West Columbia Residents Buzzing About Proposed Beekeeping Ordinance

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West Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — For Danny Cannon, bee keeping has been more than hobby for the past 17 years. Cannon tells ABC Columbia, “I got into it because I didn’t know about it and I wanted to learn and then once I got into it it’s something about the bees that just keeps dragging you back.” Cannon says the number of those backyard bee keeping has grown recent years, with people joining for any number of the activity’s sweet results. “Certainly everyone gets into it for the honey, and its does benefit environmentally and the neighborhood as a whole through the pollination that they do and there are mental benefits a lot of people just sit and watch the bees cause they’re so fascinating,” explains Cannon. The City of West Columbia has also taken notice of the growing trend. Wayne Schuler, Director of the city’s planning commission says, “We’re finding out there are a lot of bee keepers in the city so we want to encourage and protect that activity but set some minimum standards. ” An ordinance proposed by the city’s planning commission would add beekeeping to to the list of permitted activities while implementing guidelines like annual inspections and a limit on the number of hives. Schuler explains, “We capped the number of hives to 5 but we’ll have a minimum lot size to have than many hives.” According to Cannon, the proposed ordinance could have a widespread effect on beekeepers throughout the state. “Its not got a beekeeper or a bee in mind the way it’s written. It could spread to other municipalities so it would restrict beekeeping in a larger and larger area,” says Cannon. West Columbia city officials say they’re open to suggestions. “There seems to already be an active bee keeping community and so we need to figure out a way to accommodate that,” says Schuler. Cannon says knowledge of the trade is essential to creating a suitable ordinance. He tells ABC Columbia,”Ordinances don’t make a better bee keeper and they don’t necessarily make a better neighbor beekeepers make better beekeepers by teaching each other.”