Times Square bees find a new home: an NYPD officer's hive

Michael Lauriano is on the bee beat for the New York City Police Department. Wherever a swarm is buzzing, he's on the scene.

"We come along, and we will contain them, and we will be their real estate agent," he told Brad Mielke, the host of ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. "I will find them a good place to stay."

Lauriano is one of two resident beekeepers with the New York City Police Department who cover the five boroughs. When he's not on patrol as a police officer for the 1st Precinct in Tribeca, he's helping the city adapt to an expanding honey bee population caused by loosened beekeeping regulations.

"They are now among us," he said. "It is a natural thing for them to swarm off. It's divide and conquer."

His claim to fame came last month when he carefully removed about 30,000 bees that swarmed a vinyl umbrella on a Times Square hot dog cart. His "sting" operation went viral on social media, but it was all business for Lauriano.

"When I get to the scene, I appreciate all the interest, I appreciate the crowds of people, and the clapping, but it's time for me to get to work," he said. "You're waiting for me, and the bees are also waiting for me also. I'm like their main scout."

When Lauriano is on a bee call, he checks to see if the bees are "queen right," meaning the hive has a queen and the bees are very docile and not agitated. He then uses a specially rigged vacuum to collect the bees without hurting them. If it was your bees that swarmed, Lauriano is happy to return the bees as long as they have a home, but he said the owners rarely call asking.

So where do you put tens of thousands of bees? Lauriano, a beekeeper himself, transports them to his home out on Long Island where he has spare hives ready just in case some bees suddenly need a new place to stay.

"Maybe I'm the oddball for having all these bees," he told "Start Here." "I have, let's just say, over 100,000 pets ... who else do you know that could say that?"

As winter approaches, Lauriano is thinking about how to help the Times Square bees get through the season in their new hive.

"The problem we're having is they have no honey," he said. "They showed up to this apartment with no luggage. So I'm actually going to donate honey from my existing hive, which could be about 50 pounds."

As the interest in urban beekeeping and the need for bee removal in New York grows, Lauriano would like to teach the city what all the buzz is about.

"I would definitely like to talk to kids about honeybees ... just get the community involved with it," he said. "It looks like this is the way it's going. New York City wants bees."

This story is featured on Wednesday's edition of the ABC News "Start Here" podcast.

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