/ Source: The Associated Press
Beekeeping is thriving in cities across the nation as young hobbyists and green business owners start hives.
New York, Denver, Milwaukee and Santa Monica have made beekeeping legal recently, and the city of Chicago has nine hives on rooftops and other government property. Chicago residents also tend private hives on balconies and in vacant lots.
The surge in interest in beekeeping has been good for bees since large commercial beekeeping operations are still troubled by bee die-offs. Experts believe city bees have a leg up on country bees because of a longer nectar flow, with people planting flowers that bloom from spring to fall, and organic gardening practices.