bees on rooftops

just when all the news about bees seems focused on their declining numbers, there's a bright buzz newly-installed on the rooftop of the Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto. the hotel already has a well-established herb & vegetable garden up there on the 34th floor, but this week, executive chef David Garcelon added three beehives, in collaboration with the Toronto Beekeepers Cooperative.

urban living is no problem for bees--the bugs can forage over 6km in a single day, so they'll have lots of nourishing options along the waterfront & over on Toronto island. and by the autumn harvest, they're expected to have produced up to 1400 small jars (yes, 1400!)...which should be ample to drizzle into Garcelon's salads, soups, and sweets in the hotel restaurants downstairs.
(hotels, parks, and the opera house, have been hosting beehives for several years in Paris, but this is really great progress for Toronto!)

and in other buzz...Bremner Duthie has just launched his superb collection of Kurt Weill songs on CD Baby...check out details here