These bees now have a five-star hive.
A swarm of about 16,000 bees was evicted from a tree on the Upper West Side on Monday — only to land on the rooftop of the tony Waldorf-Astoria hotel, with some of the best views in the city.
The NYPD’s bee cop, Anthony Planakis, also known as “Tony Bees,” captured the stingers, which had occupied a tree branch 20 feet above the ground at West 72nd Street and Broadway.
“There were a lot of civilians walking around,” said Andrew Cote of the NYC Bee Keepers Association, who was at the scene.
It took Planakis five minutes to corral the bees — including the all-important queen — into a cardboard box.
No one was stung.
“The most important thing is the queen. If you lose the queen you lose the hive,” a source said.
Cote transported the 4-pound swarm to a hive on the rooftop of the Midtown hotel.
Planakis vacuumed up nearly 18,000 bees at a Greenpoint bus stop last week.