Bees have become a subject of some controversy in Whanganui's Springvale suburb.
There are many things happening in the world that I feel roused by - sometimes outraged, regularly overwhelmed, (very) occasionally motivated to call the council.
"Bee spots" on my windows is not one of those things.
Bee spots is one of those euphemisms like fly dirt - we're talking about insect poop, tiny specks as befitting their size and, in the case of bees, golden in colour.
A handful of residents who live near Mark Christensen's research orchard in Springvale have been lobbying Whanganui District Council since 2016, complaining about bees pooping on their properties.
The latest move in this saga is an abatement notice from the council environmental health section, directing the Wanganui [sic] Beekeepers' Club to remove most of their club hives from Mark's land.
Beehives have been there for 14 years, long before the new subdivision was built along his boundary, and the club keeps up to 10 hives there in a permanent apiary.
The bees pollinate the 50 different types of fruit trees and many vegetables on Mark's two-hectare site. Plus generations of novice beekeepers learnt how to keep bees safely and lawfully by working the club hives under the tutelage of Beekeepers' Club stalwart Anne Hulme.
Anne has taught more beekeepers than she can count, and is a familiar sight at the River Traders Market, where she sells her local honey, rain or shine.
At 85 years old, she isn't up to carrying heavy beekeeping equipment long distances, up hills or over rough ground, so the apiary site at Mark's is perfect. It's central location made it easy for the novices to get to, Anne can drive in and she has a little shed for storing equipment. The apiary in every way complies with the requirements of the council bylaw for keeping bees.
Except that an organised campaign by five residents has pushed council into ruling that the hives constitute a nuisance - and therefore must be removed.
This raises many questions, not least the judgment that specks on windows are more important than vital pollination services in a garden of international significance and the development of competent beekeepers.
Neil Farrer - veteran beekeeper, secretary and treasurer for the local club and, for decades, an official inspector of beehives - visited the site with council staff to observe the flight paths. He reported that the bees were exiting their hives on a direct path to the back of the property that took them nowhere near the complainants.
The council is aware that there are 100 hives within a one kilometre radius of the club apiary. That's just the ones registered ... perhaps there are more.
So. why is the council singling out the club hives? Who are its experts who have determined these hives are responsible for the "nuisance"? Because when the Club previously moved its hives one winter, under pressure from council, the complaints kept coming.
Regardless of whose bees are responsible, what type of nuisance is being experienced anyway? The term is defined in legislation and requires offence or injury to health. How are tiny bee spots offensive?
The lesson that local beekeepers are taking away from this regrettable saga is to shield their hives from public view, especially in urban areas. They say the club hives are being singled out simply because their location is known to the complainants.
The path to genuine resolution would best begin by both sides sitting down together and respectfully listening to each other. But there's been no formal opportunity for that because council is bound to guard the privacy of the complainants.
I wonder if those complaining like to eat honey, or if they grow flowers or vegetables or have a fruit tree or two - all of which benefit from bees pollinating their flowers.
I am not an objective bystander - I'm a member of the Wanganui Beekeepers' Club, although one on the outer edge given my championing of alternative hive types and beekeeping methods.
The more time I spend observing bees, the more respect I have for these tiny creatures who face so many pressures.
Not so different from humans, really. The challenges we face are myriad, complex and serious. We vitally need to distinguish the difference between annoying and offensive, between the small stuff and the major issues.
Rachel Rose is a writer, gardener, fermenter and fomenter