To be or not to be a beekeeper? That used to be the question.
Now the question is whether Front Range residents will be allowed to be beekeepers.
In mid-June, neighborhood inspectors cited a Denver woman in the Highland neighborhood who had three hives to help pollinate her hundreds of rose bushes. Unless she complies with their order and removes her bees, she faces up to $999 in fines and as long as a year in jail.
Backyard beekeepers may think it’s none of the local government’s beeswax, but such ordinances are an attempt to protect against bees, or, more precisely, bee stings.
Yet Boulder entomologist and apiarist Kristina Williams claims that bees aren’t usually the culprits: “Most stings are wasp stings, and yellowjackets are usually responsible for most anaphylactic shock,” Williams said. “Usually, the worst thing about a bee sting is the surprise.”
Here’s another surprise: Eldorado Springs beekeeper and computer animator Corwin Bell welcomes bee stings for their therapeutic value. The treatment is widely used in Europe and South America for auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis.
The designer of the popular biofeedback program, “The Journey to the Wild Divine,” Bell claims the stings help prevent the carpal tunnel syndrome often associated with people in his line of computer work.
Still, a very small percentage of people have allergic reactions to bee stings, so both Bell and Williams suggest a simple medical test.
But Dr. Gregory Papadeas, past president of the Colorado Dermatologic Society, said it’s probably an unnecessary precaution. He noted that 99 percent of the time, a bee sting results only in local pain, redness and swelling that can be remedied with a home treatment consisting of a cold compress and a standard dose of Benadryl.
“I don’t recommend testing,” Papadeas said. “If you keep bees, you know you’re at risk, so take proper precautions. Like any other animal or insect, if you irritate them, they’ll irritate you. But bees are not particularly aggressive if you don’t irritate their hive or swat at them.”
As a safeguard against severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, the susceptible should keep an EpiPen on hand. These injectors require a physician’s prescription but are available at a pharmacy.
And, as is true with any out-of-the ordinary backyard venture, it’s best to check your local zoning ordinances to make sure it is legal to set up a hive before you invest. Colleen Smith
