Wellman City Council plans bee keeping ordinance

By John Butters
Posted 11/8/22

City council members consulted Monday with local bee expert James Miller as they discussed the outline of a bee-keeping ordinance for Wellman.

The council voted in October to modify a provision …

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Wellman City Council plans bee keeping ordinance

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City council members consulted Monday with local bee expert James Miller as they discussed the outline of a bee-keeping ordinance for Wellman.

The council voted in October to modify a provision within the livestock ordinance of the city code to allow apiculture within the city limits, contingent upon compliance with restrictions to be set by the council later.

Council members have reviewed bee-keeping ordinances enacted by other Iowa communities, hoping to find a model for their own regulation, but found that few took a comprehensive approach to the issue.

Council members have expressed concern that too many beehives within a densely populated neighborhood could result in a nuisance or injury to neighbors and their children. Some of the early suggestions included those of building a fence around the hives, limiting the number of hives, and restricting the cultivation of bees to property owners.

It was mentioned that some residents have laughed at the mention of a fence around the bees, but Miller said it might be a good idea.

“Bees establish a flight path from the hive very early and stay on it when they return. If they come into the hive at a low height and a person was in that path, they would fly directly into them,” he said. “Putting up a solid fence or wall would direct the bees to a higher path that would likely keep them from flying into people.”

Miller, who is in his eighth year of beekeeping, said it was unlikely that a prospective beekeeper would have many hives in town.

“It’s a lot of work. There is also a lot of education that a successful beekeeper needs to have. They need to learn how to care for the health of their colonies,” he said. The start-up costs would also deter many people from beekeeping. The learning curve can be steep. Often, the bees die out from lack of knowledge or attention, he said.

Miller said that most bees are not aggressive, even near the hive. He said commercial bees are bred to be docile and that unless someone actively disturbed the hive, it was unlikely that there would be any problems. He said, however, that bees are attracted to the chlorinated water found in pools and hot tubs.

Council members reiterated their opinion that beekeeping should be restricted to property owners because the planned ordinance would likely require a solid fence and need the permission of a property owner to be constructed. Additionally, they believed that a property owner would not abandon hives, leaving the city to find a new home for the bees.

Council members will be consulting the city attorney on a draft for the beekeeping ordinance. Items for the ordinance would likely include several of the following restrictions. Hives in the back yard only. No hives in the front or side yards. A six-foot solid fence or barrier would need to surround the hives. Beekeepers must provide a water source to keep the bees from feeding from adjoining pools or hot tubs. Hives must be located at a stated distance from any city utilities. A limit on the number of hives per acre.

Council members plan to have a draft ordinance for review in December of this year.