Bees and Your Neighbours and The Law

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We investigate whether it is legal to keep bees in a residential area. Backyard beekeeping is becoming fashionable – but is it legal? Can you have a beehive in your backyard?

If we ask ourselves the question “Can I have a beehive in my backyard?” we need to look at whether backyard beekeeping is legal.

Bees and Your Neighbors and The Law

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To say that the legal system in the USA is complex would be an extreme understatement. There are multiple layers of law, from the Federal Level to State Laws, right down to local County laws.

The US Legal System

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The neighbor finds that there are bees on the flowers in their garden. They know you have bees. They accuse your bees of stealing their honey.

Bees On Neighbors Flowers – Possessive Neighbor

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Bees On Neighbors Flowers – Neighbor Stung

If there is a bee on a flower and your neighbor gets stung by it, they will normally blame your bees. It could actually quite easily have been a bee from miles away, but they will still blame you.

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Bees Go On A Rampage

Bees can sometimes just go nuts. When this happens, they will sting everything they can find within 50-100 yards of the hive. This does not matter if your bees are European bees, African bees, or a mix.

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ADVICE

If you have a big backyard, friendly neighbors, no lawns near the place to put the bees, and all your animals and kids can get away from the hives if they get angry, you can keep bees. This will also depend on your local laws and bylaws.

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