Neighbors Trying to Ban Beekeeping in Your Town

[MrILoveTheAnts]

This is happening in a town next to mine, and literally I live 3 blocks away from the women leading the fight to get it banned (IN HER TOWN NOT MINE). Her father is the former Police Chief and they're pulling all the strings to get it banned. As I see it she's doing this because her son "might" be allergic and there's another beekeeper living next to her. I'm told they've had safety inspectors (or another sort of inspector) over to their house to try and get the bees removed. That didn't work so she's marching around town with a partition.

I don't see how she has an argument especially with Colony Collapse Disorder killing off most of the commercial hives. If her argument is her son might get stung then I don't see how she can prove what hive it went to, or even if it wasn't a bee from my hive stealing honey from one of his, or even it it was a honey bee.
If her argument is what "might" happen to her son then why aren't they banning guns and cars? I'm sure her son "might" die if he were shot or run over.

She is an idiot.

Has this issues ever come up with a town around you and what can we do to prevent it from happening?

[KONASDAD]

what town is the ban attempt?

[BEE C]

My support goes out to you.  I have dealt with a bit of this kind of person.  Fortunately for me my NEIGHBOURS set her straight, and I just heard about it post issue.  I would get any state or other authorities to get involved.  Hell write your congressman, even if you get a letter of support.  It never ceases to amaze me the sense of entitlement of power that sherifs, police or other self appointed individuals think they have.  THEY are public service employees.  I have a friend who is high ranking officer in the RCMP, he considers his job to be watching over cops to make sure they don't break the law.  His words not mine.  Go over their heads.  University apiculturists, state apiculture experts, even the news.  Of course the news can be after the most sensational not necessarily the truth...good luck.  I think this is something we all have to deal with in some way shape or form.  
Check out the archive, or someone else might point to it, there was a beek who had posted his fight with local stupid a few months ago I just don't quite remember the name.  Come to think of it, I don't know what happened to him.

[Understudy]

This is happening in a town next to mine, and literally I live 3 blocks away from the women leading the fight to get it banned (IN HER TOWN NOT MINE). Her father is the former Police Chief and they're pulling all the strings to get it banned. As I see it she's doing this because her son "might" be allergic and there's another beekeeper living next to her. I'm told they've had safety inspectors (or another sort of inspector) over to their house to try and get the bees removed. That didn't work so she's marching around town with a partition.

I don't see how she has an argument especially with Colony Collapse Disorder killing off most of the commercial hives. If her argument is her son might get stung then I don't see how she can prove what hive it went to, or even if it wasn't a bee from my hive stealing honey from one of his, or even it it was a honey bee.
If her argument is what "might" happen to her son then why aren't they banning guns and cars? I'm sure her son "might" die if he were shot or run over.

She is an idiot.

Has this issues ever come up with a town around you and what can we do to prevent it from happening?

I live in Florida. Try fighting with your own state people responsible for beekeeping. The AHB issue down here just doesn't make things any eaiser. Emails between myself and several people with doctorates has me pulling my hair out.

My recommendation is this. Don't feed the troll. If you can make her insignificant she will not be a factor.

So let's see what she is doing. I am assuming from your post she is going around the town with the petition. I assume this is not an HOA (Home Owners Association). If it is you have a much worse problem. So is this a town issue or an HOA issue?

If she lives three blocks from you is she living in the different town or in your town?

Is she getting any media or press from her efforts?

Does she have the ear of any town council members or the mayor?

These questions can help in making her insignificant. Don't confront her or challenge her or she wins. You need to see how much clout she has and then address a proper ego crushing strategy. Also remember if her son is allergic she has reason to be concerned she is a mother trying to protect her child. CCD is not a valid reason to protect bees or beekeepers. It is a pollination issue.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[KONASDAD]

What many of you might not understand is the density of populatuion here. I live in a town next door. Our last census was 3500people/sqmile. If this gets steam, I would be conscerned for my own hives. Hysteria is outside the realm of normal clear thinking.

[Mici]

or you could get a hit-man :-D
no seriously, i sympathyse with you, unfortunatelly, can't help you, although is it really possible for them to stop you from having bees? is there a law about it? i seriously doubt it.
it's funny how some fight bees, i heard about a guy who made his neighbour move the hives then he died, a bee bumped into him while jogging. heh, and everyone around me that pass my hives are like saying "i'm allergic", LOL over 90% people seem to be allergic.
as i was saying, about the laws? is there one?

PS: i'd just sent her to hell

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Apparently beekeeping can be banned in towns. The women in question lives next to her father who used to be the chief of Police so he has friends all over the place.

I don't know what banning them would include. It's entirely possible to say the bees moved in the boxes themselves or simply install the hives as part of the walls to a shed. That way the hives can be indoors and no one can see you're keeping them.
To technically be a beekeeper do you have to register your hives? It could be as simple a problem to fix as not registering them.

What scares me is this might happen to my town next since these town officials have friends all over the place. Not that any of my neighbors have even realized I am a beekeeper yet besides the 2 or 3 that don't seem to care.

I respect her right to protect her children but her argument is not well sounded. I can name right now at least 15 other types of bee capable of stinging someone that live in my yard at this moment, or will likely reappear later in the spring. Not to mention all the forest land around us.

I want to go around this neighboring town with a petition of my own.

And just to clear something up, Killer Bees are tropical right? I don't think their distribution in the US has really changed any since 1998. Their small hive size seems to prevent them from moving more up north thanks to the cold winters (we used to have) and the amount of parasites we have up here. I can picture that eventually they will make it up here but only through out breeding native bees.

[Mici]

idea, print maybe a 1000 flyers and go door to door and put them into the mail-boxes, just a short note with few but very important good facts about bees.
and do this, even before she realises she has more than just 1 keeper to fight with ;)

[tillie]

I like Mici's idea.

We are lucky in the state of Georgia - not only is the bee the state insect, but also we have this law on the books:


"2-14-41.1.  Prohibition against restriction of honeybee production or maintenance.

No county, municipal corporation, consolidated government, or other political subdivision of this state shall adopt
or continue in effect any ordinance, rule, regulation, or resolution prohibiting, impeding, or restricting the
establishment or maintenance of honeybees in hives.  This Code section shall not be construed to restrict the
zoning authority of county or municipal governments."


Isn't that wonderful for us beekeepers!

Linda T living where beekeeping is supported
   

[Understudy]

Apparently beekeeping can be banned in towns. The women in question lives next to her father who used to be the chief of Police so he has friends all over the place.

Anything can be legislated.

I don't know what banning them would include. It's entirely possible to say the bees moved in the boxes themselves or simply install the hives as part of the walls to a shed. That way the hives can be indoors and no one can see you're keeping them.
To technically be a beekeeper do you have to register your hives? It could be as simple a problem to fix as not registering them.

Yes but who do you register with? The town? The County? The State?

What scares me is this might happen to my town next since these town officials have friends all over the place. Not that any of my neighbors have even realized I am a beekeeper yet besides the 2 or 3 that don't seem to care.

This is way you quietly pay attention like you have been doing.

I respect her right to protect her children but her argument is not well sounded. I can name right now at least 15 other types of bee capable of stinging someone that live in my yard at this moment, or will likely reappear later in the spring. Not to mention all the forest land around us.

Exactly, removing the hives will not get rid of bees. Feral hives will still exist.

I want to go around this neighboring town with a petition of my own.

No, What you need to do is see how her petition goes. If it seems to pick up steam. Get your locla beekeepers club and neighbors who don't mind beekeepers to show up wearing yellow and black shirts at the town meeting. Then the town has to have a public discussion on it. Also if they are going to ban bees what about a grandfather clause for those who already have them.

Your best bet is to find out what county and state laws are on beekeeping. And if they are favorable present them at the town meeting.

And just to clear something up, Killer Bees are tropical right? I don't think their distribution in the US has really changed any since 1998. Their small hive size seems to prevent them from moving more up north thanks to the cold winters (we used to have) and the amount of parasites we have up here. I can picture that eventually they will make it up here but only through out breeding native bees.

Killer bees (AHB) are not in New Jersey because they don't winter well.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[BeeHopper]

This woman is a total nutjob, does she really have it in her head that banning the practice of beekeeping in her town is going to protect her son from other stinging insects.  :roll: I like Mici's idea.  :-D

Before I got into beekeeping, I checked with my township manager and county manager for laws pertaining to beekeeping in our urban areas, long story short, there were none. They did advise me against doing it for fear that the township, county and I could be liable for a stinging incident resulting in injury or death. They said there is too much of the NOT IN MY BACKYARD crowd out there.  So I found a farm.  :)

[Kev]

I do PR for my day job, so I deal with things like this from time to time. There's a pretty successful method for working through problems like this. What's most important is that you engage the people who want to ban beekeeping rather than setting up an adversarial relationship.

1) acknowledge the concerns of the other side. If her son is allergic her fear is very real and may be motivating her.
2) look for a way to jointly engage in fact-finding about the issue, eg actual allergy rate, deaths from bee stings, benefit of pollination, economic impact, etc (but do it together)
3) admit mistakes and share power (this may not apply in this situation)
4) act in a trustworthy manner at all times
5) focus on building long-term relationships

They key to being effective is working with this lady, not simply saying, "she's a nut" and fighting her. If she riles up enough fearful people, they might get this passed.

If you are unable to sit down with the BeeBanners and discuss the situation rationally. Then, you need to move on into positive PR mode.

• Begin by finding a doctor who keeps bees to give a free talk on allergies and bees.
• Hold open houses to get more people interested in beekeeping.
• Get into the grammar schools with free honey and bee information
• Fine someone who has a lot of hives to host an extraction day where people can come out and watch how it's done.
• Invite a newspaper reporter to actually learn about beekeeping (with CCD so much in the news, there's a good opportunity for this now.)
• Never allow a single remark that is negative to go unchallenged for more than a day

I would bet that more people are seriously injured by dogs than have a major reaction to bee stings every year. That information is available for the looking. The Centers for Disease Control may have it online.

Good luck, start by trying to negotiate and be reasonable. The image you want to portray is of the gentle beekeeper and his gentle bees who mind their own business.

Kevin

[BeeHopper]

Well said and you make a good point, Kevin.  :-D

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Thank you everyone for the great advice. I've just paid him a visit to get a better idea on the situation. This lady lives maybe half a foot ball field away from the bees. I think she even lives closer to the forest where I would imagen many wild hives live. Like it's hard to believe that these bees are a problem to begin with. It seems more like it's just something for her to do to pass time.

Also as an ironic twist of events the inspector that was sent out to his house said he had to ask advice of someone in Somerdale. Apparently this person was my dad.

I can't imagen this going any farther than where it is now, but if it does I know what to do, thank you everyone. A special thanks to Kev, your advice is especially valuable to everyone here that might have this as a problem.

[BeeHopper]

Good Luck and keep us posted  :)

[Jerrymac]

In April, 1901, the council of the city of Rochester, N.Y., passed an
ordinance prohibiting the keeping of bees within the city limits. W. R. Taunton, who
refused to remove his apiary, was arrested and brought before a police court.
The judge set aside the ordinance and the defendant was discharged. The latter
was defended by the counsel of the National Beekeepers' Association.

In the Butchers' Union Co. vs. Cresent City Co. (111 U.S. 746), Justice
Fields says: "The common business and callings of life, the ordinary trades and
pursuits, which are innocent in themselves, and have been followed in all
communities from time immemorial, must therefore, be free in this country to all
alike on equal terms. The right to pursue them without let or hindrance, except
that which is applied to all persons of the same age, sex, and condition, is a
distinguishing privilege which they claim as their birthright." In the same
case Judge Gradley says: " I hold that the liberty of pursuit, the right to
follow any of the ordinary callings of life, is one of the privileges of a citizen
of the United states, of which he can not be deprived without invading this
right to liberty within the meaning of the constitution." It may be well to
state in this connection that the National Beekeepers' Association frequently
undertakes to defend its members in a court of law where the circumstances warrant
the assistance of this influential body.
1. Bees are a hobby which can be helpful to the community.
2. When a bee keeper is allowed to keep bees (limited to no more
than 2 hives) on his or her property there is a significant result.
3. Honeybees will drive hornets and un-wanted bees from the village.
4. Villages without an ordinance against beekeepers have a notable
major downsizing of hornets in the community.
5. It is the right of any citizen to engage in his or her hobby if
they can show they are not infringing on their neighbors right and
or property.
6. Honeybees do not invade houses or harass neighbors but stick to
the business of pollinating and collecting for the hive. They do not
act like hornets that will sting for no apparent reason.
7. Honeybees have to be provoked to sting by a serious threat to
their hive.
8. Placing a 6 foot fence around a hive setting will keep all bees
in a flight path above any pedestrian traffic and keep neighbors out
of the hive.
9. If a limited amount of bees (be it hobby) are not allowed due to
the danger (and I question danger) , then many of the other business
ventures or hobbies in a village should be considered as well,
otherwise there is a discrimination violation which can be up-held
in court.
10. Hobbies not limited to the use of spray varnish, dusting garden
plants with toxic chemicals, hobbies that produce noise pollution,
hobbies and businesses which alter the natural ecology would need to
be closed or halted. Many hobbies and business ventures do cause
harm to the environment and if bees are not allowed many other
hobbies need to be closed as well or there would be a discriminatory
case involved.
11. Gardens would not need to be dusted with a hive placed by them.
The honeybees would remove pests and significantly increase the
gardens output.
In closing,
This should be considered an attempt to have the ordinance revised
or amended to a working policy for bees.  Trouble Free Beekeeper 
Association.

[KONASDAD]

NEW JERSEY'S state insect is...


THE HONEYBEE.

[Brian D. Bray]

Being a retired Police Officer I say that sometimes the best defence in an end run.  Take the information proved by Jerrymac, and others, do a little on line research, and then educate the town citizenary with letters to the editor and propose a ligitemate, well though out beekeeping ordinance using best management practices.  When the citizens find out that beekeepers are responsible citizens too, it does much to alter the playing field.
One such education tactic is to explain the differences between wasps and honeybees and the differences between sensitivity and allergies.

[Kev]

Well said and you make a good point, Kevin.  :-D

BeeHopper,
The funny thing is that you and I were writing those posts simultaneously. I took a little longer, so yours was posted ahead of mine. When I read first the thread your "nutjob" comment wasn't there. It was coincidence.  I gulped a little when I went back to the post because I wasn't intending to comment about your post.

You're probably right in your assessment, though.
kev

[MrILoveTheAnts]

My dad (a tad absent minded) just recalled that towns here have a Grandfather clause or something of the sort. This means any new laws that ban beekeeping are void to people currently keeping bees.