NYC Lifts Prohibition on Urban Beekeeping
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has reportedly revised Health Code Article 16 to allow residents to keep Apis mellifera hives within the city limits. Previously outlawed as too dangerous or venomous for urban life, the common honeybee is currently cultivated by hundreds of clandestine city beekeepers, many of whom quietly flaunted the prohibition. “People fear that if there’s a beehive on their rooftop, they’ll be stung,” one spokesperson for the New York City Beekeepers Association told the media. “Honeybees are interested in water, pollen and nectar. The real danger is the skewed public perception of the danger of honeybees.”
In light of this evidence, the health board revisited the ban, which once imposed fines of up to $2,000 per citation and reinforced fears of sting-related litigation. The new regulations require beekeepers to register their hives with the city, but do not compel them to carry a license. See The New York Times, March 14, 2010; The Associated Press, March 17, 2010.
