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