Fuller may also work with county officials on an ordinance change to allow bees to be kept in residential zones.

“This is my right as a landowner ... for propagating my organic garden, and I feel I have the right to produce food for myself and my family,” said Fuller, 58, a retired nurse.

Honey bee stings rare

Fuller’s bees live in two hives, which are stacked up like boxes behind her home, in the 2100 block of Lakeshore Drive.

Fuller and her husband, Ken, said they and their two dogs have never been stung. The non-aggressive bees may bump into them on their way to and from the hives, but they are mostly focused on collecting pollen, she said. They fly as many as 10 miles away from Fuller’s home if they find a good source.

“They’re extremely Zen to be around, and you develop a relationship with them,” Fuller said. “You truly do.”

She said honey bees are often confused with hornets and wasps, which are more aggressive and sting much more often.

“There’s a lot of paranoid people, and it’s a lack of education,” Fuller said.