NO Honeybees in Kelowna?

[shinynewday]

We are lobbying to have the City of Kelowna modify their antiquated Animal and Poultry bylaw to allow "backyard beekeeping". Large cities such as Vancouver, Burnaby, New York and San Francisco have amended their bylaws to welcome the honeybee into backyards. Vernon and Penticton allow it. Currently a property owner in Kelowna can have chickens and rabbits, but not honeybees. Having the bylaw amended will not only get honeybees back in our gardens but will also regulate the hobby beekeeper and keep bees healthy.

Anyone who likes food (or eats on a daily basis) should be a fan of honeybees. Without bees doing their magical pollinating dance, one third of the food that we eat on a daily basis would not exist. No bees equals no almonds, apples, cherries, plums, prunes, asparagus, carrots, celery, onions, radishes—the list goes on.

Bees are our friends!
When people get stung they often say it was a Bee - however studies have shown that 75% of the time it is a wasp.
Bees are vegetarians and don't go to picnics, bbq's or garbage cans, those culprits are wasps, and other scavenger insects.
The presence of honeybees in the city can increase harvests for backyard, street, rooftop and community gardens.

Support the Bees!
Want to help? Head over the internet site GoPetition and search for "beekeeping in Kelowna".

[Lady tehMa]

I agree that bees are good. Mason bees are easier to attract and maintain than honeybees.

Point though, I do not believe we are currently allowed backyard chickens - see GrammaFreddy and her fight for the fowl. http://forums.castanet.net/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=16229&hilit=backyard+chickens

[Veovis]

I'm sure all the people highly allergic will love this idea.

I think I'll join you and make a case for more peanut butter in schools.

[Lady tehMa]

I'm sure all the people highly allergic will love this idea.

I think I'll join you and make a case for more peanut butter in schools.

Well, I am allergic and I think it is a good idea. Wasps are the agressive ones, and they are responsible for most of the stings. It is rather rare for a bee, a proper honey bee, to go after someone. Unless you are using their hive for batting practice that is.

[kelownawriter]

It's ignorant to not want bees as a local commodity just because people are allergic. A person with ANY type of serious allergy should be educated on the subject and be responsible enough to always carry an EpiPen and anything else they might need in case they are met with the offending food/insect/etc. Be prepared, because the world can't safety proof everything for you.

Honeybees are important for a reason and I wouldn't mind seeing a boost. I have some very fond bee related memories, and for hobby bee enthusiasts this could be a great thing.

[MrR]

DIY Nuc Plans
http://www.squidoo.com/6-easy-steps-to-make-a-nuc-box

[shinynewday]

Yes I would love to see more Mason bees hanging out but alas, No honey.

Wasps and hornets will sting at a moments notice. Honeybees by nature are fairly docile and only sting if it is the last resort because they die at the same time. Anyone I know that has high levels of allergies has taken necessary precautions already because the real threat out there are the wasps, which we have plenty of (not that they're bad either).

[Veovis]

I'm not suggesting bees are aggressive, nor do I mind the concept of more of them, however, do you think children of the ages1-7 can immediately tell a bee from a hornet when there's piles of them flying around their yard?

Do you think that kid will ever want to play in his yard with all your bees there?

How do you keep your bees from tresspassing onto my property?

Can I spray any bees on my property?

Can I sue you if I do get stung for pain and suffering as you were neglectful in keeping your bees from attacking others?

Does that mean we will need a form of leash law for bees?

If one of your bees sting and kill someone who has severe allergies is that manslaughter, or negligence on your part? (don't say they should carry epipens...if that held water peanut butter would be in schools)

Bees aren't bad, just the oposite, but the hassles and issues that would arise from this make it simply not a practical idea outside of rural areas, in a matter of a couple minutes I have a list of issues, some quite absurd, that I can promise would occur.

[LoneWolf_53]

You are taking silliness and ignorance to a whole new level.

Perhaps we need a law to ensure that you keep your mosquitoes and spiders on your own property as well.

[Veovis]

You are taking silliness and ignorance to a whole new level.

Perhaps we need a law to ensure that you keep your mosquitoes and spiders on your own property as well.

That was the point.

However if you were intentionally raising mosquitoes and black widows in your yard I may be concerned, mainly as to the why you would be raising them. (ooh ooh, trained mosquitoes to go and harvest blood for you to donate to red cross for cash. Mass blood farming....brilliant.)

[36Drew]

I'm not suggesting bees are aggressive, nor do I mind the concept of more of them, however, do you think children of the ages1-7 can immediately tell a bee from a hornet when there's piles of them flying around their yard?

Do you think that kid will ever want to play in his yard with all your bees there?

How do you keep your bees from tresspassing onto my property?

Can I spray any bees on my property?

Can I sue you if I do get stung for pain and suffering as you were neglectful in keeping your bees from attacking others?

Does that mean we will need a form of leash law for bees?

If one of your bees sting and kill someone who has severe allergies is that manslaughter, or negligence on your part? (don't say they should carry epipens...if that held water peanut butter would be in schools)

Bees aren't bad, just the oposite, but the hassles and issues that would arise from this make it simply not a practical idea outside of rural areas, in a matter of a couple minutes I have a list of issues, some quite absurd, that I can promise would occur.

You obviously know so little about honey bees that you shouldn't even make any comments - I would gather that anything you say on the matter will be just as foolish as everything you've written above...

[Veovis]

So you believe 1 year olds can identify a wasp vs a honeybee from 10 feet away?

So you beleive people wouldn't create frivolous law suits and complaints anytime they got stung by a wasp?

Do you really think lawyers wouldn't take the billings and file it wasting court time?

Do you really think some people wouldn't spray raid all over their yard and yours with the bees?

Are you truely so clueless as to miss the point entirely even after I mentioned that the point of my questions were that they are absurd and ignorant. FOR the purpose of seeing why you think those issues really wouldn't occur from random dumbarsed neighbors.

The problem would not be the bees but the actually issues that would arrise from having random beehives in peoples back yards all over a city.

Also since I did state that bees are not bad and you claim I know nothing, can I then take that as your statement that bees are really bad?

[process99]

Seriously this world becomes more broken everyday. If you the ones that want to be regulated oh wait, you want OTHERS regulated to suit your lack of compatability with the things that exist within life. There is a place or places, several actually that offer this type of health related regulation. Its called a hospital.
One cannot expect that an entire city should have to cater to your allergies creating the loss of bees or wasps or flies or spiders or those pesky rattlesnakes. If you remove one component of this system or even several the resulting chaos is far worse than you having to spend 20 bux on another epi pen. Bees are our food pollenators. If you want a garden or some fruit trees or just food in general then whether your alergic to bees or not they are your friends.
Now remember while your singing your praises about how dangerous these bees are when your allergic, we aren't asking you to eat them and only the same sort of behaviour is required to avoid them as anyone else who is allergic to anything. They generally try to aviod them and if contact is made they are equipped with a remedy. This is not the 12th century nor will bees be banned from ownership, it is you the one ultimatly responsible for you that must adapt and live with the bees, not the other way around. Do not expect others to be responsible for your safety, there is too much nanny control already. Even something as simple as a sign that say bees in use or similar should be enough to tell you if your allergic then probably not a good idea to enter that area. This idea about liability for a beesting makes me sick, If you can't handle it remember the that enviroment of complete control the hospital. I never actaually thought I would see the day when someone actually says what if I get stung are you gonna pay and be liable for my mistake? Has the world gone completly insane here or just what happened?

P99

[Veovis]

Process99 - I have no allergies or fear of bees. Heck I grew up near a bee farm. What many people seem to ignore is that their personal desires may have other ramifications to a neighborhood, such as how will other people react. Look at the fact that all reply's to silly questions were met with hostility and rudeness and defending a bee. Not thinking whatsoever about other people.

If adding a foriegn element into an ecosystem can cause chaos, why would you add that item?

If you are talking 5 acre properties out behind the airport or south east kelowna area, thats great. If you are talking 1 in each backyard along the perimiter of a school you'll have people losing their collective minds. Want proof? Go eat a bag of peanuts in a school ground and see how many people lose it on you, even though no kid in that school may be allergic.

[grammafreddy]

I am allergic to Yellowjacket bites/stings but sure do support honey bees. I like to eat.

How to tell the difference? Bees are fuzzy/hairy, wasps are not. Bees are rounder in the body, not long and slim.