Posh hotels buzzing with tiny new guests

Posted: Monday, June 18, 2012 8:54 pm
By: Meghan Barr, Associated Press

By MEGHAN BARR
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — An iconic hotel in the heart of midtown Manhattan is buzzing with thousands of tiny new visitors. But watch out: They’ll sting if you get too close.
Honeybees have taken up residence at the Waldorf-Astoria New York, one of New York City’s most famous institutions and a favorite stopover for many U.S. presidents.
The hotel plans to harvest its own honey and help pollinate plants in the skyscraper-heavy heart of the city, joining a mini beekeeping boom that has taken over hotel rooftops from Paris to Times Square.
“Today about half the population of each hive, the foragers, are flying mostly in the direction of Central Park,” explained Andrew Cote, the Waldorf’s beekeeper-in-residence.
Beekeeping is a natural fit for hotels trying to keep up with industry-wide pressure to “go green,” whether it’s retrofitting their buildings to make them energy efficient or simply adopting environmentally conscious practices. Enter urban beekeeping, a buzz-worthy pastime nowadays in light of the mysterious disappearance of honeybees in recent years, which led some state agriculture departments to encourage hobby beekeeping.
About one-third of the nation’s diet benefits from honeybee pollination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In New York City, the bees will help pollinate new trees that have taken root as part of the city’s plan to plant 1 million trees over the next decade.
“In terms of sustainability, it’s not only giving back to the environment,” said Andrew Gajary, general manager of the Intercontinental New York Times Square, which recently installed its first beehive, following in the footsteps of its counterpart in Boston, where a veritable colony of bees has been growing for the past year.
Bee fever has even infected hotels beyond American shores.
In Paris, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel ensconced its first hive this year and plans to hand out little honey pots as gifts for guests.
At the Waldorf, the insects are visible from certain rooms, and guests can sign up for tours of the hives.

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