The Fairmont San Francisco installed honey beehives in its new culinary garden in an effort to help support the local bee population.
Beekeepers established four nascent beehives, each containing approximately 20,000 bees, in the culinary garden that is located outdoors on the hotel’s lobby level. When the beehives mature in four to eight weeks, they will each house up to 50,000 bees. The beehives are estimated to produce approximately 250 pounds of honey this year. Guests can view the culinary garden through floor-to-ceiling windows in the foyer leading to the hotel’s Pavilion Room.
According to figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the bee population has decreased by 90 percent since the 1980s.
