Bee Hives Buzzing On San Francisco Hotel Rooftops
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- At the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, there are more than 370 rooms inside and 100,000 bees buzzing above in rooftop hives outside.
Yes, honeybees.
Aware of the well-publicized environmental threats to honeybees that have reduced numbers worldwide, several San Francisco hotels have built hives on their rooftops.
Organizers say the hotels were a natural place to put the hives as most had rooftop space available and were high enough to keep the bees away from pedestrians below.
They're located all over the city, from Union Square to Nob Hill to Fisherman's Wharf, to form a big bee highway in the sky.
The Clift first installed its rooftop hives last year, with one queen and 10,000 bees. Today it has 80,000 bees and hopes to grow the colony to 800,000 by next year. Six other local hotels also have hives including the historic Fairmont and the swanky W San Francisco.
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