{"id":357627,"date":"2026-09-26T15:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T15:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/357627\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T15:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T15:00:08","slug":"nyc-exterminator-rids-block-of-hornets-nest-officials-refused-to-remove","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/357627\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC exterminator rids block of hornets nest officials refused to remove"},"content":{"rendered":"

A hero exterminator stepped up this week to kill a massive Queens hornets nest<\/a> after lazy city officials told terrified neighbors to buzz off.<\/p>\n

Sean Cadenhead said he read in shock last Sunday\u2019s Post report on how the NYC Parks Department rejected pleas from residents and Councilman Phil Wong <\/a>to remove the hive \u2014 the size of two basketballs\u2014 from a city tree in Middle Village.<\/p>\n

Instead, the agency recommended residents pay out of their own pockets and humanely relocate the nest.<\/p>\n

Good Samaritan exterminator Sean Cadenhead stepped up this week where the NYC Parks Department refused \u2014 by killing off a massive hornet\u2019s nest\u00a0terrifying a Queens neighborhood. Courtesy of Sean Cadenhead Phase One Exterminating<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Cadenhead, of Queens-based Phase One Exterminating,<\/a> took matters into his own hands.<\/p>\n

He showed up unannounced around 9 a.m. at the corner of Cowles Court and Dry Harbor Road, introduced himself to a 79-year-old woman whose home was mere steps from the nest, and started spraying.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is not always about money \u2014 it\u2019s just about being a good New Yorker. You got Superman, Batman and Phase One Exterminating,\u201d Cadenhead, 41, told The Post.<\/p>\n

Cadenhead estimated roughly 400 bald-faced hornets lived in the nest, which hung 10 feet above a public sidewalk.<\/p>\n

He posted a video<\/a> on Instagram of the nearly hour-long job.<\/p>\n

Dressed in white, full-body, beekeeping protective gear, he first killed the pests by saturating the nest with pesticide. <\/p>\n

The wasp nest was outside the adjacent homes of Anthony Labita and neighbor Betty Coccaro. J.C. Rice for NY Post<\/p>\n

Then he removed the nest and tossed it in a black garbage bag.<\/p>\n

Betty Cocaro thanked Cadenhead for doing what the Parks Department <\/a>refused, saying it finally gave her peace of mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s unbelievable, unbelievable, that people are so kind,\u201d the 79-year-old senior said.<\/p>\n

The wasp nest was on the corner of Cowles Court and Dry Harbor Road in Queens. J.C. Rice for NY Post<\/p>\n

Although bald-faced hornets don\u2019t usually attack unless provoked, some people have life-threatening allergies to their stings.<\/p>\n

Parks Department worker bee Camile Easterling told the councilman\u2019s staff in a Sept. 14 email that the city won\u2019t touch the stinging horde of bald-faced hornets because they \u201cplay an important role in our ecosystem.\u201d <\/p>\n

If relocation is deemed \u201cnecessary,\u201d Easterling said the agency instead \u201crecommend[s] hiring a qualified insect relocator\u201d \u2014 and that \u201cany work performed on or involving a city tree requires\u201d a tree work permit from the agency, adding another layer of red tape.<\/p>\n

The NYC Parks Department gave Queens neighborhood a stinging response over a massive hornets\u2019 nest \u2014 telling residents like Anthony Labita on Cowles Court in Middle Village to pay out of their own pockets to humanely relocate it. J.C. Rice for NY Post<\/p>\n

Cadenhead said the city\u2019s apathy was disturbing.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople walk their dogs; there\u2019s kids; there\u2019s so many people who come through that walkway,\u201d said Cadenhead. \u201cIt takes just a wrong gust of wind, the wrong kid to throw a rock at it, and it could have been a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Parks Department did not return messages.<\/p>\n

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