A Cottonwood woman will be allowed to keep honey bees in her backyard after receiving permission from the Cottonwood City Council last week.
Sharon Bushnell, who lives on South Seventh Place, submitted her request to City Council since the city’s municipal code typically doesn’t allow for people to keep bees.
Bushnell, who has never kept bees before, said she’s still been around them all of her life and has developed ways to keep them under control.
The City Council approved the request in a 6-1 vote in its Aug. 21 meeting after a short discussion of the issue.
Mayor Diane Joens pointed out the city has approved similar requests in the past, including one in 2010 allowing for bees in the Vista Grande subdivision.
Bushnell said that many bees have been “Africanized,” that is, Western honey bees have been crossed with more naturally aggressive African bees, but Bushnell assured City Council that the bees would pose no risk and could be trained.
For the full story, see the Wednesday, Aug. 29, edition of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
