LONGMEADOW  – James Mack is emphatic when he said his question that will be facing Town Meeting voters about bees doesn’t mean he is against beekeeping. What motivated him to put forward the question requiring hives in only agricultural zones in town is the lack of regulation about urban faming.

“I understand how important bees are,” he said.

The question also addresses Longmeadow residents keeping turkeys, chickens, roosters, ducks, geese, goats, sheep and pigs on their properties in non-agricultural areas.

He believes the town has been at fault for not being proactive about the rise of urban farming.

He did readily admit the inclusion of bees was due to the hives his next-door neighbor Ronald Manseau keeps on the flat roof of his home at 66 Barrington Road.

Mack, whose wife and children are allergic to bees, said his neighbor is keeping 15 beehives within a few feet of his front door.

Manseau told this reporter he has three hives.

Mack has gone outside to find bees on his home, windows and car. His family members carry an Epi-pen in case they are stung.

He asserted people in the area have been stung.

“If it’s over 45 degrees there are thousands of bees looking for food,” he told Reminder Publications.

Across the street a neighbor with an in-ground pool sees many bees that gather there for water.

Mack has gone to the building commissioner for advice as well as the Board of Health. He noted he has had contractors turn down jobs at his home because of the bees and friends have decided not to attend social events because of them as well.

“My lifestyle has been impacted,” he said.

Mack sees himself as the “little guy” in this issue and added “I don’t have a lot of allies and support.”

He said that beekeeper Gerard Nolet who has a question at the Town Meeting that would make Longmeadow a “pollination friendly” community is a former selectman and Manseau sits on the Community Preservation Committee and the Housing Authority.