7. BeeVillage at The Battery

The Battery’s Beehives (Flickr photo via gigi_nyc)

Honeybees are not new to The Battery. In fact, they migrated alongside the Dutch to Lower Manhattan in the 1600s. So when beekeeping became legal in New York City in 2010, the colorful houses designed to look like historic buildings, started going up. NYC Beekeeping Association are overseeing the project, known as BeeVillage in The Battery. This all-volunteer group oversee about a thousand bees in each of the little house hives. Tours of the hives are given for bee enthusiasts.

8.  The Randall’s Island Green Roof Garden

The Randall’s Island Green Roof is located on the top of the Parks Department’s Five Borough Administration Building, just East of Harlem. This green roof laboratory began in 2007 with 7,000 square feet of plantings. Today, it is 29,000 square feet and is equipped with fertile queens, and around 10,000 worker bees. Each hive can grow to have 30,000 bees during its first season. NYC Beekeeping cares for the honeybee hives and uses the facility for educational and research purposes.

Read about other nature discoveries to be found on Randall’s Island.

And did you know that honey lasts forever? Yes, its acidity, lack of water and the presence of hydrogen peroxide work in perfect harmony, allowing honey an indefinite shelf-life. We look forward to a lively honey season this year in the local Markets throughout our five boroughs, as we wish you all a Happy National Honey Bee Day.