Forced to get rid of his bee stings, the city is considered an animal farm

By enforcing a by-law banning animal husbandry, the municipality of Saint-Brigitte-de-Laval is forcing a citizen to urgently get rid of its beehives, while the city encourages them to protect themselves with the Dandelion Challenge.

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Jean-Rafael Fournier-Simono bought his first hive last year. He was severely damaged by the evil that destroys the bees and had to buy new hive for this season.

In mid-May, he received only 10 days’ notice from the municipality to get rid of his hive.

Contradiction

“On the occasion of World Bee Day on May 20, the municipality wrote on its website that it is important to increase the number of dandelions. But that is not to say that we are not allowed to have bees. This is completely nonsense, “said Mr. Fornier-Simono.

“In Limoilou, you may have bees on the roof. There are chickens everywhere. It does not bother anyone, I have too much, I do not see my neighbors,” adds the man, who respects regional regulations.

The amateur beekeeper found a friend in Mont‌magni to take care of his bees so he could avoid killing them.

He wore it in his protective gear and transported them with the hive in his car trunk.

“It is even more heartbreaking because it is incomparable honey. In the middle of the mountains, bees gather wild flowers. The product is of lesser importance, but is unique in terms of super floral taste. It’s been a long time coming. “

Want to adapt to the municipality

The 33-year-old realized that the municipality was aware of the problem after reactions arose through his message on Facebook. It was suggested that this issue should be resolved expeditiously.

Explained to the municipality Log MRC de la Jacques-Cartier’s development plan considers beekeeping to be agricultural with a breeding ground that is prohibited in the territory.

But the municipality has been holding a public consultation on the first amendment of the planning rules for more than 10 years.

“This regulation must be subject to change to better adapt to today’s realities surrounding the passion for bee conservation and urban hives,” explained Michael Boutin, director of ‘Territory Development’.

Jean-Rafael Fournier-Simono is desperately hoping to adopt the new rules.

“Losing a season is heartbreaking, but at least next year, the beekeeper in Saint-Brigitte will not get in the way,” he concluded.

Much more than honey producers

Municipalities with regulations such as Apiculteurs et Apicultrices du Québec (AADQ), Raphaël Vacher, Saint-Brigitte-de-Laval are believed to be rare, but he receives regular calls from citizens who are frustrated with not being able to have the rash. .

Are many municipalities closed to bees?

They are very rare, but it bothers me. I can understand that we should not lose control, but we should also accommodate the people. There is nothing more simple than wanting to make 60-70 pounds of honey in the back of your house. People started with a hive and now there are 200 and jobs have changed. I started with one in 2005 and now have 2000!

How important are bees?

Bees are not only pollinated, but they can only move. They can affect up to several kilometers, but native bees often have a localized effect of more than 200 meters and are not suitable for large production. 35-40% of our diet depends on pollination and bees are the main pollinator.

Winter deaths should be less than 15%, up from 21% in the last 5 years and 60% this year. Why?

The Varrova parasite has been in Quebec for 30 years, but last year it had a deadly development in the heat and early spring. Unlike other years, deaths affect professionals more than amateurs. Larger farms, even without manpower, may have used the same recipe as usual against Varrova, the latter being more aggressive. Pesticides are also estimated to cause 10% of losses during sowing in May.

Is it a good idea to keep bees in the back of your house?

I welcome the presence of small producers. But those who do not know how to take care of their hive will spread varrova. It is not because you have hives to protect the bees. You should start with a course and find someone with experience to support you.

Bee production in Quebec by 2021

• 1700 Producers, 90% For pleasure
• 1200 Have amateur producers 10 Hives or less
• 65,000 Hives are counted from 15,000 At 80,000 The bees are one by one
• Between 1 and 5 billion bees Depending on the season

Source: Quebec Beekeepers (AADQ)