Sweet relief for untold numbers of outlaw New York City beekeepers came Tuesday in what was probably the most-anticipated vote ever taken by the board of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene:Honeybees may now be kept legallyin the five boroughs. Astory inThe New York TimesMonday reported on the impending vote, and estimated that "hundreds" of New Yorkers were already keeping bees in violation of the health code.
Previously, bees had been classified as a prohibited "wild animal" under Title IV of theHealth Code, Article 161, Section 161.01, listed among a diverse group that includes everything from polar and grizzly bears to raccoons and cat-bears to squirrels, bats, snapping turtles, condors ... and, of course, "all venomous insects, including, but not limited to, bee, hornet and wasp." While it's certain that many of these wild animals (not the bears, but surely the venomous insects, the squirrels and the raccoons) live happily in the public parks and backyards of New York City, if they are kept on purpose by residents, the health department can levy fines of between $200 and $2,000 -- and some beekeepers have received the maximum penalty.
"I am over the moon about today's ruling, as are many of my friends in the New York Beekeepers Association and other beekeeping groups in the NYC area," said Megan Paska, beekeeper ofBrooklyn Honeyand organizer of theBrooklyn Society of Urban Homesteaders, which teaches classes on a variety of skills -- among them, urban beekeeping. "It's a relief to know that we no longer have to fear being penalized for doing something we all truly believe is beneficial to our community."
See full article from DailyFinance:http://srph.it/bFakjw
Previously, bees had been classified as a prohibited "wild animal" under Title IV of theHealth Code, Article 161, Section 161.01, listed among a diverse group that includes everything from polar and grizzly bears to raccoons and cat-bears to squirrels, bats, snapping turtles, condors ... and, of course, "all venomous insects, including, but not limited to, bee, hornet and wasp." While it's certain that many of these wild animals (not the bears, but surely the venomous insects, the squirrels and the raccoons) live happily in the public parks and backyards of New York City, if they are kept on purpose by residents, the health department can levy fines of between $200 and $2,000 -- and some beekeepers have received the maximum penalty.
"I am over the moon about today's ruling, as are many of my friends in the New York Beekeepers Association and other beekeeping groups in the NYC area," said Megan Paska, beekeeper ofBrooklyn Honeyand organizer of theBrooklyn Society of Urban Homesteaders, which teaches classes on a variety of skills -- among them, urban beekeeping. "It's a relief to know that we no longer have to fear being penalized for doing something we all truly believe is beneficial to our community."
See full article from DailyFinance:http://srph.it/bFakjw
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