San Francisco (AP) – At the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, there are more than 370 rooms inside and 100,000 bees buzzing above in rooftop hives outside.

Yes, honeybees.

Aware of the well-publicized environmental threats to honey bees that have reduced numbers worldwide, 7 San Francisco hotels have built hives on the rooftops. The sustainability efforts also benefits the hotels as the bees produce honey for cocktails, food and spa treatments. It’s the latest in a series of environmental programs at hotels that includes low-flow toilets and aggressive recycling programs.

“This is not about making money, it’s really about raising awareness about sustainability”, said Melissa Farrar, spokesman at the Fairmont in San Francisco. “There’s not one solution so we wanted to do our part to help. It’s part of the bigger effort for helping the planet.” Farrar said the four hives on the rooftop garden support about 250,000 bees and produce about 1,000 pounds of honey each year.

Kristin J. Bender