Photo by Travis Jelovich

Andy Duffy, left, and Lenny Lee removed a honeybee swarm from a tree in Central Park recently. Duffy, an amateur bee keeper, took the swarm home and placed it in a hive in his back yard, where he said the bees “seem to like it.” Duffy said the swarms are caused when a nearby healthy hive gets too many bees and this group — with its own queen somewhere deep inside that swarm — splits off the original hive to find a location for a new colony. Duffy said while “scout bees” seek a new home, the swarm stays pretty mellow and thus is relatively easy to handle and transport in a box.