Elisa Alfonso and her husband, Jerry, bought their first
backyard beehives in December 2008 after friends introduced them
to the hobby. The couple's four hives at their east Orlando,
Fla., home bring sweet rewards, and Elisa Alfonso said her
neighbours' gardens benefit, too. "It's a special blessing to
have honey in your backyard. ... It's an advantage for everyone.
The bees will pollinate their fruit trees," she said of the
neighbours' gardens. As commercial hives in the state have
declined because of bee deaths and other problems, backyard
beekeepers like the Alfonsos have multiplied. Last year, 400
backyard beekeepers throughout Florida registered with the state
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. These urban
beekeepers are required to register their hives so their
colonies can be monitored for diseases and pests, said Jerry
Hayes, the department's apiary inspection chief. In the past
decade, many commercial beekeepers were forced out of business
after their hives suffered colony collapse diso