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New York, NY - It has been illegal to keep bees as pets in New York City since 1999, when they were classified by the Department of Health as venomous insects. But recently, with the announcement that the Obamas will keep a beehive at the White House, beekeeping seems to have found a second wind.

Many New Yorkers have had beehives since before the city ban—some can be found in community gardens, others on rooftops throughout the city. It was the already-present beekeeping community that encouraged councilman David Yassky to introduce a bill that would allow beekeepers to keep bees if they are licensed.

After the introduction of the bill, beekeeping saw another surge in popularity. National Geographic reports that NYC beekeeping classes filled quickly this spring, some students were even willing to brave bee allergies to learn the practice.

Bees, which help pollinate plants and can produce honey fit “perfectly into the small food manufacturing sector,” Yassky told the New York Daily News, and with cities such as Detroit seeing an increase in urban farming, bees could become a necessity to keep crops pollinated within city limits.

Bees are listed as one of the Five Animals We Need To Survive because of their integral role in pollinating crops.