Police: 3 people hospitalized as bee swarm takes over Paramus neighborhood

Police say a tree trimmer was taken to Valley Hospital for severe bee stings and another two were taken in for moderate stings.

Amanda Lee

Jul 26, 2024, 12:30 AM

Updated 140 days ago

Share:

A neighborhood in Paramus has now been deemed safe after being taken over by a large swarm of bees. Three people were taken to the hospital after being stung, according to officials.
Police say one tree trimmer was taken to Valley Hospital for severe bee stings and another two were taken in for moderate stings.
They were working on a tree along Howland Avenue near Village Circle when the bees began to swarm.
Howland Avenue was closed off and Paramus police told residents to stay inside when it happened around 11 a.m. Thursday.
Police say a beekeeper came out to assess the situation. The beekeeper told police if the bees are left alone, they will return to the nest located in the tree trunk.
A neighbor living next door to where the bee swarm originated says she found out about it when an officer knocked on her door advising her to stay inside.
“He came to me and said ‘Did you see what happened? They have millions of bees flying around.’ I said I better hurry up and close my door,” Ming Tilley told News 12.
Tilley has a large garden in front of her home with lots of plants. She said she sees some bees buzzing around from time to time but never a swarm of bees or too many at once.
Officials say the tree trimmers were sent out by the city. Neighbors say workers are scheduled to come back next week to finish trimming other trees in the neighborhood.