Backyard Honeybees

Relevant bylaws can be searched using the CRD's Bylaw Directory.

If you do not know the zoning or Bylaw for your property, you can also research this via the Property Search function or by contacting planning department staff at the CRD by phone or by emailing your request for information to them at zoning@cariboord.ca. 

The number of colonies you are permitted to have in an apiary on your property depends upon the size of the property.

• Less than 0.1 hectare (0.25 acre) - Maximum of two colonies and two nucleus colonies
• Between 0.1 hectare and 0.2 hectare (0.49 acre) - Between 0.1 hectare and 0.2 hectare (0.49 acre)
• Greater than 0.2 hectare (0.49 acre) and less than or equal to 0.4 hectare (0.99 acre) - Maximum of six colonies and six nucleus colonies
• Each additional 0.4 hectare (0.99 acre) for properties over 0.4 hectare in size - Six additional colonies and six additional nucleus colonies 

Figure 1 Sample Standard Property Line Setbacks for Honeybee Hives

Bees must not be located within 4.5 metres (14.8 feet) of property lines fronting a highway or road, and, to prevent potential human-wildlife conflicts, hives must be located so that they can be seen from a safe distance in any direction from which a reasonable person may approach.

Figure 2 Sample Road or Hedge Setbacks for Honeybee Hives

Every person who owns or keeps bees or on whose property bees are kept in the CRD is required to adhere to good management practices by providing unlimited access to water for your bees so they will not venture into neighbouring properties searching for water.

Beekeepers (apiarists) are required to maintain the bees in such a condition as to prevent aggressive bee behaviour and undue swarming.

Another requirement of a backyard beekeeper is that they must deter other animals and protect the hives from disturbance, using a suitable means of prevention, such as fencing or hedging.

You are not required to fence your hives under CRD bylaws unless you wish to locate them closer than 7.6 metres from a property line adjacent to a neighbouring property. We do, however, recommend that you thoroughly investigate methods of preventing predators such as bears from accessing your hives.

No matter how small your apiary is, whether one hive or twenty, you are required to register all your beehives and nucleus colonies with the provincial apiculture registration system coordinated by the BC Ministry of Agriculture Apiculture Program, under the authority of the Provincial Bee Act, [RSBC] 1996.

This act requires anyone in BC who operates a honey bee colony to be registered with this provincial ministry. The location of the apiary must also be registered. If a person refuses to register their hives or apiary, BCMAL Apicultural Staff have the authority to destroy or dispose of the honey bees or beehive equipment. The Provincial Bee Act also enables BCMAL to respond to complaints, conduct inspections and to control diseases that affect bees. To register an apiary online, please go to the following website: https://forms.gov.bc.ca/industry/beekeeper-apiary-registration.

Knowing the location of all Bee Yards and Organic Farms helps us carry out our Invasive Plant Management program effectively. The CRD begins treating known sites of invasive plants on private and public lands every spring. Treatment will begin in late April.

If you are a Bee Keeper or an Organic Grower, please advise the CRD between February 1 and March 1 of each year of the following information:

• your business/contact name and contact information;
• legal description of the property or site;
• description and map of property location; and
• any additional information.

Please note: Information must be submitted every year.

Subscribe to Backyard Bees and Organic Growers page to receive annual reminder regarding deadlines and treatment dates. This page will also provide you the link to the form required to be filled out during the month of February each year.

Helpful Hints and Some Interesting Honey Bee Facts

• Providing plenty of water for your bees is especially important during the spring and on hot summer days. If you are going to place a large pot of water out for your hives, consider floating a piece of wood in it or planting a small water garden in the pot or barrel so the bees will have something to settle on when they come in to drink.
• Many apiaries successfully use electric fencing to protect their hives from animal scavengers, but if your hives are elevated above their reach, this may not be necessary. There are many resources available to inform your process of setting up your hives. Local apiarists, in particular the local beekeeping association, are a valuable resource for insight.
• Honey bees are social insects with a marked division of labor between the various castes of bees in a colony. These castes include a queen (hives will only ever have one queen at a time), drones and workers.
• Honey bees can communicate details about the location, quality and quantity of food sources with the rest of their hive. This allows honeybees to access and use food sources efficiently at great distances. No other bee species communicates this way with the rest of its colony.
• Honey bees are vegetarians. They gather nectar to produce honey and pollen for raising their brood. Honeybees also collect water to control the temperature of the hive. While they are gathering nectar from plants, pollen grains are also transported on their bodies, leading to plant pollination.
• Honey bees are extremely important pollinators to BC’s agriculture. They play a critical role in the production of many crops, representing a value of more than $14 billion per year in North America. Honey bee pollination services are often 60 to 100 times more valuable than the market value of the honey.
• Swarming is not an aggressive behaviour, but rather a sign that the hive is crowded. Swarms of bees are usually gentle because prior to swarming, they gorge themselves on honey. If you see a swarm, you can contact a local apiarist to collect it. In your own apiary, you may find it useful to locate an empty nucleus colony box with a frame of comb inside somewhere in your yard in a sheltered, elevated, shady location away from your hives. If available, sometimes a swarm from a hive will move into a nearby nucleus box.
• Honey bees only sting when they or their hive are threatened. Wasps on the other hand, are carnivorous scavengers and may sting as they hunt for food. While wasps and hornets are attracted to any area where food remnants can be found during the summer season, honey bees generally do not visit picnics, barbeques or garbage cans in search of food.

Fences are very useful for a beekeeper because not only do they keep animals from accessing the hives as easily, fences also keep bee hives out of sight of other neighbourhood residents. People may become nervous when they know a beehive is nearby, but if they cannot see the hives, there will likely be less concern. Growing some flowers in your own yard that bees find irresistible will give them a food source close to home, ensuring your colonies are healthy, and happy.

Some beekeepers believe that bees more accustomed to having movement near their hives tend to be less defensive. They recommend locating shrubs, trees, flags or other objects that move with a light wind near the hive. Healthy bees that have good access to nectar and water should not be aggressive.

Inclusion on this list does not in any way constitute an endorsement of these organizations or products by the CRD. They are collected here only for the convenience of property owners who are considering becoming backyard beekeepers.

Central Cariboo Beekeepers Association (CCBA):
John Hoyrup President, CCBA
Tel: 250-296-3588 (150 Mile) hillltop4@telus.net 

Quesnel Beekeepers Association
Lorne Smith, President
Tel: 250-747-2294

Beginner course trainers:

Diane Dunaway, Dunaway Ranch Bee Happy Honey

5914 Soda Creek Macalister Road
Williams Lake, BC, V2G 5A5 Tel: 250-297-6399
beehappyhoney@dunawayranch.com 

Provincial Apiculturist
Paul van Westendorp Paul.vanWestendorp@gov.bc.ca 

Books and Websites

• About.com Gardening. (2014). Plant Lists for Attracting More Bees to Your Garden. Retrieved from About.com : http://gardening.about.com/od/attractingwildlife/a/Bee_Plants_2.htm 
• Apiaries and Bees for Communities. (2014). Retrieved from Backyard Bees: http://backyardbees.ca 
• BC Honey Producers Association. (2014). Retrieved from BC Beekeepers: http://www.bcbeekeepers.com/ 
• Bonney, R. E. (1991). Hive Management: A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers. Storey Publishing.
• Bush, M. (2011). The Practical Beekeeper: Beekeeping Naturally. X-Star Publishing Company.
• Central Cariboo Beekeepers Association. (n.d.). Central Cariboo Beekeepers Association Facebook Page. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CentralCaribooBeekeepersAssociation 
• Flottum, K. (2010). The Backyard Beekeeper - Revised and Updated: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden. Quarry Books.
• Keepingbee.org. (2014). Best Plants for Bees. Retrieved from Beekeeping: http://keepingbee.org/best-plants-for-bees-what-to-plant-for-honey-bees/ 
• Ministry of Agriculture. (2014). Apiculture - Bees and Pollinators. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/animals-and-crops/animal-production/bees 
• Morrison, A. (2013). Homegrown Honey Bees: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping Your First Year. Storey Publishing.
• Nabhan, R. C. (2007). Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture . Chelsea Green Publishing.
• Outdoor Place.org. (2014). John's Beekeeping Notebook. Retrieved from Outdoor Place: http://outdoorplace.org/beekeeping/citybees.htm 
• Pisano, T. (2013). Build Your Own Beekeeping Equipment. Storey Publishing.
• Sanford, R. E. (2010). Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees: Honey Production, Pollination, Bee Health. Storey Publishing.