Domestic honey bees pollinate our fruit trees and vegetables and are an important and permanent part of our local ecosystem. They also produce local honey that contains the pollen of local flowers and is sought out by local residents and restaurants.

Recognizing the existence of bees and the necessity of trained beekeepers to provide safe homes for bees, cities around the United States have legalized beekeeping, including Long Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates, Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, the city of Orange and most recently New York City and Santa Monica.

Finally, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have publicly affirmed the importance of bees to home gardens by placing two bee hives conspicuously in the middle of their garden in South Lawn of the White House.