FAQs (Co-Op and Otherwise!)

Can I keep bees in my backyard?

The Ontario Regulations state that:
Honey bee colonies cannot be placed within thirty (30) meters of a property line separating the land on which the hives are placed, or left from land occupied as a dwelling or used for a community center, public park or other place of public assembly or recreation. Hives, with or without bees, cannot be located within ten (10) meters of a highway (Section 19 of the Ontario Beekeeping Act).

Please also refer to the Ontario Beekeepers Association website for an Overview of Beekeeping Regulations in Ontario for more information.

Where can I buy honey, wax and beekeeping equipment?

There is a fairly comprehensive list on the Ontario Beekeepers Association website, here. Please also visit our Resources/Web links section for more websites providing this information.

Can I visit your hives?

We do not usually give tours to the general public. However if you would like to observe a beehive, the Toronto Botanical Gardens have several hives that are easily observable from their library.

Have the Co-op’s hives been affected by Colony Collapse Disorder?

The TBC can proudly say that we have not been materially affected by the world’s most significant current challenge to honeybee populations, that of Colony Collapse Disorder. Urban bees, not yet a part of the global crisis, provide a stable source of bees for the future. Keeping the knowledge of beekeeping alive is important to the future of the human species, for without healthy bees to cross pollinate plants we would have no food.