Council gives OK to beekeeping

With a quick and unanimous vote at city council, it was sweet success for a group of local folks in their efforts to legalize residential beekeeping in Burnaby.

Councillors passed a recommendation Monday night to amend the local bylaws so that, under specific conditions, residents of Burnaby will be allowed to keep beehives on their properties.

Janice Bobic, who was part of a delegation that came to council in September with the proposal to allow urban beekeeping, said she had felt positive it would get the thumbs-up but was happy to see it made official.

"We're really pleased. We came and presented the facts, and they did their research and agreed it's a good idea," she said.

With honeybee populations on the decline worldwide, Bobic says urban beekeeping is not just beneficial, but vital.

"It really benefits everyone in the neighbourhood. They pollinate the flowers, the plants, the gardens," she said.

"And I get to harvest the honey, that's the best part," she added with a laugh.

Beehives are already allowed in several Metro Vancouver municipalities, including Richmond, Surrey and North Vancouver.

Bobic says more cities are adopting bylaws that promote and encourage more sustainable living and local food production. Vancouver, for example, recently OK'd a much-debated move to allow residents to keep chickens in their backyards.

Bobic started keeping bees several years ago after coming across some of her father's beekeeping equipment, and she says it's a very safe activity.

City staff agree: In a report to council onthe issue, staff wrote that, when maintained properly, bee stings are rare. Most "bee" stings are, in fact, from wasps or hornets.

As well, the report notes that bees are not attracted to food and garbage the way wasps are and that they exclusively eat pollen and nectar.

The report notes that the pollination services provided by honeybees are "often 60 to 100 times more valuable than the market price of honey" and that they are beneficial to the health and biodiversity of the urban environment.

"Generally, past experience with the keeping of beehives in an urban setting shows that there are few instances of concern or adverse impacts to neighbouring properties," reads the report.

"We don't expect a lot of people are going to rush into beekeeping," noted Coun. Dan Johnston, chair of the environment committee, which looked at the delegation's proposal.

"Bees will quietly disappear into the community, assisting in the greening of the area."

He added that there are estimated to be about 300 urban hives already being maintained in Burnaby and even more in Vancouver.

Coun. Pietro Calendino said he'd had a call from someone who was concerned they would no longer be able to enjoy their backyards if neighbours had beehives, but he said residents should be reassured there is little concern in urban beekeeping.

"I remember in the area I grew up, there were several beehives within 50 yards of my house, tended by neighbours," he said, noting that he was never stung by any bees, though he was stung by wasps.

The new bylaw will have specific limits as to where such hives - and how many - can be kept by residents.

They can not have more than two beehives in the rear yard of a residential lot that has a minimum lot area of 557.4 square metres and width of 15 metres and is occupied by a single family dwelling.

The beehive structures must be set back a minimum of 7.5 m from any property line or placed a minimum of 2.5 m above ground or abutting a solid fence or hedge that is 1.8 m tall and extends a minimum of six metres along the property line.

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