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The NYC Parks Department has refused to remove a large hornets' nest from a tree in Queens, instead telling worried residents to hire their own contractors to relocate it at a cost of $200 to $800. This response came after Councilman Phil Wong’s office complained about the hive's proximity to a resident's home and asked for help. Parks Department representative Camile Easterling defended the decision by stating that hornets play an important role in the ecosystem, but Councilman Wong criticized this stance, warning of potential harm to residents if someone gets stung or injured.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In Queens, residents in Middle Village are facing a massive hornets' nest located in a city tree near a 79-year-old woman's home. The Parks Department initially refused to remove the dangerous hive, citing its ecological importance. Councilman Phil Wong’s office intervened with complaints, but received an email from Parks Department worker Camile Easterling stating that the department would not intervene due to the hornets' role in pollination and pest control. Instead, they suggested hiring a professional insect relocator at residents’ expense. The situation has left local residents feeling frustrated and worried about their safety.
Written for “Hornet Nest Controversy NYC” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
The NYC Parks Department is giving a terrified Queens neighborhood a stinging response over a massive hornets’ nest — telling worried residents to pay out of their own pockets to humanely relocate it.
asserted
Department → give → it
Reps for Councilman Phil Wong’s office swarmed the agency with complaints this week after constituents spotted a wasp fortress the size of two basketballs hanging 10 feet up in a city tree at the corner of Cowles Court and Dry Harbor Road in Middle Village, mere steps from a 79-year-old woman’s home.
asserted
constituents → swarm → home
They asked the agency to exterminate the pests or remove the hive – only to be told to buzz off.
asserted
They → ask → hive
Parks Department worker bee Camile Easterling told the councilman’s staff the city won’t touch the stinging horde of bald-faced hornets because they “play an important role in our ecosystem.”
asserted
they → tell → ecosystem
“Bees and wasps serve as plant pollinators and help control populations of harmful insect pests,” gushed Easterling, an assistant to the department’s borough commissioner, in a Monday email to Wong’s chief of staff, Daniel Kurzyna, obtained by The Post.
asserted
Easterling → serve → Post
If relocation is deemed “necessary,” Easterling said the agency “recommend[s] hiring a qualified insect relocator” — but reminded Kurzyna that “any work performed on or involving a city tree requires” a tree work permit from the agency, adding another layer of red tape.
asserted
work → deem → tape
Hiring contractors to relocate bees and wasps’ nests from NYC trees typically costs anywhere from $200 to $800, according to Angi.com.
uncertain
Hiring → hire → Angi.com
Wong called the Parks Department’s response “absurd.”
asserted
Wong → call → response
“Residents should not have to pull a permit, hire a contractor and pay out of pocket to relocate a wasp nest from a city tree, while the other option is apparently to wait until someone gets stung and call 911,” the moderate Queens Democrat told The Post.
asserted
Democrat → have → Post
“Parks needs to do its job before somebody gets hurt.”
asserted
somebody → need → job
Betty Coccaro, who spotted the nest hanging from a tree outside her home last week, questioned whether the city is putting the health of bugs ahead of residents — especially since some people have life-threatening allergies to stings.
“Of course I’m concerned,” said the 79-year-old.
asserted
old → spot → stings
“What happens if the nest falls?
asserted
nest → happen → ?
“I could see if it was bees because you can get honey out of them, but the only thing you can get out of this is being stung.
uncertain
you → see → this
Why won’t they get rid of them?”
asserted
they → rid → them
Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, coordinator of Cornell University’s Integrated Pest Management program, said bald-faced hornets usually build nests higher up on trees and avoid interacting with people, but she understands why residents are concerned.
asserted
residents → say → people
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asserted
Report → start → news
The stinging-insect expert also dismissed the Parks Department’s suggestion of relocating the nest, adding that this is a job best suited for an exterminator.
asserted
this → sting → exterminator
“Relocating the nest is not a thing,” she said.
asserted
she → relocate → nest
“You can’t remove and move a wasps’ nest.
asserted
You → remove → nest
You can do that with honeybees.
asserted
You → do → honeybees
They can be moved because they can be domesticated.”
asserted
they → move → ?
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