A swarm of bees landed on a New York City hot dog stand on Tuesday, shutting down part of a street as police used a special vacuum to remove them.
About 25,000 bees landed on the top of a hot dog stand in Times Square around 2 p.m., attracting onlookers from the street, the Associated Press reports. Thousands followed along online as a Reuters livestream showed the bees getting removed.
An NYPD officer wearing a beekeeper’s net removed the bees with a vacuum cleaner. According to the NYPDBees Twitter account, the official account for the department’s beekeeper, the bees were from an overcrowded hive and landed on the hot dog stand as a way to get temporary residence. The beekeeper noted that the “very humid day” likely caused the bees to relocate.
Work, errands and other tasks came to a pause at the busy Midtown Manhattan intersection as people were abuzz about the bees on Twitter.
The NYPD said “no tourist was harmed and no bee was left behind” in a tweet.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com