Family wins backyard battle to get bees to buzz off
A BACKYARD beehive operation that sparked a stoush between neighbours in Sydney’s southwest has now been removed by bio-security officers from the State Government.
NSW
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A BACKYARD beehive operation that sparked a stoush between neighbours in Sydney’s southwest has now been removed by bio-security officers from the State Government.
Beekeeping is becoming popular in urban areas, with proponents citing sustainability and the taste of fresh honey.
But the Lillis family of Carramar said their complaints of bees invading their garden had become a bureaucratic nightmare with no one taking responsibility for regulating the potentially deadly insects.
It wasn’t until the family obtained a medical letter from a specialist, explaining their autistic son Robert, 11, was too afraid to go into the backyard and use the trampoline, that a government agency acted.
Mother-of-four Julie Lillis said the family had become prisoners in their own home and she and her husband Mark had been stung.
“Hot windy days are the worst, and if the kids go outside with a lemonade or iceblock the bees make a beeline for them,” Mrs Lillis said.
“It’s been weeks of hell and now it’s even worse with the school holidays and Robert can’t go outside in what should be our sanctuary.”
Mr Lillis said the dispute started a few months ago when his family noticed an extraordinary number of bees coming across to their home.
“Then we got a visit from the neighbours late at night, complaining that our electric bug zapper was zapping their bees,” Mr Lillis said.
“That was the first we’d heard from them.”
When approached by The Sunday Telegraph, the beekeeping neighbours did not wish to comment.
A spokesman for the Department of Primary Industries said bio-security inspectors investigated the issue and after obtaining medical evidence, decided to “enact emergency powers to remove the hives” last week.
A Fairfield Council spokeswoman said, under the law, anyone keeping bees in NSW must be registered as a beekeeper.
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