US News

THEY WANNA BEE LEGAL

They were buzzing around City Hall like, well, bees.

More than a dozen amateur beekeepers gathered yesterday to support a bill legalizing their hobby.

“I grew up in the ’60s; I haven’t always been law-abiding,” joked Deborah Romano, 61, of Brooklyn, one of the demonstrators.

“But really, I wasn’t thinking about the legality of it. I was thinking more about the company I’d be keeping,” she said, noting that the Obamas have installed a hive on the South Lawn of the White House.

She had hoped to sell honey at green markets — but that was put on hold when a complaint drew city inspectors, who ordered her hive removed.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer suggested issuing beekeeping licenses.

“We have people who want to engage in this activity but they don’t want to be outlawed. Meanwhile, you have an underground beekeeping world we’re not regulating at all,” he said.

“We know a lot of people are keeping bees. What we don’t know is whether all of them know what they’re doing.”