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One controversy really has Cambridge buzzing
By adamg on Fri, 11/21/2014 - 8:31am
Cambridge Day reports on a honey of a battle between a temple that has bee hives and neighbors who swarmed city officials with complaints. The temple's rabbi said she was stung by criticism over the bees, which one irate resident compared to "livestock." Naturally, in a city that once set up a Peace Commission, the chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals urged the two sides to try to hug it out before getting his board involved.
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Comments
I'm with the
bees. Sting a Cantbrigian and save a flower.
I don't think honey is the answer.
"But neighbors reported swarms of bees and more than occasional stings and weak responses from the synagogue, such as being told they could use an EpiPen kept inside."
Assuming that this is true, I think the synagogue bee keepers need to get their heads out of their hives and warp back into reality. If your neighbors are being adversely affected by the little critters (and I love bees, I really do!), then the onus is on the synagogue to come up with a remedy. Telling them to keep EpiPen close at hand, is insensitive to what appear to be very real concerns of the neighbors.
Faux hysteria. Honeybees die
Faux hysteria. Honeybees die after stinging and are very reluctant to do it—it is really only a last resort after being agitated.
So, perhaps some education is in order.
So, the honey bee dies after stinging...
And, if you are allergic to bees and you are stung, you can die. There is nothing faux or hysterical about that.
Not sure who has to be educated here when folks are being allegedly stung - your logic is a bit off the beaten hive.
Bees are everywhere
Moreover, they are becoming more and more endangered.
Just where do these people think their food comes from?
Hives or no hives, bee allergies are a risk anywhere outside. I had one run smack into my upper lip while I was biking at about 15-20mph! People who are allergic to them need to carry epi pens - there isn't any real way to manage that risk otherwise.
Just where do these people
Certainly not from Cambridge, honey.
Keyword: "allegedly"
Anon is pointing out that honeybees don't actually sting you unless they feel directly threatened, or you're threatening their hive. Yellow jackets and wasps are the things you need to worry about--those little bastards are aggressive and territorial, and the venom from their sting causes allergic reactions in larger numbers of people. Even if there are honeybee hives kept nearby, your chances of being stung by a honeybee are actually pretty low, unless you're directly messing with them. And Swirly is totally right--if you have a bee-sting allergy, and you're going to step outside your house, it is 100% incumbent on you to carry an Epi pen.
nut'n'honey
I once was in a room where the pros were removing a honeybee hive from the wall cavity. I walked around, no protective clothing, the non-aggressive bees swarming all around me, no one got stung. And as a bonus we got to eat honey fresh from the comb.
Another story
There was an article in the Globe yesterday. People still read that, right?
Too soon?
Too soon?
Its never
too soon. Free the bees!
">http://www.maxistentialism
ahhhhhhhhhh!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4MqTCIDKhU
Are bees to be regulated as livestock?
Under city code, bees count as livestock, rather than pets, and are regulated as such.
This is sort of like the conflicts over backyard pet chickens... and is probably best handled by mediation rather than a planning or zoning board.
Actually, is this protected?
Actually, is this protected? Honey is used for Rosh Hashanah and is harvested just about that time as well. So could they a variance based on Religion?
Maybe the should take a class
Maybe the should take a class here:
http://www.goddesstempleashland.com/#!school-of-sacred-beekeeping/caqg
Bee-sheert!
.
Scarier than a bee sting:
Scarier than a bee sting:
"Ranjit Singanayagam, the commissioner of inspectional services, said the decision is simple: bees are not a listed use in the zoning ordinance, and are therefore prohibited."
So nothing is allowed in Cambridge unless the city government says so.
Way to stifle innovation and individualism.