By Ilene Rosen
Special to DNAinfo
Local beekeepers have been abuzz since the Board of Health decided to consider overturning the city's decade-old ban on beekeeping, and on Wednesday they got the chance to make their case.
Since 1999, honeybees have been on a list with prohibited animals along with wolves, pumas and venomous snakes, and hive owners faced fines of up to $2,000. This past December, the board considered amending the ban after a study said honeybees posed a limited risk for New Yorkers.
That view is shared by the loose collection of beekeeping associations, locally-grown food advocates and urban environmentalists who have been pushing for the ban to be reversed.
“Bees would be helpful to pollinate trees,” said a beekeeper from the Lower East Side who identified herself as Marisa. “And that would make New York City more sustainable.”
James Rorimer of the Upper East Side described himself as an expert on honey.
“Honey from different communities have definite tastes,” Rorimer told the board, adding he thinks honey from his neighborhood tastes best. “Chelsea honey tastes differently than honey from Brooklyn.”
The final code revision will be presented at the Board of Health meeting next month, where it will receive the board’s final review. Beekeepers are hoping they will be legal by April.
Upper West Side resident Everett Scott, who said he keeps bees legally in Pennsylvania, told the board changing the health code could allow beekeeping to become an educational tool, create green jobs and help pollinate trees and flowers in the city’s parks and gardens.
It's "one of the few measures that are easy to enact that can improve conditions for New Yorkers,” Scott said.
