Letters: A place for bees, and for people
Re “To bee, or not to bee?,” Feb. 13
Like one of the bee-keepers in your article, I live in Mt. Washington. Several years ago, my former neighbor kept bees. I am allergic to bee stings and had told him so as soon as I saw the hive box in his yard.
One day, as I was coming home from work, I got out of my car and threw some trash away. My trash cans are right across from my neighbor’s garage, where he was trying to extract the honey, unbeknown to me.
The bees attacked me as soon as I reached my trash cans. They became entangled in my hair and stung me several times on my scalp and my neck. Fortunately, my husband was home and was able to pluck the bees out of my hair. All my neighbor and his friend could do was to stand there in shock.
I have a yard growing with fruits and vegetables, so I need the bees to pollinate my plants. But I don’t need inexperienced beekeeping neighbors.
Kai-Ti Wang
Los Angeles
This urban beekeeping trend may have tragic results.
Who can guarantee that a backyard apiary won’t make contact with an allergic child living next door? Will hobbyist beekeepers be required to carry liability insurance?
Common sense suggests limiting beekeeping to agricultural and rural areas.
Sandy Hack
Valencia
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