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Chicago allows up to five bee coloniesin a residential
<br />backyard without a permit (§17-17-o27o.7).
<br />Among cities that do regulate beekeeping,
<br />flyway barriers and a source of fresh water
<br />are common requirements. Flyway barri-
<br />ers force bees to fly up over the heads of
<br />people so that they do not establish flight
<br />paths through a neighbor's property or
<br />populated sidewalks, streets, or parks.
<br />Bees require water; if a beekeeper does not
<br />provide it, bees will frequently use a close
<br />source, like a neighbor's pool.
<br />Concerning flyway barriers, Cleveland
<br />requires a fence or a dense hedge of at
<br />least six feet in height within five feet of
<br />the hive and extending at least two feet on
<br />either side. However, it does not require a
<br />flyway barrier if the hive is at least 25 feet
<br />from the property line or on a porch or bal-
<br />cony at least 10 feet from the ground. South
<br />Portland, Maine, has a similar flyway bar-
<br />rier standard, but requires it to extend at
<br />least io feet in each direction. And Carson
<br />City, Nevada, requires the flyway barrier
<br />to "surround" the hive on any side that is
<br />within 25 feet of a property line. Neither
<br />South Portland nor Carson City has excep-
<br />tions for balcony or rooftop hives.
<br />Concerning a water source, Ellensburg,
<br />Washington, requires "a consistent source
<br />of water ... at the apiary when bees are
<br />flying unless it occurs naturally. The water
<br />may be 'sweetened' with mineral salt or
<br />chlorine to enhance its attractiveness."
<br />Cleveland requires a freshwater source to
<br />be maintained "throughout the day." And
<br />Carson City requires water only from April 1
<br />to September 3o.
<br />As for less common provisions,
<br />Ellensburg, Washington, requires that all
<br />hives "consist of moveable frames and
<br />combs." Cleveland prohibits Africanized
<br />bees. Africanized bees have only been
<br />found in a few southern states; bee-
<br />keepers, moreover, do not seek to keep
<br />Africanized bees. Boise, Idaho, prohibits
<br />Africanized bees, as welt as wasps and
<br />hornets (§11-o9-11.03). This is peculiar;
<br />people do not keep wasps or hornets be-
<br />cause they do not provide honey or pollina-
<br />tion services. Boise and Carson City require
<br />a queen to be removed if the hive shows
<br />"unusually aggressive characteristics." And
<br />Carson City requires the new queen to be
<br />chosen from "stock bred for gentleness and
<br />non -swarming characteristics." Carson City
<br />only allows honey to be extracted "where
<br />there is no access by bees before, during,
<br />or after the extraction process." Carson City
<br />also requires any hive found to be diseased
<br />to be either "treated so as to completely
<br />eradicate the disease" or destroyed at the
<br />owner's expense. Finally, both Carson City
<br />and Ellensburg provide that abandoned
<br />hives are to be considered nuisances.
<br />RECOMMENDATIONS
<br />Of the ordinances discussed above, two
<br />stand out as potential models: Denver's and
<br />Seattle's. These ordinances show that the
<br />trend, overtime, is to simplify regulations.
<br />Local governments seeking to regulate
<br />these practices should consider how much
<br />they are prepared to spend, in terms of
<br />resources, on licensing or monitoring these
<br />practices given the relatively small degree
<br />of actual nuisance they cause. Governments
<br />should also keep in mind that straight-
<br />forward ordinances following developing
<br />norms will be easier to follow and easier to
<br />enforce.
<br />Cover image: © iStockphoto com%Michael Gatewood; design concept by Lisa Barton:
<br />VOL. 3o, NO. 4
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