NEW YORK — When duty calls, NYPD officer Darren Mays suits up twice: first in his police uniform, followed by something a little less typical.
It’s a bee suit. That's because 50-year-old Mays is the NYPD's official beekeeper, a role he was offered in 2014 after taking up beekeeping as a hobby.
"No other police department in the country that does it, no other,” he said. “We’re the only one as far as I know."
What that means is anytime someone calls in to 911 for a swarm of bees, Mays is on the scene, humanely gathering the honeybees, and bringing them back to this hive on roof of the 104th precinct, or up to Orange County.
Just recently, Mays went viral for rescuing two separate swarms of bees in Times Square, more than 35,000 bees total, all of which are used to make honey.
"So you can see there's thousands of bees in here, and this column here is full, full of honey. This is all capped honey right here” he explained. "I think everyone calls me the honey man."
However, this is May's last season as the NYPD's honey man. He’s retiring this month, after 20 years.
So now his home hive, in the Hudson Valley, is a place he plans to enjoy more these days.
"It's a calming factor, you come here you're working, and just listening to the quietness and you just listen to them hum. Hear that - like it's so soothing. So relaxing, you work on your own time, you work, you're guided by their actions,” he said.
NY1 got to help him harvest some honey. First you remove the honeycombs, then scrape out the wax, spin the combs and let the sweet stuff flow.
Does he get stung?
He said yes, more than 400 times in fact.
"You know, they give me so much, I can take a sting,” he said.
Although he's retiring from the NYPD, Mays hopes his work there reminds people just how important bees are to the ecosystem, and perhaps inspire other officers to take up beekeeping as a hobby as well.
Because for now, officials said they're still looking for his replacement.