THE VebieNe

November 24, 1985 News 985-213

WEST Vancouver’s battle of the bees has entered its winter cam-

paign.

Ordered by West Van- couver District Council to reduce his swarm of approx- imately 500,000 honeybees and 15 hives to 100,000 honeybees and four hives by November 30, apiarist Remo Gambioli remains adamant that he will reduce his bee family to no less than 200,000 bees and eight hives.

The Wellington Avenue resident was thrust under the glare of media spotlights fol- fowing a July 15 West Van- couver council meeting in which residents of neighbor- ing Rosebery Avenue tore into council members for the lack of district action over what. they said was the destruction of their personal propertics and individual sanities by Gambioli’s mob of bees.

FLIGHT PATH

Clifford Dickinson of 6455 Rosebery and Alex- ander Cameron of 6440 Rosebery told council that their homes were in the direct flight path of the bees and consequently in the fall-out zone of an endless yellow rain of bee droppings that fouled their clothing, automobiles, windows and patio furniture.

Though council voted against adopting a bylaw controlling the number of bees that could legally be kept by West Vancouver res- idents, it made a request that Gambioli reduce his hives from 15 to four by the end of November.

Initially. Gambioli com- plained that it had taken him 10 years to build up his bee population to 15 hives and that the bees were more than just producers of honey to him, they were his personal pets: “They are like family to me.”

He said he would consider

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reducing his hives during the winter when bees are inac- tive, but had not decided whether that reduction would be permanent.

On Wednesday, Gambioli said he had thus far sold two hives to a beekeeper in Sur- rey and was sending four additional hives to North Vancouver ‘‘for adoption.**

As far as getting rid of any more hives, the con- struction foreman said with a smile, ‘tit depends how I feel. It depends if the neighbors behave themselves, if they raise 100 much noise, | might go back up to 15,”

WITHIN RIGHTS

Because he has two pro- perties in West Vancouver, Gambioli said he is within his rights, under the original request of West Vancouver council, to retain eight hives.

But Richard Wagner, West Vancouver district’s social planner, disagreed. He said eight hives ‘‘would not be acceptable, If he insists on keeping more than four hives I guess we'll have to take some other action. We'll have to enact a bylaw.”’

Gambioli, who maintains that he does not want to be a troublesome neighbor said his bees are worth at least $1 each, and with his swarm of 500,000, they’re ‘‘worth more than their houses and cars."”

“But no one has ever ap- proached me over my bees,” Gambioli explained. ‘'The first I heard about the com- plaints was when | read them in the paper. It hurts me to give my bees away, but I don’t want to fight it’s not worth it. lam willing to talk.”

Alexander Cameron’s wife, Jocelyn, said Wednes- day the damage from Gam- bioli’s bees has stapped with the onset of winter, but the hives remain.

‘There's not very much we can do, it’s up to council. He's not. willing to talk. We'll just have to wait until spring, I guess.’’

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Farmland

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SY tae 8 NEWS photo Stuart Davis

THREE LITTLE pigs made three little friends last week at Maplewood Farm. The pigs are just new Co the farm and X were intently watched over by (left to right) Kate Butler, Janet Cottier and Tyler Collinson,