Angry Bees Attack New York GameStop
A swarm of bees gathered yesterday outside the GameStop in Union Square, possibly to demand a higher trade-in value for their games. Store employees were trapped inside for hours and eventually hung a sign reading: "Look! ... closed due to bee infestation.''
In fact, it took two hours to get some help...and that was only after Eyewitness News called the police department...who said, call the fire department...who said, call 9-1-1...who said, call 3-1-1..who said, call the mayor's office.
In the meantime, a Good Samaritan — tried to remove the immediate hazard out on the sidewalk. He lured about a thousand bees into a bag — which was later placed inside a box. But pedestrians were still at risk, and the bees continued to filter out of the building.
Eyewitness News: "What were people doing when you approached this??"
Good Samaritan, Edward Albers: "I don't know...they were laughing...some of 'em..."
Eyewitness News: "Was anyone stung??"
Albers: "Not yet..."And finally, at around 4 p.m. the NYPD's bee specialist arrived — but removing the hive was no easy task...
"I'm probably gonna be relying on scent...the queen bee's scent...it could take a half hour, an hour...two hours...I don't know," NYPD bee expert Tony Planakis said.
The NYPD, which apparently has bee experts on staff, successfully lured the hive into boxes, which they plan to ship upstate.
Bees swarm store in NYC [ABC via Gothamist]
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Comments:
Makes me wonder if they have a Zombie specialist on staff as well.
What is it with these immigrants from Samaria, always helping out and knowing what to do in times of crisis?
Bah. Probably a publicity stunt for the new Halo game. I hear they love bees, you know?
Why are we assuming they were angry? Maybe they were happy bees! Their faces are so small, it would be hard to see the little tiny smiles.
which they plan to ship upstate.
AH CRAP. I'd better stay away from GameStop.
Even mild-tempered non-africanized honeybees disapprove of Gamestop business practices. It's possible a pissed-off game company was behind this :P
Here's a tip if you want to get some games for next to nothing: Stand outside the gamestop and wait for someone to come walking in with a stack of games (Usually you wont have to wait long). Wait in line until the employee offers them about a dollar for each game. Prey on that low offer then offer the customer a few dollars more, works every time. Last time I did that I got like 5 games for less then 10 bucks :)
That Gamestop was covered in BEES!
Swarms are simply looking for a new home, have nothing to defend, and are therefore are bees in their most docile state. "Angry" is a very ignorant term to use with bees, as a swarm cannot even be called "defensive".
Come to our free classes if you'd like,
[GothamCityBees.com]
The poor little bees are having problems already with that bee disease. Don't kill them!
I don't want a bee to sting me because a) it hurts, and b) it kills them. :(
@Kenny Strong: My guess is that he's an on-call person which would explain why he took so long to arrive. It's not like he was responding to other bee calls.
I can just see the next academy class:
"ok, who wants to go into beekeeping?"
no hands get rasised.
"alright, who wants an action-packed assignment?"
all hands go up.
"ok, you and you and you are now the new beekeeper probies. get ready for your honey-do lists."
Smart Bees...
Maybe these bees are the leftovers from here: [consumerist.com]
Those poor bees just can't get a break, can they?
You guys missed the boat on some great tv and movie references.
"I, for one, would like to welcome our new bee overlords."
And
Any reference to the hilariously bad "Wicker Man" remake with Nic Cage. I mean c'mon, it would've been hilarious.
@Sean Beattie:
Umm...
All your Gamestop are belong to us.
You are on the way to bad business practices.
You have no chance to get fair market price for your games make your time.
I think the bees were mad that they didn't have any copies of the Bee Movie Video Game.
Um, why didn't anyone think to call an exterminator or building management? If they couldn't handle it, they probably could have recommended some who could.
So what you are saying is you offered him a little more than a dollar a game?
Great going there pal. I guess this makes you marginally better?
~*~*~*~*~*~*
I guess I will wait behind you in line and watch you get asked to leave the store and not come back.
Why didn't the bee guy show up in a suit, tell people to move away (which shouldn't be a problem), and spray a huge can of insecticide around? Quick and effective.
Also, I find it hard to believe the GameStop employees were really trapped. Don't the fire codes require a second exit?
@figaro1010: i'm pretty sure that riverstyxxx wasn't going to turn around and sell them as "new" for $20 each
@jeffs3rd: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
@Shoelace: He probably didn't spray insecticide because we're already having a problem with the collapsing bee population; killing a bunch of lost bees for no reason would only make the crop pollination problem worse.
@hedonia: I see your point, but there's something seriously wrong when bees have lost their sense of direction.
Does anyone else smell a terrible "Law and Order" spin-off series coming?
Attack of the killer bees!
In the Insect Justice System, the insects are represented by two separate but equal sides - Gamestop employees who find the bees, and NYPD bee specialists, who ship the bees upstate. Here are their stories...
@Laura Northrup: Shit, I'm in the same boat, assuming they're not shipping them north of Alexandria Bay.
My theroey is that this store had offered a great deal they had no way of filling, so they released killer bees to try to dissuade people from buying. It's works w/RV's and eBay!
@madanthony: Just make sure to have the obligatory "No bees were harmed in the making of this episode" and "The following is a work of fiction. This was not ripped from the headlines of the NY Post" messages.
@Laura Northrup: If you're worried, just start carrying a flamethrower. Few people know this, but it's actually not illegal to have one of those for the purpose of defending yourself from swarms of angry things. Because really, what other way is there?
@Rob Markowitz: Ever try to get an exterminator on a holiday weekend? Me neither, but I bet it's not easy.
@Moosehawk: Before one of the Halo games for the Xbox came out, a website appeared called ILoveBees. It was a viral website that people could dig around in to get a little info about the upcoming game.
@Cyco: Ahh thanks. I was never a Halo fan. The gameplay seemed really gimmicky and clumsy. As soon as Halo 2 came out I never touched the game again because of live.
@Moosehawk: People enjoy the game because of the online portion of it. The single player is boring and uninspired. At least that's my opinion. Millions of gamers will probably disagree.
This is karmic retribution if I've ever seen it!
That GameStop is probably the worst video game store I've ever had the misfortune to wait in line in.
The place is a mess, and the employees are VERY unhappy.
I'm not surprised a swarm of bees descended on them. I believe the locusts are scheduled for next week. Stay tuned...
In some states, you can't exterminate bees (assuming they're bees and not wasps or hornets) but instead need a beekeeper to relocate the entire hive. Now think about how many beekeepers there are likely to be operating in NYC.
NYPD has a bee specialist?!