Swarm of 25,000 Bees Removed From Manhattan Traffic Light

A swarm of bees brought traffic to a halt when they had to be removed from a New York City stoplight.

The potentially sticky situation developed Saturday in Manhattan's Flatiron District after pedestrians reported the insects buzzing around the intersection of East 20th Street and Broadway, CBS New York reported.

The New York City Fire Department brought a ladder truck to the scene, where beekeeper Andrew Coté was hoisted up to corral the estimated 25,000 bees, amNew York Metro said.

Photos show Coté wearing protective gear as he coaxed some of the swarm into a white plastic bucket while a cloud of bees surrounded him.

“Bees swarm as a means of propagating their species," the beekeeper told amNew York Metro.

"Usually, one beehive somewhere in the vicinity of the swarm becomes overcrowded and the queen bee leaves and takes many thousands of bees with her as her entourage as they seek a new home."

The trip usually involves "a temporary stop somewhere — a tree branch, a bush, or in this case, a traffic signal — as their scouts seek out a more fitting permanent new home," Coté added.

Coté reportedly relocated the bees to the city's Museum of Modern Art, where he recently installed an artwork with a living beehive in the center tree bed of its Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden.