Midtown Manhattan – When most New Yorkers think of the city’s skyline, they picture office towers and neon signs, not buzzing hives. Yet Andrew Cote has turned that view into a thriving honey operation. The fifth‑generation beekeeper maintains 42 urban hives spread across all five boroughs, including rooftops of hotels, churches, synagogues and even a major search‑engine company’s headquarters.
Rooftop hives and honey production
One of Cote’s most notable locations is the InterContinental hotel in Times Square, where roughly 120,000 bees call the rooftop home. During routine checks, Cote inspects the hives for queen health, disease and honey output, noting that a healthy queen can lay about 2,000 eggs per day. He estimates each hive yields an average of 60 pounds of excess, harvestable honey, meaning the two hives atop the InterContinental can produce about 120 pounds of honey each season.
A family tradition reborn
Beekeeping runs deep in the Cote family. Their involvement dates back to the 1800s, when ancestors kept bees to pollinate cherry trees that fed their cows and families. Andrew began handling bees at age ten, initially to spend more time with his father, a former firefighter of more than 30 years. In 2005, he launched Andrew’s Honey with his father and brother, preserving the family legacy while adapting it to a modern urban environment.
Local business challenges and resilience
Running a small business in New York City is no easy feat. “It’s tough,” Cote admits, citing sky‑high rents and a struggling retail sector. Yet his operation has found a foothold. A bright yellow truck bearing the Andrew’s Honey logo is a familiar sight on the Upper West Side, and a booth at the Union Square farmers market draws regular customers. Earlier this year, Cote opened his first brick‑and‑mortar store at the corner of 75th Street and Columbus Avenue, offering fresh honey, beeswax candles and educational workshops.
Community ties and future generations
The business remains a family affair. Cote’s 84‑year‑old father still helps tend the hives, while his son is learning the craft. Though the younger Cote does not plan to turn beekeeping into a full‑time career, his father hopes the experience will instill a strong work ethic and a love for nature. “He’ll learn the hard work ethic of beekeeping and an appreciation for nature,” Andrew says.
Why urban honey matters
Beyond the sweet product, Cote believes his hives contribute to the city’s ecological health. Bees pollinate urban flora, supporting greener streets and healthier ecosystems. His favorite honey comes from a hive near Rockaway Beach, where a mysterious plant in Jamaica Bay adds a unique flavor to the honey.
For Cote, the work is more than a business; it’s a connection to his lineage and to the natural world amid the concrete jungle. “I love that I get to work outside, that my office has these multi‑billion‑dollar views, and that I feel a connectivity not only to my father and now to my son, but to our lineage,” he says. “When I’m with the bees, their organized chaos somehow makes sense, and I leave all my worries outside.”
Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.
