Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of safety protocols for beekeeping activity near (a) residential areas and (b) public rights of way.

Defra advises beekeepers that apiaries should be sited away from neighbours, footpaths or public areas to minimise the risk of members of the public being stung. It is possible for experienced beekeepers to safely manage bees in a garden area, although usual practice is to site them well away from neighbours and fence colonies in with a hedge or panelled fencing - this encourages bees to fly higher, above the heads of anyone nearby.