Beekeeping discussion delayed in Des Plaines

Would-be amateur beekeepers in Des Plaines will have to wait a little longer to learn if they’ll be allowed to keep apiaries at their homes.

The city council was set to discuss a possible pilot program this past Monday, but the debate was postponed until Oct. 7 because two aldermen — the 7th Ward’s Patsy Smith and the 8th Ward’s Michael Charewicz — were absent.

Primarily citing honeybees’ environmental importance, Des Plaines officials began looking into easing the city’s strict limits on beekeeping this summer.

Right now, Des Plaines only permits beekeeping for educational purposes. Under rules enacted in 2018, hives must be at least 250 feet from homes, and no one is allowed to have more than four. Hives must be registered with the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

But during a discussion in June, aldermen verbally supported allowing more residents to keep apiaries and directed city staffers to draft such a policy.

According to a memo from senior city planner Samantha Redman, the city could create a pilot program for beekeeping that would allow up to 10 residents to maintain hives over two years.

Apiaries only would be allowed on properties zoned for residential use, and they would be regulated. Formal permits would be required.

The proposal would require the council to amend the city’s police code or create a new zoning ordinance, Redman wrote.

Arlington Heights, Deer Park, Elgin, Elk Grove Village and Naperville are among the communities that allow beekeeping. Rules vary from town to town. Some require apiaries to be located in residential backyards; others require warning signs to be posted facing adjacent properties.