Greenfield Beekeepers on the Rise, Some Worried About Getting Stung

GREENFIELD — It's not a "stinging" criticism of the new beekeeping ordinance in Greenfield, but two neighbors have filed appeals over concerns of getting stung.

In 2016, the City of Greenfield approved Ordinance #2840 that created Section 12.11 (19) of the Municipal code, allowing people to keep up to two colonies of honeybees on private property within the City limits.

According to a report from Greenfield NOW, two beekeepers have obtained city permits, one after an appeal hearing was held, and the Greenfield Board of Health will hear a second appeal Thursday, May 12. Both appeals were filed by neighbors who were worried about getting stung, Greenfield NOW reported.

The city plans to monitor the situation more closely. Read more on this ongoing story here.

Greenfield has this to say about beekeeping within city limits:

Hives of honeybees are currently established in most every major city in the United States. Beehives are successfully kept in small backyards, on balconies and rooftops in congested urban environments with little, if any, impact to adjacent property owners.

Honeybees are naturally gentle and non-aggressive. They may sting if they perceive a threat to their colony, but only as a last resort as the bee will die shortly after depositing its stinger. While foraging for nectar and pollen away from the colony, honeybees are completely docile and only concerned with the tasks they set out to do. In most cases, people living in close proximity of beehives will never know that honeybees are around.

Image Credit: Public domain images

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