User:Fleetham/Urban beekeeping
Urban beekeeping is the practice of beekeeping in an urban environment. It has become popular in cities such as New York and London, which saw an 220% increase in its beekeepers between 1999 and 2012.[1] And the practice has been recently made legal in many American cities, including New York.[2]
Unperturbed by urban pollutants, some say bees from city apiaries are "healthier and more productive than their country cousins".[3] As cities have limited greenspaces, however, the increasing popularity of the hobby may lead to lower honey yields as has happened in London[4] and New York.[5] Another problem created by an surfeit of bees is swarming,[6][7] when a queen leaves an overcrowded colony with a retinue of workers to start her own.
The number of bee hives varies greatly from city to city, and official counts may be inaccurate; a high proportion of hives are not registered. In 2012, an estimated 75% of London apiaries were operated without license.[4] That same year about half of New York hives were thought to be unlicensed.[5] An estimated 3,200 apiaries exist in London,[4] 400 in New York,[5] and at least 100 in Toronto.[8]
Urban beekeeping can be considered part of the local food movement.[3]
In some cities, beekeeping is done by organizations as well as individuals. Many are hotels.[9] In London, bees are kept at department store Fortnum & Mason,[4] Lambeth Palace,[3] the London Stock Exchange,[4] the Natural History Museum,[3] and at the Royal Lancaster Hotel,[4] etc. Hives once stood atop the Bank of England as well.[3] In New York, the InterContinental The Barclay Hotel,[6] the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel,[6] and the York Prep School[5] all keep bees. In Paris bees are found at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel[10] and Opéra Garnier.[11] Toronto counts the Fairmont Royal York[12] (in fact, the Fairmont Hotel Group keeps bees at 18 of its properties[11]), the Opera House,[8] and Casa Loma[8] as host to apiaries. In Denver, the Brown Palace Hotel has its own hive,[9] and The White House is one place bees are kept in Washington D.C.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ This statement is supported by multiple sources:
- For 1,000 London beekeepers in 1999, see Barnett, Laura (THURSDAY 04 MAY 2006). "Why London's beekeepers are a growing band". The Independent. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - For 3,200 London beekeepers in 2012, see Davenport, Justin (15 June 2012). "Celebrity beekeepers told to buzz off: Too many hives mean not enough food and falling honey yields". London Evening Standard. ES London Ltd. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- For 1,000 London beekeepers in 1999, see Barnett, Laura (THURSDAY 04 MAY 2006). "Why London's beekeepers are a growing band". The Independent. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ SHEVORY, KRISTINA (December 8, 2010). "The Beekeeper Next Door". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Barnett, Laura (THURSDAY 04 MAY 2006). "Why London's beekeepers are a growing band". The Independent. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f Davenport, Justin (15 June 2012). "Celebrity beekeepers told to buzz off: Too many hives mean not enough food and falling honey yields". London Evening Standard. ES London Ltd. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Nessen, Stephen (Monday, June 25, 2012). "Two Years After Legalized Beekeeping, City May be Running Short on Forage". New York Public Radio. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c BRIQUELET, KATE (June 3, 2012). "New York's beekeeping craze bringing dangerous swarms". New York Post. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ Rueb, Emily (June 18, 2012). "As Swarms Startle New York, Officer on Bee Beat Stays Busy". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c Young, Leslie (May 30, 2012). "Bees buzzing in Toronto backyards". Global News. Shaw Media Inc. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ a b Fowler, Kelsey (06/23/2012). "Hotels house honeybees on rooftops in urban environments worldwide". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ BARR,MEGHAN (Jun 6, 2012). "Posh hotels are buzzing with tiny new guests: bees". KLEW TV Lewiston, ID. Associated Press. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ a b c McClure, Rosemary (November 20, 2011). "Hotels get into beekeeping business: Upscale hotels are using on-site beehives to bring locally sourced honey to guests and to save dwindling colonies of honeybees". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ "Buzz in the sky: Honey Moon Suite atop Fairmont Royal York is fit for a queen — honeybee, that is". Ottawa Citizen. Postmedia Network Inc. JULY 6, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
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