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As used in this article, the following words and terms shall have the meanings ascribed in this section:
(a) Apiary means the assembly of one or more colonies of bees at a single location.
(b) Beekeeper means a person who owns or has charge of one or more colonies of bees.
(c) Beekeeping equipment means anything used in the operation of an apiary, such as hive bodies, supers, frames, top and bottom boards and extractors.
(d) Colony means an aggregate of bees consisting principally of workers, but having, when perfect, one queen and at times drones, brood, combs, and honey.
(e) Hive means the receptacle inhabited by a colony that is manufactured for that purpose.
(f) Honey bee means all life stages of the common domestic honey bee (Apis Mellifera).
(Ord. 532)
(a) Hives must be registered with the Kansas Driftwatch.org.
(b) Honey bee colonies shall be kept in hives with removable frames, which shall be kept in sound and usable condition.
(c) Each beekeeper shall ensure that a convenient source of water is available to the colony so long as colonies remain active outside of the hive.
(d) Two hives, with only one colony in each hive, are allowed on lots of 5,000 square feet or larger. One additional hive is permitted on each additional 5,000 square feet.
(e) Hives shall only be located in the rear or side yard.
(f) Hives that are located within 20 feet of a property line shall be screened by a flyway barrier consisting of a six foot solid fence, wall, dense vegetation, or other barrier or a combination thereof. The screen shall extend at least 20 feet in both directions from the point on the property line or lines where the hive is the closest to the property line. Vegetative screening shall be planted and maintained so as to form a continuous, unbroken, solid screen prior to the establishment of the hive(s).
(g) Wild occurring bees, such as those residing in hollow trees whose honey is not harvested, are not subject to the rules and standards of practice listed above.
(Ord. 532)
A designated City official shall have the right to inspect any apiary or hive for the purpose of ensuring compliance with this article between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. once annually upon prior notice to the owner of the apiary property, and more often upon complaint without prior notice.
(a) Compliance with this article shall not be a defense to a proceeding alleging that a given colony constitutes a nuisance, but such compliance may be offered as evidence of the beekeeper's efforts to abate any proven nuisance.
(Ord. 532)
For the purpose of annual inspection by a designated city official, beekeepers shall register their hives, apiaries and beekeeping operations with the Alma City Clerk and provide the following information:
(a) Beekeeper name;
(b) Address where bee operation will be located; and
(c) Brief description of bee operation and property area.
(Ord. 532)
Any person convicted of a violation of Sections 2-603, 2-604 or 2-605 of this Code shall be punished by a fine of $50 upon a first offense for violation of said section, a fine of $100 upon a second offense for violation of the same section, and increasing fines in $100 increments for subsequent offenses of the same section up to a maximum fine of $500.
(Ord. 532)
Any person wishing to keep beehives within the city limits shall file an application to do so with the Public Officer. Such application will then be reviewed by the Public Officer who will either grant or deny the permit. The cost of such permit shall be $15. A permit shall allow the owner thereof to own no more than two beehives. Permits are non-transferable and shall not run with the land. Permits will be granted only for property whose primary use is for a single-family dwelling or a two-family dwelling. (Amended 5/2/2023)
(Ord. 532)