experts said a rule of thumb when you encounter swarming honeybees is to not make sudden movements, and never swat at them.

Also, if you are dining outdoors this summer, you are advised to keep the caps on any sugary or syrupy items. And when possible, cover swimming pools -- because bees just love them.

But experts said to remember also that bees are not pests. They are VIPs – very important pollinators that are needed by nature.