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Monroeville board approves resident’s request to put two beehives on 1359 Abert's Creek Road
Summary
The zoning hearing board granted a special exception to allow an apiary of two hives on an R-2 lot; the applicant said the hives will be elevated, registered with the state and located on a screened portion of his property.
The Monroeville Municipality and Zoning Hearing Board on March 5 approved a special exception allowing an apiary of two beehives at 1359 Abert's Creek Road in the R-2 single-family residential district.
Applicant Steve Farhill testified he planned to place two small hives in a 4,000-square-foot garden area on his roughly eight-acre lot. "I'm not going into this blind," Farhill said, noting he completed a Penn State course and plans to register the hives with the state. He said the chosen location is at least 20 feet from the road, faces south-southeast and is screened by trees and a creek, which he said will limit bee activity toward neighboring properties.
Farhill said the hives will be elevated to reduce pest risk and that the nearby water source is beneficial. He told the board he intended to start with two hives and might split them later but did not expect to exceed four on the property; he also said he would obtain bees next month from a local vendor.
Board members asked about experience and neighbors; Farhill said there was no correspondence against the request and that two other households on his street keep bees. The board moved to approve the special exception, and members approved the request by voice vote.
The approval permits Farhill to install the two hives as described; any required state registration and inspections remain subject to state beekeeping rules.
