Bees and City Life

When people think of bees, they usually imagine the countryside, with its wide fields of flowers. In recent years, however, more and more beehives have been appearing in a surprising place: the middle of large cities. On the roofs of hotels, schools, and office buildings, city beekeepers are now raising honeybees. At first this may seem strange, but cities can actually be （ 1 ） places for bees to live.

One reason is that cities are full of many different kinds of flowers. Parks, gardens, and even small plants on balconies bloom at different times of the year, so bees can find food for many months. In the countryside, by contrast, large farms often grow only one kind of crop. （ 2 ）, the flowers there bloom for just a short time, and farmers sometimes use chemicals that are harmful to bees.

City bees are useful in many ways. As they fly from flower to flower, they help plants produce fruits and seeds, which makes city gardens healthier and more beautiful. The honey they make can be sold by local people. Keeping bees also teaches city residents about nature and the importance of insects. （ 3 ）, some companies place hives on their roofs to show their customers that they care about the environment. For all these reasons, city beekeeping continues to grow. In fact, in some cities, bees kept on rooftops produce even more honey than bees in the countryside. Without bees and other insects to carry pollen, many city plants could not produce fruit or seeds at all. City beekeeping, then, is good for the bees, the plants, and the people who live nearby.