People dying was the worst case scenario of beehives being put too close to busy roads, the National Beekeepers Association says.
Bees Photo: 123RF
The association's Hawke's Bay president, John Berry, said he had seen a lot of hives within 2m of busy roads which were also used by cyclists and horse riders.
He said bees could fly into a car window and cause a crash, and in a "worse case scenario someone could die".
Some beekeepers had no idea how to take public safety into consideration when they were working on their hives, he said.
"It is just crazy putting hives too close to where the public have access."
He said he had seen hives put too close to busy roads in Hawke's Bay, but it was also a nation-wide problem.
Last week Mr Berry told RNZ Rurals that there had been an influx of new beekeepers into the industry as the price of manuka honey soared, which was threatening the health of hives due to overcrowding.
Hives should be be at least 2km apart, he said.