Up close with bees in Times Square

TIMES SQUARE, Manhattan (WABC) -- About 60,000 bees call a rooftop on 44th Street right in the middle of Times Square home.

It's not what you expect to see, but that's exactly what's happening at the InterContinental New York Times Square.

*****Click on the video player above to go behind the scenes with the bees.*****

For Andrew Rubin, beekeeper and chef, it's a labor of love that began in 2012. The bees fit right in with the hotel's green initiatives.

Here's 360 video from inside a beehive. You must be using a Chrome or Firefox browser. If on our app: then visit our YouTube page.

The bees produce about 60 pounds of honey a year, sometimes in one harvest. Their honey is then used in various menu items, from food to cocktails for The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen.

The hotel has also partnered with The Best Bees Company and Urban Bee Keeping Laboratory & Bee Sanctuary, Inc to donate a portion of the proceeds from the Bee Good cocktails to these nonprofit organizations. The groups fund research to improve bee health, educational programs for local schools and provides beehives for communities in need.

Rubin explains that the bees make it their mission to take care and nurture each other as well as their hive. As a chef, it's his job to take care and nurture his guests.