Beekeepers throughout the city may soon be able to crawl out from under their shadowy honey lairs and raise bees legally. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is considering a measure that would “allow residents to keep hives of Apis mellifera, the common, nonaggressive honeybee,” reports the New York Times. Officials say the change of heart stems from studies that show a low incidence of bee stings and no real danger to the public.

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