CBS2 Gets Action: Beekeeper Removes Dangerous Hornets From Brooklyn Tree
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some Brooklyn residents who had been complaining about hornets all over their block were heaving sighs of relief Wednesday night.
A homeowner and tenant combined said they made at least 30 calls to the city to have the pests removed, but the hornets remained on 76th Street in Dyker Heights, CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reported.
But CBS2 stepped in and got them taken down.
Mary Jane Koller had a warm embrace Wednesday night for Mickey the Beekeeper, who removed the two hornets' nests from the tree in front of Koller's home free of charge after CBS2 stepped in.
The first one came down without a problem. The second took several attempts, and Mickey the Beekeeper said there were likely hundreds of hornets inside.
Koller was in tears after finally getting the help she pleaded for.
"Relief, but overwhelmed," she said.
Koller, a resident of the neighborhood for more than 30 years, had said the hornets occupying the two nests in the city's tree outside her front door were downright dangerous.
"This particular wasps' nest is of the bald-faced hornet," said Dr. Chris Andrea Johnson, Curatorial Associate with the American Museum of Natural History.
Johnson, an entomologist, said its likely 400 to 700 hornets live inside each nest.
"Those nests are pretty high up in the air, and so they're probably not going to bother anybody," she said.
However, the hornets do sting and can do so repeatedly -- a scary thought for those who walk beneath.
Koller had been worried that the hornets could get aggravated during an upcoming weekend block party, and was afraid that children could be their target.
She said she asked the city to step in and help, but claimed her requests were ignored. She was still disappointed Wednesday night that action was not taken sooner.
"I can feel it in my body -- a big relief – I can feel it, I can just feel everything going down," Koller said. But she said "absolutely, absolutely without a doubt," she thought the city should have taken action sooner.
The city said while the tree is on city property, it is up to the homeowner to maintain it – including pest removal.
Mickey the Beekeeper said he wanted to help Koller and humanely remove the nests.
"I also don't want more chemicals sprayed in the environment where my honeybees are foraging," he said. "I definitely could relate with what she wanted to do, and I wanted to help.
Mickey the Beekeeper said he will relocate the hornets at least two miles from the city so they do not return to the neighborhood.
A representative of local City Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-43rd) said they asked the NYPD to send a beekeeper to help, but he was not available until Thursday.