I believe that this guy should be charged with animal cruelty. What say you, TWW?

Quote :

"Approximately 3 million bees were found swarming around a man's Queens, N.Y., home on Wednesday night, and were confiscated -- to the relief of his neighbors. Yi Gin Chen had beehives packed into the backyard -- about 45 hives in total, said Andrew Cote, president of the New York City Beekeepers Association. Cote said Chen, a beekeeper in his native China, had contacted the beekeepers' association earlier in the month for help with the bees because he was trying to sell his Corona, Queens, home. Chen allegedly started with one hive a couple years ago, and the insects kept multiplying, reported the New York Daily News. “It’s gotten out of hand,” Chen told The Daily News Wednesday night as New York City Police Department officials and volunteers from the Beekeepers Association collected the bees. “I don’t have the time or resources to do this.” Cote said Chen's real estate agent contacted him a few weeks ago and told him that Chen, who only speaks Mandarin, had "four or five hives" that he wanted to sell. When Cote arrived at the home, he was shocked to find it was actually 45. "That's something like 3 million bees, which is more bees than there are people in Queens," Cote said Thursday from his honey stand at a farmer's market outside Manhattan's Rockefeller Center. "Many of the neighbors were tremendously upset about the bees and fearful to walk out their door because it literally led to three feet from the mouth of an open hive, each of which had approximately 60 to 80,000 bees," Cote said. Cote said he advised Chen to immediately register the hives with the city, per local regulations, and also gave him suggestions to make the situation better for his terrified neighbors. One resident, Louie Socci, told the Daily News he called the city once to complain. “It’s like a big swarm of a couple million bees. You never seen anything like it in your life,” Socci told The Daily News. “The guy’s nuts. I called the city once and they didn’t do anything.” Last night, during the four-hour operation to seal up the hives and remove them from the property, Cote discovered that not only were there a lot of bees, but they were also in poor health. "The bees were in terrible condition. I'll be surprised if any of them survives the winter. He stripped them of all their honey," he said. "The average weight of a hive at this time of the year would be at least 180 pounds, and these averaged 40 pounds. He took all of their honey and didn't leave any for them." It's not clear what Chen was doing with the honey, but Cote suspects based on conversations he has had with other beekeepers in the area that he was selling it. Beekeeping has been legal in New York since 2010. No license is needed, but if beehive owners don't register their hives, they can be fined. It's not known yet what charges Chen may face. Calls from NBC News to the New York Police Department were not immediately returned. Anthony Planakis, who heads bee control for the NYPD, told The New York Post of Chen's home, “Picture 45 dogs in one apartment. It’s cruelty to the bees.” New York City has ramped up its bee-control efforts recently. Earlier this month, Planakis -- who has been fighting stingers since 1995 -- was promoted from officer to detective by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelley, and granted a "bee-mobile" and other equipment, The New York Post reported."

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/23/13435771-3-million-bees-seized-from-queens-ny-mans-home?lite/

8/23/2012 3:36:49 PM

It amazes me how stupid some people can be.

8/23/2012 3:40:12 PM

LOL Bee Cruelty

8/23/2012 3:40:37 PM

Bees?

8/23/2012 3:42:02 PM

45 hives set up to die, and honeybees are on the verge of being an endangered species.

Dude should face cruelty charges imo

Instead he will get some shitty little fine for not registering them

[Edited on August 23, 2012 at 3:43 PM. Reason : a]

8/23/2012 3:42:18 PM

I say we put him in a room with 3 million pissed off bees and see how he makes out.

8/23/2012 3:43:54 PM

8/23/2012 3:44:26 PM

^^ great idea!

and nude!

[Edited on August 23, 2012 at 3:44 PM. Reason : a]

8/23/2012 3:44:26 PM

Quote :

"granted a "bee-mobile" "

8/23/2012 3:44:28 PM

^ I must have that

8/23/2012 3:44:59 PM

Wouldn't that be like a fine line though? First bees, then you can't bug bomb the cockroaches in your trailer...

8/23/2012 3:45:01 PM

No. Because Bees actually provide for the environment.

8/23/2012 3:46:38 PM

Bee hugger

8/23/2012 3:48:40 PM

Dude, I am totally changing my status name on that one. Thanks, bro

8/23/2012 3:49:36 PM

All insects are a part of some sort of chain or life BS...

[Edited on August 23, 2012 at 3:51 PM. Reason : but yes, bee hugger is awesome!]

8/23/2012 3:51:09 PM

if it were a red blooded american hed be thrown under the jail and brought before the UN for international violations

8/23/2012 3:51:13 PM

We wouldn't last very long without pollinators, just sayin'

Well, I mean I am sure we would find something to eat for a while. But it would be a pretty ugly place to live.

8/23/2012 3:53:03 PM

So that's where all of the north american bees went

8/23/2012 3:53:16 PM

Hopefully the NY Beekeepers Association takes them in. I have sent them an e-mail about taking 2 of the colonies, if they can't find homes for all of them.

8/23/2012 3:55:31 PM

I wonder if my neighbors would mind if I had 1 hive...

8/23/2012 4:01:12 PM

8/23/2012 4:02:54 PM

^^ I doubt they would even know you had it. As long as you introduce the primary water source early, they will never even bother your neighbors. Shit, your neighbors will probably thank you for how awesome their flowers look.

That being said, it's not a cheap hobby to start up

[Edited on August 23, 2012 at 4:11 PM. Reason : a]

8/23/2012 4:11:11 PM

I KNEW IT!!

COMING UP NEXT:
PREPARE TO GET LOCKED UP FOR SWATTING FLIES.


THEN STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF:
PLANTS FEEL PAIN AND THEREFORE YOU CAN'T KILL THEM

8/23/2012 4:24:20 PM

poor little guys.

I don't know if it is a placebo but I feel like local honey does help me with my horrible horrible seasonal allergies.

My aunt has four hives (her second year trying to keep bees) and they produced 50 pounds of honey. My brother makes fun of her by asking if she feeds her bees High Fructose Corn Syrup.

8/23/2012 4:27:36 PM

^ it has been totally proven that local honey helps allergy sufferers

That being said, I will have honey for sale this time next year!!!!

Quote :

"poor little guys girls. "

fify

[Edited on August 23, 2012 at 4:32 PM. Reason : a]

8/23/2012 4:30:54 PM

Sorry, I misspoke...I call everything little guys like that. teehee. I learned at the maker faire that they are all girls.

8/23/2012 4:37:39 PM

Quote :

"Cote said Chen's real estate agent contacted him a few weeks ago and told him that Chen, who only speaks Mandarin, had "four or five hives" that he wanted to sell. When Cote arrived at the home, he was shocked to find it was actually 45. "That's something like 3 million bees, which is more bees than there are people in Queens," Cote said Thursday from his honey stand at a farmer's market outside Manhattan's Rockefeller Center. "Many of the neighbors were tremendously upset about the bees and fearful to walk out their door because it literally led to three feet from the mouth of an open hive, each of which had approximately 60 to 80,000 bees," Cote said. "

omg that's my worst nightmare!!






the bit about him taking all their honey though made me a little

8/23/2012 4:38:39 PM

How about public endangerment.

NYC has has a lot of bee bullshit this summer. There was a swarm over where I live and cops blocked the street off.

8/23/2012 4:46:26 PM

^ that's just sad. blocking off a whole street for a swarm? I could have it out of there in 10 minutes

8/23/2012 4:50:30 PM

This shit is serious, folks

8/23/2012 6:32:16 PM

Bees everywhere! God, they're huge and they're sting crazy! They're ripping my flesh off! Run away, your firearms are useless against them!

8/23/2012 6:35:09 PM

made me think of
http://www.vanishingbees.com/

[Edited on August 23, 2012 at 6:44 PM. Reason : ]

8/23/2012 6:43:52 PM

I am helping bring them back!

Join with me TWW, I am accepting donations via PayPal

8/23/2012 6:55:14 PM

more butterflies

less bees

8/23/2012 7:15:18 PM

I'm just trying to figure out how they could've counted that many bees o.O

But really, that guy's an asshole

8/23/2012 7:38:14 PM

how is there 45 hives if they are in such poor condition, he prolly took all the honey bc he knew he was about to give the hives away

8/23/2012 8:31:14 PM

They don't allow you to have bees in here.

8/23/2012 8:33:40 PM

If bees are on the verge of becoming endangered, shouldn't we be asking this guy how he went from one hive to 45? Maybe he has the answer.

8/24/2012 12:11:57 AM

i'm still trying to figure out of djeternal is being serious. Not like it's hard to breed bees again. Hard on for insects much?

8/24/2012 12:18:48 AM

YOUR FIREARMS ARE USELESS AGAINST THEM

8/24/2012 12:25:36 AM

i'm okay with this. i hate bees/wasps/hornets

8/24/2012 12:27:02 AM

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14064-and-in-the-endless-pause-there-came-the-sound-of-bees/

8/24/2012 12:31:15 AM

I guess you could say they were beemaciated?

8/24/2012 10:16:53 AM

I'm amazed a pissed off neighbor didn't buy a flame thrower and take care of the bees.

8/24/2012 10:53:32 AM

srs beezness

8/24/2012 10:56:09 AM