By Adam Ophus

Urban Beekeeping

Urban beekeeping has Rocky abuzz

Nov 14, 2019 | 1:53 PM

Rocky Mountain House town council has passed a third and final reading of the Urban Beekeeping Bylaw which will allow residents to own up to two hives per residential parcel.

First reading was passed on September 17 and an open house was held on October 23 to hear from the community any feedback they had.

“We were able to get help from local beekeepers who were able to help us understand urban beekeeping a little bit better,” Director of Planning and Community Development Dean Schweder said describing the helpfulness of the open house.

“I’m sure there will be a few learning curves as we role this out and as far as moving forward, we’ve talked to a local gentleman who does beekeeping in the area Wade Hansma who owns BBB Honey Farms. He’s offering his expertise and mentorship and can get a person from A to Z to get started and form a contact list to help with swarms.”

Attached to the bottom of the town’s newly created Urban Beekeeping Licence Application, it gives explanations of the regulations and describes what they mean by “swarm”

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“A honey bee swarm is noticeable when there is a dense group of bees, typically moving together in one direction. Once the swarm lands or clusters, it is a dense mass of bees in a tree, on a fence post, the side of a building, or other exposed similar spot.”

“We initially had it so that you had to be 18 or older, but we’ve lowered it so teenagers aged 16 and 17 can partake as well, but a parent or guardian would have to sign off on that,” Schweder said while mentioning some of the changes they made to the bylaw following the open house.

The town had stated that safety was a top priority while moving forward with the program.

Before a resident can acquire a licence to own bees they must follow a series of regulations first, such as, it must be on your own property, an appropriate hive structure, have written permission from all adjoining neighbors and proof of training, among many other steps.

The Urban Beekeeping Licence fee will be $75/year, attached is a link to that licence application.