SOUTH PORTLAND (April 10, 2008): The South Portland City Council voted
Monday night to send the city's first beekeeping ordinance back to
workshop for further review after it created an angry buzz across
Maine.

The Council's flight from establishing a local beekeeping ordinance
happened after members received several letters and e-mails from
hobbyists who say that Maine already has a state Beekeepers
Association that educates the public, registers keepers and offers a
comprehensive list of best practices for people to follow.

The letter writers complained that local regulations, fees and a
permitting process will discourage back yard honey bee operations and
make them too costly. The beekeeping ordinance sets up an annual $25
registration fee. It limits the number of colonies that a homeowner
can have based on property size. For example, a beekeeper can keep up
to two colonies on a quarter acre of land or less. The ordinance
details the types of hives and requires that colonies have a queen.
Under the ordinance, beekeepers must provide the insects with a
constant source of water, since they will fly to swimming pools and
even outdoor pet dishes, if fresh water is not provided by the
beekeeper.

South Portland has a long and storied history of beekeepers. One of
its most famous residents, Fred Hale, was an avid beekeeper. Known as
America's oldest living man, Hale credited his longevity to eating
honey and bee pollen [along with the occasional nip of whiskey].
Hale's honey came from bees he kept as a hobbyist. Hale died in 2004
at the age of 113. Web sites on Hale contain sweet memories of his
beekeeping and honey making in South Portland. "I knew Fred when we
both lived in South Portland, Maine, in the late seventies," wrote
former resident Richard Johnson in 2007. "He sparked my interest in
beekeeping. I visited him quite a few times and he talked about
beekeeping mostly."

http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=51743

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_H._Hale,_Sr.

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