Amateur beekeeper Kim
Hoelzli tends to her new hive.
A lot of hive owners make similar arrangements with
landowners or farmers. Urban beekeeping, while
permissible under the Bees Act of Ontario, does have
regulations that must be observed, such as the distance a
hive must be from a property edge. Recently, a London
woman was forced to relocate her hives shortly after holding
an informational open house. Bees also need a source of
reliable water, a reasonably calm environment and safety
from scavengers.
And then there’s the honey. “The idea of your own
honey sounds really nice, until you realize how much honey.
And it needs harvesting and extracting. The first year a hive
is set up, it won't produce much, but it's still a fair bit,” says
Hoelzli. “I’ve been told I can expect about 30 pounds of
honey this year.”
If beekeeping is beyond you, there are still ways to help
stem the bee population decline. Plant a garden, or even a
window box, to create more pollination opportunities. Limit
your use of pesticides and make informed choices about the
products you purchase that may have used pesticides. Buy
local fruits, vegetables and honey that help area beekeepers.
And consider donating to a beekeeping association. And
perhaps most importantly, resist the urge to swat the next
honeybee that crosses your path. Remember, human survial
depends on those little buzzers.