WESTFIELD – The Westfield City Council Law and Ordinance subcommittee is looking into creating a beekeeping ordinance after receiving a complaint from a resident before its July 2 regular meeting.

Councilor Bill Onyski, the head of the subcommittee and the member who brought the resolution to the meeting, said the idea for an ordinance came after a resident complained about their neighbor’s beekeeping habits.

“It came out of a complaint from a resident who is having a neighbor’s bees coming onto the property en masse and causing problems,” he said.

To pass the ordinance, Onyski said he is working with the Law Department and Health Department to figure out the best way to implement restrictions on beehives.

He added that this type of ordinance usually comes after someone is being irresponsible.

Onyski said, “This stuff always happens when there is one person who is being less than responsible. It’s usually based on somebody doing something you would never think they would do and causing neighbors problems.”

In order to research this issue, he said the city is looking at state regulations along with talking to the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association, but currently the state’s regulations only apply to the agricultural side of beekeeping.

“The state ordinances really deal with the agricultural aspect of it than anything. There is a Mass. Beekeeper Association which has some best management practices and that’s what the city is looking at,” Onyski said.

He added that they are also looking at Longmeadow’s beekeeping ordinance as well.

At this point Onyski said the policy could either become an ordinance or a Health Department regulation. “We’re looking at both ways to see which would be more applicable at his point.”

While it is still early in the process Onyski said there are some guidelines the ordinance would most likely include. “It would probably limit the number of beehives based on either area or size of lot. It would also potentially give a distance away the hive would need to be from property line,” he said.

Onyski wanted to make sure residents know that the city will not be banning beehives. “We just want to make it right for the beekeepers, they’re certainly important,” he said, “There’s no plans to ban beehives at all, we’re just trying to ensure that the beehive owners are responsible and courteous to their neighbors.”