Bees, along with crocodiles, lions, and pit vipers are currently banned in NYC, but a new bill may change that.
Urban beekeeping whizzed into the world of fashionable green back in June. At that time, Brian wrote over at TreeHugger that prospective beekeepers have been fighting to have a ban on urban beekeeping lifted in New York City. Back in 1999, the Giuliani Administration added bees to the list of animals prohibited within the city. The list also includes crocodiles, lions, and pit vipers. A violation of the ban incurs a $2,000 fine.
New York City Council member David Yassky introduced a bill that would abolish the ban, but the bill stagnated until local activists rekindled the fight by proposing to the New York Department of Health that the ban be overturned. According to OnEarth, the health department gave the initial okay in a quarterly Board of Health meeting on Thursday. The action requires a second vote in March, following a public comment period, to take effect.
