The article was originally published on https://sfist.com/2025/11/09/ten-year-old-prompts-santa-rosa-to-amend-zoning-laws-allowing-student-beekeeping/When the city of Santa Rosa told 10-year-old beekeeper Nicholas Bard he had to get rid of his beloved backyard bees — an impressive colony consisting of thousands, he took on a months-long battle to change the city’s zoning laws, and won. As the Los Angeles Times reports, Bard’s love for bees began as a toddler and evolved at age seven when he met retired schoolteacher and farm owner Ettamarie Peterson, who gave a beekeeping presentation at the local science fair. Peterson later gave Bard his own swarm, which he turned into a thriving colony as part of a project with his 4-H club, per the Press Democrat. He told KPIX, “It was the best decisio

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