On Sun, Apr 15, 2001 at 10:53:57PM -0400, James Fischer wrote:
> Jeanne said:
>
> > I just walked out the front of my house and there was a
> > gentleman from the village sitting in his car writing for the longest
> > time....then he got out and walked up to me and said I understand you have
> > beehives in your backyard.  He said that he checked with the village and the
> > village told him I could not have them.  I told him that before I got them I
> > called the village ( I did)  and that they said there was nothing in there
> > that stated I could not have them.  I did not volunteer my address
> > however...........
>
> If there is an actual law on the books that says "no beekeeping", he
> would have cited the specific ordinance.  Why didn't he?  Likely
> because there IS no such specific law.
>
> You would be amazed how creative people can be sometimes, reading a
> law against keeping "barnyard animals", and claiming that this means
> bees, largish dogs, hamsters, whatever animal they don't like.
>
This is what got me in trouble when I had a hive visible from the road.
A "concerned citizen" called the inspectors and he came out to take a
look. He informed me that there was no law against keeping bees but
since teir was a complaint could write me up under a nuciance law.

In a rather productive converstation I explained that the bees had been
inspected by the state to ensure that they were safe and then offered to
move the bees out of view. The fact that the bees had been inspected by
a state agency gave the city guy an "out" as a higher authority said
things were OK. Two weeks later all was in order and I have not had
another problem.

One other tip. Don't work your bees dressed in full suits with enought smoke
to look like a forest fire. I was rather inexperianced before this episode
and looking back I can see what the neighbors saw: a guy in full protection
with plumes of smoke fighting a cloud of angry bees. Now I have a nice
white jacket and veil (or saftey glasses and my hat) with short pants. I
do not think I look like I am in a combat zone any more.
--
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There is no doubt we need government in our lives. There is also no doubt
that we need salt in our diet. Watch out for too much of either one.
AA4YU http://www.beekeeper.org http://www.q7.net