Rebecca,
 
   Don't give up on keeping bees in town.  My brother kept 2 - 3 hives in
his back yard in Urbana, IL, by putting them up against the garage wall,
and having wooden fences that made the bees go up before travelling
horizontal.  There _may_ be bee ordinances there, and they may allow or
control it some.  For example, they probably do _not_ want you to plant
dandelions for the bees to build up on in the spring!  ;-)
 
   The other "must-have" is an unending water source close by (when they
are flying, above (positive!) 45 degrees.)  This will keep them out of
neighbors' swimming pools and bird baths.  Once they find a source, they
generally stay with it, so keep it wet.
 
   The county extension agent is a good local source.  And get books and
read, read, read!  Nothing beats having someone local to show you the
ropes, and demonstrate things hands-on.  If you find other locals, also
try to find a club that meets frequently, as each beekeeper has his own
unique approaches.  (Put five beekeepers in a room, and you get six
opinions!)
 
Good luck!
 
Gerry and the other Visels at
[log in to unmask]
Winnebago, Illinois, USA
 
On Sat, 18 Jan 1997 20:58:53 -0600 Rebecca Spawn <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>
>   I was wondering, where do people living in town keep their hives?
>I hope to move somewhere outside of town, however currently I live
>within city limits and doubt my neighbors would appreciate it if I
>put hives in my backyard.  I assume I need to find someone with land
>and ask permission to put my hives on it.
>
>--Rebecca