The idea of having a garden in your backyard or apartment block roof isn't terribly new - gardeners hail from grandmas to single fathers to schoolkids and beyond to every sector of society. But can we say the same thing of beekeepers?

The Fort Garry Hotel is hoping to set up their own hives on the roof, and to do so have started effort to get the city of Winnipeg to alter its laws to allow for the keeping of honey-producing beehives in the city.

If succesful, it would become legal to keep bees and harvest their honey. Several city councillors, including Jenny Gerbasi, are already on board with the idea, and James Patterson, a local beekeeper in line to supervise the Fort Garry Hotel's beekeeping, says its a great way to help out the bee population in the city. Adding to the great benefit, he says the Hotel is also the perfect candidate for a urban napiery. "Ideally situated around The Forks, around existing riverbanks where there is nectar," said Patterson. "It was strategically picked because of all of the park area."

If the prospect of handling buzzing bees doesn't phase you and beekeeping sounds like something you would try, here's GrowOrganic's introduction to the art of beekeeping - in your own backyard!