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Welcome to
Windy City Pollen
Your Local Chicago Beekeepers
We're creating healthier urban communities with the power of pollinators and bringing nature back into Chicago with nature-based solutions. We offer beehive and pollinator habitat programs for organizations. From corporate sustainability to employee engagement to guest experience, we've got your back.
Working with the Best
How Windy City Pollen Gets You Started
Industry-focused Beekeeping Programs
We offer our nature-based solutions to any company with a Chicago presence looking to make a difference and engage their guests, clients, and employees with the fascinating world of pollinators.
Corporations
We install and maintain pollinator habitats for companies with Chicago offices looking to strengthen their corporate sustainability programs and boost employee engagement. Our turnkey beekeeping services include two annual events with a honey-harvesting experience where employees can bottle fresh local honey. It’s an easy, fun, high-impact way to support biodiversity, your ESG initiatives and bring teams back together in the office.
Hospitality
We provide fully managed pollinator habitats for Chicago hotels and restaurants that want to enhance guest experience and highlight their commitment to sustainability. Our beekeeping program includes two yearly events—featuring hands-on honey processing—where guests or staff can participate and take home fresh Chicago honey. It’s a unique, eco-friendly amenity that differentiates your property and attracts sustainability-minded travelers and patrons.
What We Do For You
Our Managed Beekeeping Services
Our Vision
By foraging plant matter, pollinators tell us a lot about environmental health. We can measure air quality, environmental accumulation of pesticides, herbicides, and maybe even heavy metals. Each pollinator home cluster added to our network contributes to our heat map.
Our goal is to make a data-enriched map publicly available for any NGOs or municipal organizations looking to make a difference in people's lives.
Focusing on Chicago's Urban Ecosystem
About
Windy City Pollen
Ben and John bring nature back into Chicago one pollinator home at a time.
It started as two beehives on a Wrigleyville rooftop. The bees brought us respite from a hurried city-life. We decided to pay it forward and bring the magic of bees to others.
Our mission is to educate people on the linkage between bees and food, provide surplus honey and honeycomb to select restaurants and hotels and help companies meaningfully engage their employees and meet their environmental sustainability commitments. We take a hands-on approach to education, teaching people about how bees live, work and produce honey.
John
Ben
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to have beehives on our rooftop or property?
Yes. Managed honeybee hives are extremely safe when maintained by trained professionals. Our team handles all setup, inspections, and seasonal management to keep the colony healthy and calm. We also strategically place hives away from high-traffic areas to ensure a smooth, low-impact fit for your building.
What are the benefits of adding beehives to our corporate sustainability program?
Rooftop beehives help companies meet ESG goals, support biodiversity, and create meaningful employee engagement. Our sustainability programs include hands-on events, honey harvesting, and detailed environmental reporting. It’s a turnkey, high-impact initiative that requires no internal labor from your team.
How do beehives enhance a hotel guest experience, let's say?
Beekeeping provides hotels with a unique, nature-based amenity that today’s eco-conscious travelers love. Guests can participate in honey-processing events, tour your hives, and take home bottles of fresh Chicago honey. It elevates your property’s story, improves guest satisfaction, and differentiates your brand.
What is included in your full-service beekeeping program?
Our program includes complete hive installation, all equipment, ongoing inspections, seasonal management, and honey processing. You also receive annual biodiversity/floral diversity reports and biweekly hive health updates throughout the season. All maintenance is handled by us—your team doesn’t lift a finger.
How often do you visit the beehives?
We visit every 7-10 days or biweekly throughout the active season to inspect colony health, manage growth, and keep the hive running smoothly. These visits also support the biweekly hive health reports you receive as part of your program.
Can employees or guests participate in the honey harvesting event?
Absolutely. Our honey-processing event is a highlight for both corporate teams and hotel guests. Participants learn how honey is extracted, join the bottling process, and take home fresh, hyper-local Chicago honey. It’s a memorable engagement experience that brings people together.
Do you provide reports or data about the hive’s environmental impact?
Yes. Each client receives an annual biodiversity and floral diversity report that analyzes pollen sources, local ecology, and environmental trends. Combined with your biweekly hive health updates, you have clear, measurable data to support ESG reporting, sustainability storytelling, and internal communications.
What space is required to install a beehive on our property?
Hives require only a small footprint—typically just a few square feet—making them easy to place on rooftops, terraces, or green spaces. We perform a site evaluation to determine the safest and most effective placement in compliance with Chicago regulations (the city allows for up to 5 beehives on a property).
Do we need any permits or special insurance?
No. But Windy City Pollen carries full commercial and general liability insurance, ensuring your building is fully protected. Most clients do not need to modify their existing policies.
Can we brand the honey jars with our company name?
Yes! We offer custom-branded honey jars for corporate gifting, guest amenities, retail, or events. These are a popular feature for both hospitality and corporate clients looking to showcase their Chicago-based environmental impact.
What happens to the hives during winter?
We winterize the hive, insulate it for Chicago’s cold months, and continue monitoring colony health as needed. Honeybees naturally cluster for warmth, and our winter care ensures the colony enters spring strong and ready for the new season.
How do rooftop beehives support ESG and sustainability goals?
Urban beekeeping strengthens biodiversity, supports local ecosystems, encourages community engagement, and provides measurable environmental data. Our annual biodiversity report and biweekly hive health updates make it easy to document your impact across key ESG categories.
How do we get started?
We begin with a free site assessment, followed by installation and program onboarding. From there, your hive is fully managed with biweekly care, seasonal events, and ongoing environmental reporting. Most organizations are operational within a few weeks.
Pollinator Plant Grow Guide
Wondering which native flowers you should plant in your yard?
We got you covered.
Our free guide tells you which plants are native, when they bloom, and how much shade and sun they can tolerate.