Honey, City Hall is buzzing about bees!

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Under current City of Decorah ordinances, you could get ticketed for having a bee hive on your property. 

The city's ordinance about "bothersome animals" states "It is a misdemeanor to keep within the city such bothersome animals as bees."  But two Decorah residents--Kirk Larsen and Rick Brown--are questioning why that should be so.

Brown says he's kept bees when living near Guttenberg and they weren't problems there.  Larsen says he wanted to have a bee hive on Luther property inside the city limits, but had to put it at the Luther Farm instead.

City officials seem open to redrafting the ordinance.  They say they would draw up a list of proposed regulations, such as a limit on the number of bee hives per property parcel and a set back requirement.

Larsen and Brown are quick to point out that any problems with getting stung tend to involve wasps or hornets instead of honey bees, so they say it's safe to have bee hives in Decorah--if properly regulated.