Urbandale to teen's bees: Buzz off

Clare Heinrich became fascinated by honeybees after hearing a presentation at the 2015 Iowa State Fair. She earned a scholarship from the Iowa Honey Producers Association to take three months of classes to learn more. “I know they are important pollinators, and they are disappearing,” said Heinrich, who plans to study environmental science in college. “I wanted to know if I could do something.” The Dowling Catholic High School senior got a shipment of honeybees in April and set up a hive on the side of her parents’ home in Urbandale, where she studied the bees’ rituals of service to the colony and honey production. She even won three ribbons at this year’s state fair for her honey and hive frames. But Urbandale officials say bees are considered livestock and thus prohibited to keep on residential property. The Heinrichs must remove the hives by the end of the month or face a fine of $1,000 the first day and $750 for every day thereafter. It’s a confusing problem for cities across Iowa as more Iowans have become interested in keeping bees. In Polk County, there are 57 registered beekeeping sites. Yet city codes vary from city to city, even in neighboring suburbs. In Des Moines and West Des Moines, for example, beekeeping is allowed, but not in Urbandale and Waukee.