Beehives to Sweeten Clarendon Hills Police Station

Residents with parking tickets soon won’t be the only ones buzzing around the Clarendon Hills Police Department.

The village board has approved a plan to place bee hives on police department property.

Thad Smith and John Hanson of Westside Bee Boyz and Sweet Beginnings approached police chief Ted Jenkins about placing beehives on police department property, and the council approved the plan at a May board meeting.

The hives will be provided and maintained by the bee businesses.

“Locating hives at the PD would benefit the ecosystem and provide pollinators to roughly a three mile circle around the PD,” wrote police chief Ted Jenkins in a letter to village manager Kevin Barr. “Additionally, allowing hives sends a message that the Village understands the significance of the honeybee’s roll in our environment.

The hives could become part of an educational program, and local groups and organizations may be able to get involved in hive maintenance.

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