Alexandra Zissu reports in the Times Union that last winter's mild temperatures and below-average snowfall have meant more bees, wasps, and hornets this summer. Betty Jean Jansen of Hudson Valley Pest Control said, “We have been in business over 50 years and I don’t ever remember having anything like this.... It’s overwhelming.” Yellowjackets, are especially prevalent locally right now. Dan Gilrein, an entomologist at Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County, said, “Unlike most ground-nesting bees, yellowjackets can be very defensive around nests, and their numbers are highest at this time of year.... The workers are often encountered foraging around trash bins and around picnic sites, attracted to food materials.” New York has a list of swarm catchers in every county that can relocate excess bees. But too many bees is considered a good thing by many, as the latest Empire State Native Pollinator Survey found that about one-third of pollinator species are at a high risk of becoming extinct in New York. Read more about this story in the Times Union.