It takes two million flowers to make one pound of honey, with the average rural hive of 45,000 bees producing 30lb a year. City bees can produce twice that amount. John Buckoke, a musician who has two hives at his home in London, said: 'I have to climb out of a tiny window to get to the flat roof where I've put the hives. It's a wonderful hobby, there's no better way for a city-liver to get back in touch with nature. Every city dweller should have a hive.'

There is a growing recognition that bees living in cities tend to produce more and better honey than those kept in the countryside. 'Bees can fly up to five miles for food, but they tend not to stray more than a mile from the hive,' said Davies. 'Many people think the honey crops in cities are of a higher quality than those made by bees in the countryside because there's a near-constant flow of tremendously varied nectar to be harvested in cities from all the parks, trees, gardens and window boxes,' he added. 'If you compare these multiple harvesting opportunities to those offered by the countryside, which tends to be grouped into areas dominated by a single crop which only flowers once a year, it's clear why cities are such good places to keep bees.'

City bees also tend to be livelier sparks than their country cousins. 'The higher temperature of the city means that bees stay awake for longer during the day and are more active,' said John Hauxwell, chairman of the North London Beekeeping Association, who has seen his group's membership double in the last five years.