TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay beekeepers say the area’s honey bee population is expected to increase soon as swarm season approaches, despite a current drought and the region’s continued recovery from the 2024 hurricanes.
In downtown Tampa, Bee Downtown is using rooftops and other urban spaces to support hives in an environment better known for high-rises and concrete. The company has 10 similar setups across downtown.
Bee Downtown specializes in placing beehives in urban areas across the Southeast United States, including high-rise rooftops. Elise Valdes, partnerships manager for Bee Downtown, said the city offers more resources for bees than many people may realize.
“If you think about it, you think of urban areas as having a lot of concrete,” said Valdes. “But if you look, there’s also a lot of landscaping, and the landscaping means flowers.”
Those flowers helped two downtown Tampa hives produce more than 390 pounds of honey last year, according to Bee Downtown. Tampa Bay beekeeper Josh Harris said one of the hives is especially large.
“This one probably has 60,000. This is a monster hive,” Harris said. The hives require regular care. Valdes said beekeepers use smokers, suits, gloves, and hive tools to open and inspect the hives.
According to the Honey Bee Health Coalition, U.S. commercial bee operations saw an average loss of 62% from 2024 to 2025. Bee Downtown’s loss rate is closer to 15%, despite the drought and rough weather in recent years.
Harris, who has kept bees in the Tampa Bay area for nearly two decades, said the local bee population is expected to rise as Brazilian pepper blooms in the fall.
“In fall time, we have the Brazilian pepper, which is an invasive plant, but the bees make a lot of honey from it, and that blooms in September/October,” Harris said.
During swarm season, portions of existing hives leave to establish new hives. Harris said regular inspections can help beekeepers manage that process.
“If we’re inspecting our colonies on a regular basis, we can see when that’s about to happen. And we can stop that from happening,” Harris said.
Valdes said that kind of supervision is part of Bee Downtown’s approach.
“We baby our bees, we have the bougiest bees at Bee Downtown,” Valdes said.
With swarm season expected to start next month, experts recommend calling a local beekeeper if you encounter a swarm. Beekeepers can safely relocate the hive without harming the bees.