Bee apiaries may soon be allowed on school campuses in Sioux Falls

Schools in Sioux Falls may soon be host to more than classrooms of students, but also colonies of bees.

The Sioux Falls City Council met Tuesday night to discuss a proposed amendment to an ordinance that permits beekeeping within city limits. That chance would allow middle schools, high schools and colleges to obtain the necessary permit to maintain bee apiaries on campuses.

The possible change, which isn't expected to be finalized until next Tuesday's second reading and vote on the ordinance, comes after Augustana University removed an on-campus apiary when their permit application was denied in May. The ordinance passed it's first reading unanimously 8-0.

A student leading the school's bee project told the Argus Leader they retroactively applied for a permit after the hives were installed in April. It was originally believed a former project lead had convinced the council to grant an exemption in the zoning laws to allow the university to maintain hives on-campus.

But city code only allows certain buildings to keep bees on their property, e proposed changes would open the door for zoning districts subclassified as S-1 (general institutional) or S-2 (institutional campus).

More: Augustana Bee Project's future in doubt after beehives run afoul of Sioux Falls zoning laws

Some minor changes to the original ordinance also include removing the requirement for a flyway barrier — a fence or wall at least 6 feet in height that bees must fly over — if the apiary is more than 25 feet away from the property line on residential dwellings.

For non-residential dwellings, like farmland and certain parks, it also adds a provision for security fences, which must enclose the hive at least 25 feet from the front and 4 feet from the other sides. These hives must also be at least 100 feet away from any other property.

Neither stipulation is required if the hive is located at least 10 feet off the ground.

Council members Greg Neitzert and Sarah Cole sponsored the proposal, but the former presented most of the arguments for the revision: Students would benefit from having close access to bees for use in their studies, and campus greens would get a sustainability boost from having pollinators buzzing from apiary to trees and gardens on the grounds, he said.

Lessons learned

For Janae Becher, taking the podium before city council was a moment months in the making — with just as much anxious waiting. After all, just months ago, she lost her bees when they were moved off campus.

Augustana University had a brush with the law when their on-campus apiary project was shut down. A student told the Argus Leader they did not have the necessary permits and had to move the bees off-campus.

While heartbreaking then, this put Becher on a path to make on-campus apiaries a reality. She told council members having easy access to bees on school grounds would integrate with many aspects of campus life. For her, it would help with research into anti-cancer drugs, and she could also start looking into business opportunities for the honey the hives generate.

"I'm relieved. I'm excited. Everyone up there seemed very excited and interested into the topic," Becher said.

Dave O'Hara, the school's director of sustainability, backed Becher at the council meeting. He said bringing beehives on campus has proven a boon to the research efforts of his biology students, and some of the beekeepers with farming roots felt reconnected to their family history by the apiaries.

"I'm excited by about the whole process, even the mess ups and the mix ups. Obviously, I'm learning," O'Hara said.

He also praised the engagement from Neitzert, who he said "brought a lot of people on board."

"It's cool we're seeing that bees are not just about insets or pretty bugs on flowers. This is a matter of law and culture and ag. The bees kind of create an opportunity for an engaged liberal arts education," O'Hara added.

Dominik Dausch is the agriculture and environment reporter for the Argus Leader and editor of Farm Forum. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook @DomDNP and send news tips to ddausch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Bee apiaries may soon be allowed on school campuses in Sioux Falls