Howell Is Bee Friendly, But OKs Some Safe Distance Rules

HOWELL, NJ — The Township Committee recently fine-tuned some rules for beekeeping in the township in an updated ordinance.

Howell, by ordinance a Right to Farm community, is a large township with an historic connection to agriculture and farming, and apiaries - or beehives - have a crucial role in both those activities.

But Howell is also a suburban bedroom community and beekeeping does come with some boundary issues.

But an updated ordinance hopes to keep the bees, their keepers and their neighbors content with the practice.

"I don’t think it’s too extensive a hobby in the township right now," said Township Manager Joseph Clark, "but it is one that has a high potential for conflict among neighbors without proper regulation."

So the township decided to address minimum lot size right now, "so that it is not an issue later on down the line," he added.

According to the ordinance adopted June 13, it adds apiaries and beekeeping activities as a permitted accessory use in certain Agricultural Rural Estate zones but with new setback guidelines.

The ordinance as adopted calls for a 300-foot setback to neighboring structures, excluding the structure in which the apiary is located. It also allows a 100-foot setback if a 6-foot tall fence is erected between the apiary and neighboring structure.

The ordinance notes that the Mayor and Township Council "acknowledge and support apiary activities and beekeeping, but also recognize that due to the nature of this activity certain considerations have to be made in the interest of public health and safety for the residents."

And Clark said that as part of a broader initiative, the township is working to restore bee habitats and will be seeding certain township-owned parcels as pollinator zones.

Bees lie at the heart of human survival, according to the Bee Conservancy nonprofit organization.

"They pollinate 1 in 3 bites of food we eat and are essential to the health and prosperity of countless ecosystems," it note on its website.

But according to the Center for Biological Diversity, more than half of North America’s 4,000 native bee species are in decline, with 1 in 4 species at risk of extinction.

The Central Jersey Beekeepers Association is a local resource for information about beekeeping and encouraging bees in your garden in Monmouth County.

And you can gain more insight from them at their display at the upcoming Monmouth County Fair starting July 26, according to the association calendar.