Filed under: Baltimore Agriculture, Baltimore Beekeeping | Tags: Baltimore Beekeeping, Baltimore Honey CSA, City Beekeeper, Maryland State Beekeepers Association, Urban Apiaries
Be A Baltimore Beekeeper
Over the past several months search terms relating to “Baltimore Beekeeping” have brought many visitors to the Baltidome Blog. Unfortunately, most inquiries led info seekers to posts on beekeeping events in Baltimore that had since past. Well, no longer… what follows is some information to help aspiring Baltimore City beekeepers.
According to an interview with Maryland state apiarist, Jerry Fischer, the Baltimore Citypaper reported in 2008 that Baltimore has 32 recorded beekeepers in the city. Below are the rules for beekeeping from the Baltimore City Health Department site:
BEES: ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS FOR KEEPING
Authority: Baltimore City Health Code, Title 2, § 2-106; Title 10, Subtitles 1 and 3.
Beekeeping is permitted in the City only if:
1. the activity is registered with the Maryland Department of Agriculture;
2. no more than 1 hive, containing no more than 1 swarm, is kept for each 2,500 square feet of lot area;
3. hives and swarms are kept so that:
a. they are inaccessible to the general public; and
b. bee movement to and from the hive does not unreasonably interfere with the
proper enjoyment of the property of others, with the comfort of the public, or with
the use of any public right-of-way; and
4. proof of Maryland Department of Agriculture registration is readily available for
inspection by the Bureau of Animal Control on request.
APPLICATION FOR THE REGISTRATION OF HONEY BEE COLONIES:
According to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Law requires everyone who keeps bees to register their colonies within 30 days of first obtaining a honey bee colony and then annually thereafter. For a registration application, CLICK HERE.
NETWORKING:
To meet and get involved with fellow beekeepers, become a member of the Maryland State Beekeepers Association. The association’s local officer for Baltimore City is MSBA Vice President Bob Crouse (rlcrouse@qis.net). According to their site, “the MSBA Vice President will be the most knowledgeable person about beekeeping and beekeepers in your area”.
BEE SUPPLIES IN BALTIMORE:
Miller Bee Supply
12920 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21220
Phone: (410) 335-3424
E-mail: beeveil@hotmail.com
EDUCATION:
Baltimore Parks and People conducts regular workshops on beekeeping in Baltimore. For information on upcoming classes, contact Sarah Krones at 410-448-5663, ext. 114 or sarah.krones@parksandpeople.org.
HONEY CSA:
Baltimore has a one of a kind CSA through Baltimore Honey Beehive where member pay $45 and are gaurunteed at least 1 pound of B’more HON Et brand micro-local natural/organic raw honey. To learn more, CLICK HERE.
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Great article. The beekeeping laws in Baltimore are pretty strict, but at least beekeeping is not against the law, like it is in many other US cities. Given the threat to the honey bee population, the authorities should be doing all the can to encourage beekeeping, rather than putting obstacles in the way.
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