Backyard apiarists of Cary, come out of the shadows! No longer must you practice your honey-dripped hobby in legal limbo. The town now says your bees won’t get you busted!

Truth be told, North Carolina’s seventh largest municipality wasn’t busting beekeepers. But technically, beekeeping wasn’t allowed except in a farm setting. So the increasingly popular practice of maintaining a couple of backyard hives did not have the town’s oversight or seal of approval. Now beekeepers will have to register by buying a $50 permit, provide water to their critters and keep hives at least 10 feet away from the property line. Two hives will be allowed on lots between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet, and more hives could go on larger lots.

Domesticated bees are quite manageable for those who know the apiarian ropes, and they’re typically not aggressive. Their role in plant pollination is indispensible. Especially with wild honey bee populations under stress and in decline, beekeeping plays an ecological role. And it’s not just bears who like honey fresh from the comb.