Residents urge ordinance after reported bee swarm attacks; village to investigate

A long-time Arlington Heights resident asked trustees Monday for an emergency village ordinance to regulate backyard beekeeping after multiple swarm incidents that the resident said injured family members.

Kristina Maltese, speaking on behalf of her mother Kathleen Fonti, said a neighbor maintains four active beehives adjacent to the Fonti property and that those bees have “stung, swarmed, and attacked each member of our household and multiple guests.” Maltese said her disabled brother was attacked in April 2024 and her mother was swarmed and stung on July 10; she said medical treatment followed. “We are asking that the Village urgently provide an ordinance to allow us to simply sit in our backyard…without honeybee attacks,” Maltese said.

Maltease said she had reported the incidents to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which inspected the hives on July 17 and took samples to determine whether they are Africanized bees. She also said village animal warden Monica Ranga responded as a first responder and opened a case; Maltese provided photos and documentation to the village.

Maltease said she contacted eight neighboring municipalities and found a range of approaches: Itasca, Prospect Heights, Mount Prospect and Des Plaines prohibit backyard hives in some form, while the Rolling Green Golf & Country Club maintains 10 hives on a 71‑acre site. Village Manager Randy Reklaas asked Maltese to provide written documentation and said staff will investigate ordinances in other suburbs and return with information to the trustees. No ordinance was introduced at the meeting.