Manhattan may not seem like the ideal location to keep bees, however The Waldorf Astoria’s annual “Battle of the Bees” competition that took place on September 16 proved the city is buzzing with non-aggressive bees that are producing delectable honey on rooftop apiaries across the city.
Five beekeeping organizations were judged in the honey tasting competition at the hotels private dining room by an impressive panel consisting of Eric Ripert, James Oseland, and Tim Gunn.
After carefully considering the New York City Beekeepers Association’s Hives at the Highline, The Durst Organization at One Bryant Park, Brooks Brothers, and York Preparatory School, the judges ultimately decided the “Top of The Waldorf” rooftop honey was the best because of its texture, color and the complexity of its flavor.
Commenting on their victory via The Waldorf’s blog, the hotel stated: “We are proud to announce that we won this competition, not only because it’s an honor to call our honey the best, but because sustainability is a hot-button issue for the hotel. Our goal is to become more than the best hotel to stay or work for, but to become the greenest hotel in the world.”
Expert beekeeper Andrew Cote plays a major role in taking care of four out of the five contestants’ bees, manages over 40 beehives across the city, and teaches an Urban Beekeeping class to Upper School students at York Prep. The purpose of the class is to educate students and members of the beekeeping club on the art of developing and maintaining bee hives, and the importance of bees to the environment.
Senior Will Magee is a key member of the club, and has big goals for the clubs future. “I would love to have more members. This is my last year and I want to make sure the club is in good hands. I want the bee club to stand as long as York Prep is standing. I want it to live,” Magee says. “All are welcome, it doesn’t matter if you have no experience or tons of experience, we accept anyone as long as you’re willing to help out and have a love for bees.”
As adviser of the club and professed lover of the environment, Janet Rooney thinks people should be more open-minded towards beekeeping in the city. “One misconception that I’d like to educate people on is a lot of people are so afraid of having bees on the roof when it’s perfectly safe,” Rooney says. “These types of honey bees don’t go over to other roofs, or take off. They’re very friendly, they’re very happy with the flowers. We’re next to a building that has a playground on the roof and it’s safe. It’s a wonderful thing to do.”
Not only is beekeeping in the city perfectly safe, it’s the smart thing to do for both environmental and economic purposes.
Major declines in honey bee colonies in recent years are cause for concern and according to the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service’s website, “If losses continue at the 33 percent level, it could threaten the economic viability of the bee pollination industry. Honey bees would not disappear entirely, but the cost of honey bee pollination services would rise, and those increased costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher food costs.”
Competition judge Tim Gunn wants readers of New York Family to know that, in fact, the city could be a very welcoming environment for bees. “Those of us who live in these densely populated urban environments can be very self-sustaining and we can go farm to table right here in the city,” he says. “These five honeys represent bees from the city, I love that. I hope it inspires people and makes them think about any green space, or even asphalt and what the possibilities are. The world is seeing a diminishment of bees, generally, so I think it’s very inspiring to think of what we’re doing here in the city.”
