A man stung by bees reported to the emergency department of a Bolesławiec hospital. He was stung several times between June and August.
“Until this year (2025—editor’s note), these bees did not bother me,” the man explains. “They did not provoke me, and I had no problem with them, but this year it became a nightmare. In June, I was stung for the first time and ended up in the emergency department. I went to the Municipal Guard to report it and ask them to intervene and do something about it. They came and told me that it was not their problem, but the responsibility of the veterinary authorities. I went to the veterinary authorities, and they said that although they register apiaries, they do not inspect anything,” the man recounts.
After an unsatisfactory visit to the office of the District Veterinary Inspector, the man went to the Municipal Guard, whose officers suggested that he take his neighbor to court. The man did not give up and tried filing complaints with the police and the Agricultural Agency, eventually reaching the Bolesławiec Beekeepers’ Association. Without success. Everywhere, he was turned away empty-handed, which increased his frustration and sense of helplessness.
“I spoke with the president of the Beekeepers’ Association,” the man recounts. “He advised me to keep writing until something was done. Everywhere I wrote, I received an evasive response. The veterinary authorities register apiaries without inspecting anything; they simply register them, and the apiaries can operate. I started looking for information on the internet myself. From what I found, an apiary should be at least 10 meters from a road and 10 meters from houses. This is a narrow plot, and no apiary should be here at all. Things were peaceful for three years; only now have the bees started stinging me. My family came to visit in the summer with a child who was allergic. When I warned them about the bees, they stayed only in the car because they were afraid to get out, and then they left,” the man complains.
The neighbor, who owns the beehives, was unaware of the inconvenience his neighbor had experienced. The men do not communicate because of a long-standing conflict. After learning about his neighbor’s complaints, he reacted by installing an additional protective net.
This did not calm the man, who is not sure whether the net will protect him from future bee attacks.
“I am not fighting the bees or their owner. I just want peace and quiet and do not want to be stung again,” the man adds.
Legal situation
In court cases concerning bee stings, claims are based mainly on Articles 415 and 431 of the Civil Code.
Article 415 of the Civil Code defines liability for damage resulting from the perpetrator’s fault: anyone who causes damage through their fault must repair it. A beekeeper’s fault could theoretically consist of locating an apiary improperly, harvesting honey without warning people nearby, or intentionally or unintentionally agitating the bees, leading to attacks on people or animals. However, the injured party would have to prove all the conditions for liability in court, including the beekeeper’s fault.
The provisions of Article 431 of the Civil Code may also be used.
§ 1. Anyone who keeps or uses an animal is obliged to repair the damage it causes, regardless of whether the animal was under their supervision or strayed or escaped, unless neither they nor the person for whom they are responsible is at fault.
§ 2. Even if the person who keeps or uses an animal is not liable under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the injured party may demand full or partial compensation from that person if the circumstances, particularly a comparison of the financial circumstances of the injured party and that person, indicate that this is required by the principles of social coexistence.
In the Bolesławiec urban municipality, the situation of farm animals is regulated by Resolution No. XXIII/267/2020 of the Bolesławiec City Council, dated October 28, 2020.
The battle in which the Bolesławiec resident ultimately failed would suggest that we lack clear standards concerning the registration of apiaries, their distance from buildings and their impact on residents’ health.
Update: October 12, 2025
The owner of the beehives raised the fence to a height of 3 meters, so the bees should definitely not be able to fly toward the neighbor.
