"Relatively few communities in the U.S. outlaw beekeeping.  However, most have 'nuisance laws' that are intended to outlaw things that most people would find objectionable, such as a barking dog or a stinky smell.  Some communities have laws that put practical constraints on beekeeping, such as limits on numbers of hives and a requirement that the beekeeper provide water for the bees. 

There will be bees in our cities and towns as long as there are nectar and pollen-producing plants.  Outlawing beekeeping tends to replace domesticated bees with wild bees, but does not make bees go away."

Backyard Beekeeping
by John Caldeira


I've never seen a beehive be as big a nuisance to as many people as a single barking dog can be.

"The birds and the bees are poised to get legal in Chatham County.

A revised animal control ordinance would allow county residents to keep chickens and bees in their backyards, practices that have grown popular but are not supported by current codes.

The issue surfaced last summer when zoning officials cited Wilmington Island resident Bill Lynes for keeping chickens in his backyard. Lynes pointed out that the practice was common and that if he was in violation so was celebrity chef Paula Deen, who crowed about her backyard chickens on her cooking show. Deen was then cited."

Bees, chickens soon to get more legal in Savannah, Chatham
By Mary Landers

"African bees are a subtropical bee, Lemire said. They can be seen across the southern part of the United States from Florida to California. Mosquito Control has found them in tree holes, storm drains, underneath trailer boards, and gutters. The number of bee stings it takes to kill a person depends on their body weight and how allergic they are to the bees. It could take anywhere from 500 to 800 stings, Lemire said.

"If African bees attack, Lemire recommends getting inside because running from them won’t be enough. This type of bee will chase a victim the length of a football field, he said.

"'You can’t jump in a pool and go underneath and go back up,' Lemire said. 'True African bees will just hover around the pool waiting to sting you.'”

African Bees Kill Dogs, Injure Florida Woman
By Jennifer Abbey




Brutal, though the expert is wrong about one thing... the number of bee stings it takes to kill a person.  One sting can do the trick in some cases.

And the winner is...

"Sixteen dogs were playing outside after breakfast Wednesday when workers spotted what looked like a giant plume of smoke in the distance. As it approached, they realized it was a swarm of bees, which officials now believe to be of the Africanized variety.

The swarm swooped down on the exercise yard and began stinging dogs and employees, said Melissa Houlihan, owner of the Balcom Canyon Pet Lodge in Somis.

'They scrambled to bring the dogs inside, but the bees came down so quickly,' she said. 'It was horrific.'

A dozen dogs were stung. Three -- two whippets and a Cairn terrier -- are hospitalized in critical condition. The whippets were stung more than 250 times and appeared unrecognizable, Houlihan said."


16 dogs attacked by Africanized honey bees; three critical
-- Esmeralda Bermudez, LA Times