A sweet partnership between a restaurant and a university is getting a lot of buzz. Founding Farmers restaurant in Northwest is providing several beehives to George Washington University. The restaurant gets the honey, the scientists valuable information.

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“There is so much wrong what people think about bees, they're calm. They're docile,” said GWU biology professor Hartmut Doebel.

"They're so smart and interesting and unique,” said biology student Heidi Wolff, who was quick to point out that an insect that disturbed the interview was a hornet, not a bee.

Part of a multi-year research project, researchers will compare urban bees to rural bees, track the flowers they visit, and analyze pollen samples for proteins and pesticides.

“I think the urban environment is better for bees because of the variety, the biodiversity whereas in a farm setting it's more on a monoculture and limited diet. So the dietary breadth is so important for any organism, and for bees as well,” Wolff said.

Scientists worldwide are increasingly concerned because huge numbers of honeybees are disappearing. Their vanishing could dramatically impact agriculture.

The GWU researchers are also studying parasites found in rooftop honeybees. The findings are promising, said professor Doebel.

“Certain parasites just do not show up on rooftop. They just don’t have access to it and if they do they are very rare, so we are very excited about it,” he said.

The researchers have located nine hives on the roof of Lisner Hall, a six-story building in the middle of campus. They say pedestrians passing through the area have minimal risk of getting stung.

“Any bee away from a hive, like we are just 15 feet away, the bees do not feel threatened… It’s only when people freak out and blow at them or swat at them and certainly you may not be so lucky,” Doebel said.

Starting next year, each hive could produce more than 100 pounds of honey per year. Project partner Founding Farmers restaurant is planning to use it on its menu.

“We have a honey butter we use with our corn bread and maybe in a cocktail so we'll definitely be looking to put the honey in our favorite dishes,” Valerie Zweig of the restaurant said.