Support for Toronto Urban Bee-Keeping

Currently the Province of Ontario only allows for Bee Hives to be placed a minimum of 30 meters from a property line. This effectively excludes urban hobbyist bee-keepers from having a bee hive in their back yards.

As most are aware Bees are in trouble around the world. Since 2006 Bee-Keepers have recorded alarming colony losses. Normally kept in rural environments, Bees are subject to the pesticides that farmers use on their crops. Genetically modified crops also present their share of problems for the fragile bee. Seed treatments, such as the insecticide neonicotinoid, disasterously affects the central nervous system of the Bee.

A number of hive pests are also problematic for bee colonies; the varroa mite, foulbrood, the small hive beetle (found last year in Ontario), Nosema, just to name the top few.

So here it is: I propose that the Province of Ontario changes the current Bee Keeping Act, to allow Urban Hobbyists to keep one or 2 hives in a backyard without the requirement of 30 meters to the property line.

Support the fragile Bees !
Did you know that the inside of a bee hive is cleaner than a hospital?
Did you know that Bees are vegetarians?
When people get stung they often say it was a Bee - however studies have shown that 75% of the time it is a wasp. (City of Vancouver research!).
Bees don't go to picnics, bbq's or garbage cans, those culprits are wasps, and other scavenger insects.