Bee-lieve it or not! This Toronto hotel rooftop is home to 600,000 honeybees

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… 600,000 honeybees!? High above the city, nestled atop this Toronto hotel, lies a buzzing group of honeybees. The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto was once the world’s first home for honeybees atop a city hotel.

You heard that right! Since 2008, the rooftop has been home to the winged friends, serving as a supportive haven for the pollinators. There are over 600,000 of these buzzing bees that are essential and necessary for the health of crops, flowers and biodiversity.

They’re actually so important that according to Health Canada, bees are “critical to the production of many crops and play an essential ecological role.”

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That’s some serious bees-iness! But the hotel doesn’t do it alone – they have local support helping out with our buzzing friends.

“We’re proud to collaborate with @beegrrlto and @torontobeekeeperscollective in nurturing these amazing pollinators,” shared the hotel in an Instagram post back in May 2023.

And on top of that, the rooftop honeybee community is not just about saving the world, they also sweeten the deal for guests—literally.

According to the hotel, an average of 450lbs of honey is produced in these hives every year.

So you’re tasting the fruits of their labour in your afternoon tea, cocktails, and culinary creations at the hotel. It doesn’t get much better than that!

So, next time you’re sipping on a cocktail or indulging in a culinary delight at the Fairmont Royal York, take a moment to thank the rooftop residents.

They may be small, but they’re making a big difference.