To Bee or Not to Bee? City Tells Port Family to Stop Beekeeping

City of Port Washington officials have asked a family to remove from their property.

The city sent Bethel and Mike Metz a letter stating that beekeeping on their property violates several city ordinances. City Attorney Eric Eberhardt explained in the letter that because the zoning code does not explicitly say beekeeping is permitted, it is not allowed.

“The general rule with respect to zoning ordinances is that because an ordinance explicitly enumerates uses permitted within each zoning district, all other uses are necessarily prohibited,” Eberhardt wrote.

The couple was told to stop using their property for beekeeping by Oct. 24. If the bees are not removed by then, the city will "pursue legal action" against them.

The couple brought about 25,000 honey bees to their home in the 100 block of East Van Buren Street in July after taking beekeeping classes at the Urban Ecology Center in Riverside Park earlier this year.

At the height of the summer, they had nearly 100,000 bees living in their hive. The population has now dropped down to about 75,000 as the bees prepare for winter.

Bethel said she received permission to raise the bees from City Administrator Mark Grams before she and her husband took the classes. According to the letter sent to the Metzs, Grams denies giving permission to the Metzes to raise the bees. Eberhardt states in the letter that Grams could not have granted permission because doing so against the zoning code is illegal in Wisconsin courts.

The letter cites other codes that beekeeping within the city violates, including: having bees is an agricultural use of their property, which is unlawful under the zoning code; continuing to raise the bees and violate the zoning code is also considered a nuisance.

Another issue addressed in the letter is the bees’ proximity to a nearby school. The Metzes' home is across the street from the , . Eberhardt said having the hive so close to students is a possible safety and health issue.

"That school is attended by 156 pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade students who play outside several times daily," Eberhardt wrote. "In view of the students’ presence and activities and the bee population and proximity of the hive, the use of your property for beekeeping presents a public nuisance endangering health and safety."

The Metzes have a 7-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, and having the bees has allowed the .

The Metzes plan to go before the Common Council on Tuesday to make their case about why the bees should be allowed to remain on their property.