It is recognized that honey bees are beneficial to humankind
and to Pennsylvania in particular by providing both home garden and
agricultural pollination services as well as furnishing honey, beeswax,
and other useful products. The purpose of this article is to establish
certain requirements for beekeeping within the City of Monessen.
As used in this article, the following words and terms shall
have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context of their
usage clearly indicates another meaning:
AFRICANIZED HONEY BEE
Hybrids of the African honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata)
with various European honey bees that are aggressive compared to the
European subspecies.
APIARY
Any place where one or more colonies of bees are kept at
a single location.
BEE
Any stage of the honey bee (Apis mellifera).
BEE DISEASE
Disease such as American Foulbrood or other actionable disease
as determined by the Department of Agriculture.
BEEKEEPER
A person who owns or has charge of one or more colonies of
honey bees.
COLONY
An aggregate of honey bees consisting of workers, drones
and a queen.
DEPARTMENT
Refers to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau
of Plant Industry.
FLYWAY BARRIER
A wall, fence, vegetation, hedge or combination thereof that
forces bees to fly at a higher elevation above ground level over the
property lines in the vicinity of the apiary.
HIVE
A receptacle or container, that includes modern moveable
frames or combs, in which an active colony inhabits and exceeds a
volume volume of 50 liters (i.e., a single standard Langstroth 9 5/8
inch deep body with 10 frames plus one additional hive body).
HONEY BEE
All life stages of the common domestic honeybee, Apis mellifera
species ("European" honey bee).
NUCLEUS COLONY
A hive that does not exceed the volume of 50 liters (i.e.,
a single ten-frame standard 9 5/8 inch deep body or less).
Honey bee apiaries are permitted when in compliance with the
Pennsylvania Bee Law (3 Pa.C.S.A. § 2101 et seq., as amended)
and subject to the following regulations:
A. No beekeepers may own or maintain an apiary within the City of Monessen
without first registering and maintaining a current permit for all
apiaries with the Department as required by the Pennsylvania Bee Law,
3 Pa.C.S.A. § 2101 et seq., as amended.
B. A beekeeper owning or maintaining an apiary in the City of Monessen
shall promptly notify the Code Enforcement Officer or appropriate
office without unnecessary delay, and in no event longer than 72 hours,
if the Department revokes said apiary registration or if said registration
has lapsed.
C. No beekeeper shall own or maintain an apiary within the City of Monessen
without first obtaining a registration permit from the City of Monessen
Code Enforcement Department. An application for a one-time registration
permit shall be made in writing and upon supplied form or in such
format as established by the City of Monessen. The application shall
be accompanied by a lot plan that includes the size of the lot, the
location and number of hives, the location of the water source, the
distance of the hives from any property lines, and, if required, the
location of any flyway barriers. The issuance of a permit shall not
obviate the necessity for compliance with all other City of Monessen
ordinances.
D. A one-time City of Monessen beekeeping permit fee shall be $25, or
such other fee as may be set by ordinance or resolution of City Council.
Such fee is due at the time of obtaining the permit. A City of Monessen
beekeeping permit shall not be issued unless the beekeeper has obtained
a permit first, from the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant
Industry.
E. The application for a municipal permit shall also be accompanied
by written evidence that the applicant has completed a beekeeping
educational course/program with a minimum of eight hours of instruction
or has a letter of validation from an officer of the PA State Beekeepers
Association, an officer of a local bee club or a certified master
beekeeper.
F. Beekeepers that wish to own or maintain an apiary on property that
they do not own must include written permission from the property
owner or landlord that explicitly indicates that the beekeeper has
permission to own or maintain an apiary on the subject property. Such
written permission shall be supplied to the City as part of the beekeeping
registration application.
If an inspection is required as a result of a nuisance complaint,
the designated municipal code enforcement officer will inspect the
property only and not the beehives. A notice of 48 hours shall be
given to the beekeeper prior to any inspection.
It shall be unlawful for any beekeeper to keep any hive in such
a manner as to cause any unhealthy condition or purposefully interfere
with the normal use of adjoining properties. By way of example and
not limited to, the following activities are herby declared a nuisance
and therefore unlawful:
A. The use of receptacles for honeybees that does not comply with the
Pennsylvania Bee Law, 3 Pa.C.S.A. § 2101 et seq., as amended.
B. Hive placement and related bee movement such that the bees, without
provocation, interfere with the reasonable freedom of movement of
persons in a public right-of-way, or the location of bees have a proven
impact to the general safety, health, and welfare of the general public.