The Bees Have Landed

Meet the newest residents of 311 N Morgan - two honeybee colonies, a native pollinator hotel, and a whole lot of buzz.

The Emily recently partnered with Windy City Pollen, a Chicago-based urban beekeeping company established in 2019, with a mission as simple as it is powerful - bring nature back into people's lives and create healthier urban communities through pollinators.

Founded by co-owners John Payne and Ben Hamparian, Windy City Pollen has spent years bringing urban beekeeping to businesses, rooftops, and communities across Chicago. Their work is rooted in a genuine belief that even the smallest green initiative can reshape how a city feels and functions.

Two honeybee colonies and a native pollinator hotel now call 311 N Morgan home - and we couldn't be more excited to have them.

Bees travel across nearby green spaces, collecting nectar and pollen from flowering plants. As they move from place to place, they help pollinate the plants that keep local ecosystems healthy and growing - and the impact adds up faster than you'd think.

Two healthy hives can house around 100,000 bees, capable of pollinating up to 2 million flowers per day. Even on a rooftop in Fulton Market, that kind of contribution to the city's ecosystem is something we're really proud of.

Beyond the hives, our rooftop is also home to a native pollinator hotel - a structure designed to provide safe nesting spaces for solitary bees like mason and leafcutter bees. Unlike honeybees, about 30% of native bee species nest in wood cavities or tunnels rather than hives. They're solitary, non-aggressive, and incredibly efficient pollinators.

As natural habitats shrink across the city, a pollinator hotel gives them somewhere safe to nest, develop, and do what they do best. It's a small structure with a big purpose.

Supporting pollinators helps strengthen biodiversity and brings more life back into the spaces around us. At The Emily, we believe a hotel should do more than house guests - it should invest in the neighborhood around it.

This is our small but meaningful way of doing that. One hive at a time.

This is just the beginning. We'll be sharing hive updates, honey reports, and more as our rooftop ecosystem grows and the season unfolds.

And there's more to come - a Hive Harvest this August, and come October, a Bloom tasting experience bringing our rooftop honey downstairs to Fora for an evening of food and drink pairings.

Follow along on Instagram and keep an eye on our happenings page for what's ahead. To learn more about the team behind the hives, visit windycitypollen.com.