LOS ANGELES—On Wednesday, September 2, the Los Angeles City Council discussed a draft of the ordinance of backyard beekeeping. It was requested that a final ordinance be completed that would outline the proposal for backyard keeping in Los Angeles, which will then go in front of the City Council once it is complete.

The ordinance will include instructions about where hives can be located on the property. A rule will be included that will require beekeepers to raise walls or hedges that will be high enough to keep the bees with their own designated area. It also mandates that a water source will need to be kept near the bees. A final key mandate is that beekeepers must place one hive per 2,500 square feet and be strictly confined to the backyards of single-family homes.

One benefi of backyard beekeeping is that it helps the agriculture industry. It can also prevent the rapid decline of the bee population.

A detriment to backyard beekeeping was voiced by the Los Angeles City Council, who explained that there is a risk of danger that comes with allowing bees to live so close to residential areas. If any bees were to escape the areas that have been designated to them, it could pose a big problem.

It has been suggested that amateurs who want to try a hand at beekeeping should conduct extensive research before pursuing backyard beekeeping.

If approved, Los Angeles would join Santa Monica, who legalized backyard beekeeping four years ago.