With colony collapse disorder (CCD), populations of honeybees are significant decline due to parasites and environmental factors, so they need all the help they can get right now. With the Mayor’s signature of the Sustainability Act of 2012, DC residents can now legally and easily keep hives in their yards.
So in May 2015, a beehive was added to the lot. A great local service (EcoHoneyBees) installs and maintains the hive (I (Brian) keep a hive a decade ago but became a bit too allergic, and never did it very well!) Eco Honeybees is a female-owned company based in Northern Virginia right outside Washington, DC. Currently they are the only company in the country that will deliver and set up a fully stocked, custom-made beehive to your home or place of business, and then help maintain the hive throughout the year- you get the honey in the fall.
Other resources: DC Honeybees (nonprofit) and the DC Beekeepers Alliance (including ‘10 things you can do to support urban honeybees‘).
