Madison buzzed last year when urban beekeeping became legal, but not everyone loves living near a hive. While they are relatively few, the city has received some complaints about beekeepers over the last year.

According to zoning administrator Matt Tucker, there are 39 beekeeping licenses out in Madison, and only about three or four have had complaints lodged against them since the ordinance passed in February 2012. This is comparable to complaints about Madison's urban chicken raisers, Tucker said.

He noted the issues that most commonly come up with beekeepers have to do with the personal responsibility of keepers, like hives resting closer to lot lines than the ordinance allows.

Loni Broesch has filed multiple complaints about her neighbor and said she's miserable living next to a beekeeper.

Economist: Crop yield down, but price spike levels revenue 

Chad Myar grows corn and soybeans and houses 44,000 chickens on his farm 20 minutes north of Madison. In the wake of the severe 2012 drought, Myar said his farm was “doing all right.”

His yields of corn and soybeans declined by 30 to 40 percent because of the drought, yet his poultry and eggs generated consistent revenue.

Wisconsin farmers and residents are still exploring the widespread and lingering effects of last year’s drought. And yet, according to an estimate from the 2013 Status of Wisconsin Agriculture report, released by the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics at UW-Madison in January, the state actually reached its second highest net farm income on record last year.