What’s the buzz about beekeeping
Posted: 4:21PM October 21st, 2011 | Comments
Perhaps you have heard the buzz—excuse the pun—that honey bees are in danger. Over the past few years, colonies across North America have disappeared at alarming and concerning rates. In 2007, for example, an estimated one-half of honey producing colonies went extinct. Pointing to a variety of causes—like unpredictable weather patterns, increased pesticide usage and a stubborn parasite that has killed armies of bees—scientists haven’t agreed on the precise cause for what they have labeled “Colony Collapse Disorder.”
But what is agreed upon is what is at jeopardy: One-third of fruits and vegetables are pollinated by honey bees; or, stated differently, without bees—or even with significantly fewer of them—America’s naturally pollinated food supplies are in jeopardy.
Last week, Madison Common Council was presented an ordinance to permit residents to keep as many as six bee hives within city limits. (The ordinance restricts beehive sizes and proximity to public spaces and neighbors; each permit would cost $10.)
At first blush, such an ordinance may seem trite; in truth, this proposed ordinance has far-reaching—if not vital—importance to maintain the region’s natural infrastructure.
Since 2009, cities like Denver, Cleveland and Minneapolis all have approved similar ordinances—and all of those cities are more densely populated than Madison, and have not reported any uptick in bee stings. Sustain Dane urges Madison Common Council to adopt a similar allowance.
Without much crowing (again, excuse the pun), the City of Madison allows backyard chicken coops as an effort to promote local food production and reduce carbon emissions. (The average egg travels 1500 miles from production to plate, as opposed to just 15 steps into the backyard.)
Likewise, Madison Common Council should unanimously support an ordinance allowing beekeeping within city limits.
In practice, local beekeepers estimate that there already are 100 or so hives kept at private homes. An ordinance would be an important measure both to preserve and strengthen the region’s ecosystem, while also monitoring and encouraging beekeeping in a more controlled and supported environment. PB
