City Politicians Pitch Return to Beekeeping to New York City

By Frank Lombardi, New York Daily News, 6/24/2009

As if higher taxes weren't enough of a sting, some city politicos are now trying to legalize beekeeping.

While bee fanciers consider it a honey of an idea, many New Yorkers might not want tens of thousands of bees swarming in and out of hives next door.

Not to worry, honey bees rarely sting, according to advocates calling for ending the decades-old ban on raising bees for fun and profit within the city limits.

"If done by people who know what they are doing, it's a safe enterprise," insisted Brooklyn Councilman David Yassky, the chief sponsor of a bill to license urban beekeeping here.

A dozen backers held up hand-lettered signs at a City Hall press conference with such slogans as, "All we are saying ... is give bees a chance."…