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Tree Limb to be Severed to Rid Astoria Street of Bees

The branch where the hive is
The branch where the hive is
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DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

ASTORIA — A tree branch that's been home to a bee hive that's tormented the residents of a quiet Astoria Street will be sawn off as soon as rainy weather breaks, officials said.

The bees, say residents of 35 Street, have been a menace for years. The street had to be closed down briefly on Friday after two swarms, each containing roughly 10,000 bees settled on a lawn sculpture at one home and on a nearby tree branch.

“It takes a lot of planning,” said NYPD’s bee expert Anthony Planakis, who will temporarily seal the nest before the main branch is removed. Primary and secondary tree limbs will also have to be cut off.

The Parks Department promised the branch would be cut down this week.

After last week's swarms, Planakis scooped up some of the bees and sent them to a sanctuary in Connecticut.  But some residents were unsatisfied because many bees remained on the block.

“This year is tough,” Planakis added.

He said the recent mix of warm and rainy weather, large amounts of pollen and nectar inside hives, and the fact that a new generation of bees is being born causes hive overcrowding.