Apiary a first for Hanover Park

Honeybee enthusiasts were out Friday morning in Hanover Park to check on the Midwest’s only community apiary, which opened earlier this month.

It took a little convincing, but last month the village board approved the proposal after hearing about honeybees’ docile behavior and environmental benefits.

Hanover Park also requires that beekeepers must be licensed and that the apiary, located at the former sewage treatment plant property at Bayside Drive and Army Trail Road, be kept locked.

Just a handful of hives were installed to start, each of which can house up to 5,000 bees in the winter and 60,000 bees in the summer. Officials say the number of hives could grow.

The Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association is helping to oversee the project.