Urban Beekeeper Thrives with Rooftop Hives in New York City

Andrew Cote, a beekeeper in New York City, manages 42 urban hives across all five boroughs, including rooftops and skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan. His apiaries are located on various buildings such as hotels, churches, synagogues, and even a search engine company. One notable site is the InterContinental in Times Square, home to about 120,000 bees.

During routine inspections, Cote checks hive health, queen egg-laying rates (around 2,000 eggs daily), disease presence, and honey production. His work often occupies all daylight hours. Beekeeping is a family tradition for Cote, whose ancestors began in the 1800s to pollinate cherry trees. He started helping with bees at age 10 to spend time with his father, later founding Andrew's Honey in 2005 with his family.