Urban beekeepers in NYC no longer have to tend rooftop, garden hives in secret

NYC health officials decide to allow beekeeping

NEW YORK — Beekeepers in New York City no longer have to keep the honey of their labors a secret.

The city’s Board of Health decided Tuesday to allow beekeeping in the city after a long ban.

Some New Yorkers have secretly tended beehives on rooftops and in backyard gardens for years in defiance of city regulations.

The health code had placed honeybees in the same category as other creatures that are deemed too dangerous or venomous for city life, including hyenas and venomous snakes.