Massive Bee Swarms Reportedly Strike New York City's South Street Seaport

On Memorial Day weekend, shopkeepers and restaurant-owners expect New York's South Street Seaport to be buzzing with excitement-- but they encountered quite a different type of buzz today.

According to ABC:

Around 11:30 a.m., one restaurant manager and his staff heard something unusual outside their door.

It was a swarm of bees buzzing around a hydrant on Fulton and Front streets, scaring away tourists and stinging business at William Miller's restaurant.

"It's Memorial Day Weekend and normally we're always busy," said Miller. "And look at the next restaurant, they're packed. And I'm so empty."

Police cordoned off the busy section of the seaport, where thousands were strolling through.

Five hours after Miller called police, a brave beekeeper finally showed up - delayed because he was responding to several other calls Saturday.

ABC continues:

The past few weeks, swarms of bees have been appearing all across the city.

Last Sunday on the Upper West Side, a mother and her baby were trapped in their SUV for more than two hours because of bees.

Two weeks ago in the Bronx, 9,000 bees clustered in a tree.

And last month in Brooklyn, 5,000 bees made a hive on a building in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

One woman interviewed by NY1 commented: "I've never actually seen a bee before here like Manhattan and stuff. I only see them in like mountain places."

The New York Post speculates that an amateur rooftop beekeeper may be to blame-- having lost control of his or her hobby.