Bees welcomed in St. Joseph as city council approves beekeeping ordinance

Bees are now welcome in St. Joseph after the city council approved its beekeeping ordinance Monday night. 

The ordinance comes after months of deliberation and will now allow hobby beekeepers to keep hives on residential properties. Zoning codes permitted for beekeeping include agricultural, rural residential, single-family residential, two family residential and townhouse-patio residential, the ordinance states. 

St. Joseph kept safety in mind when crafting its new rule. Some of these efforts include requiring beekeepers to post a sign identifying the hive, a 10 foot property line setback and placing hives in the properties backyard. 

Flyaway barrier requirements are also in place for hives placed between 10 and 25 feet from the property line. This includes having a wall, fence or dense vegetation that would adhere to the city’s fence ordinance. 

Beekeepers are limited in the number of hives they can have. Property with less than one acre can have two colonies, between half and 3/4 of an acre can have four, 3/4 to a full acre can have six, one acre to five acres can have eight and properties with more than five acres have no quantity restrictions. 

St. Joseph City Council member Bob Loso told the St. Cloud Times the ordinance is an effort to support the bee population.

“It’s meant to help with the honey bee population,” Loso said. “It’s a big thing right now.”

Bees are coming to the forefront due to their role as pollinators, which in turn helps plants grow, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nearby Sauk Rapids also has a beekeeping ordinance, allowing up to six hives on a property, according to its code. If a property has more than six hives, it’s legally considered to be a public nuisance.

St. Cloud City Administrator Matthew Staehling previously told the St. Cloud Times that St. Cloud allows bee hives on private property. He said hives are considered accessory structures, which would allow the city to establish property setbacks should an issue arise.

However, not all Minnesota communities are as accommodating with beekeeping as Sauk Rapids, St. Joseph and St. Cloud. Some municipalities consider bees to be farm animals and require appropriate agricultural zoning or permits to allow bees. Golden Valley, Lauderdale and Hugo are among these cities, according to the University of Minnesota. 

The new ordinance will limit beekeepers to the apris mellifera species honey bee, which are less aggressive than a wasp.

“They’re so calm that I work without having a beekeeping suit on,” beekeeper Wayne Rusch said. “I very seldomly get stung, so having bees in an urban setting is not a big deal. Beekeepers also take extra precautions to make sure their bees aren't bothering people. Honey bees are not aggressive, so they’ll leave you alone.”