New Carlisle opens the door to back yard beekeeping

NEW CARLISLE, Ind. -- Ray Hinz, a local resident found a letter on his door one day from the town saying he can't keep bees in his backyard due to them being classified as a domestic animal like a horse or donkey, which in New Carlisle you need at least two acres to have.

He then knew he needed to make a change and managed to get an ordinance passed to be able to keep bees at home. Now he is getting the community involved creating swarm boxes to put throughout the community.

Honeybee populations are declining due to many factors including pests, poor nutrition and more. His efforts to keep bees in the community are to help combat the shortage for these essential insects.