The conference room was buzzing Monday night as about 50 people waited for the Human Services Committee to convene. Some chatted about the 20-minute delay, while others brushed up on their knowledge of bees.

In the very back of the room at Evanston Civic Center, wearing a “Beat New Trier” shirt, stood 14-year-old Gabriel Jacobs, an Evanston Township High School freshman who recently became a fan of bees. He said he read a book about them and was bitten by the bug.

Pacing from side to side – “I always pace,” he said – it looked as though he was practicing for the most important speech of his life. He pushed his wavy hair out of his eyes, cleared his throat and waited. Then, finally, after listening to discussions about budgets and homelessness, the committee approached the thorny subject – a proposed law that would prohibit beekeeping in Evanston.

The first to speak was Dolan McMillan, Jacobs’ neighbor, who said he was worried the boy’s bees would infringe on his privacy, negatively affect the value of his home and pose a risk to his family, pets and visitors.

“Someone will get injured,” he said. “It’s just a matter of when.”

McMillan showed a PowerPoint presentation with research he had done on the danger of bees. He found out about Jacobs’ intent to raise bees when he saw the boy building a hive. He then asked the city for advice.

Susan Dickman, Jacobs’ mom, said bees are docile and rarely sting people. Jacobs also spoke, saying that honeybees present little risk to the public.

“I’m really proud that he’s chosen honeybees as an interest,” Dickman said. “I ask you just to not squash his dreams.”

Dickman said she had created an online petition supporting beekeeping in the city. It had 113 signatures as of Monday night.

Some experts and residents spoke in favor of beehives. Ken Haller, president of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association and an Elmhurst resident, said he understood the concerns of people who are fearful of bees.

“I was once one of those individuals,” he said. “I am now, of course, a passionate beekeeper.”

Animals, insects and plants are all parts of life and prohibiting them would be ineffective, said Evanston resident Debbie Hillman.

“We are nature, we live in nature and it is our heritage to live and breathe with animals,” she said. “To be afraid of the world that we live in is to really miss out.”

Evanston resident John Zbesko said he doesn’t live near Gabriel Jacobs’ house on Madison Street but told residents there are “beneficial externalities” for “all of the neighbors in the area.”

“Boy, I wish there was a hive in my neighborhood,” he said. “Maybe my peach tree would do better.”

Other residents, including former Ninth Ward aldermanic candidate Mimi Peterson, spoke out against beekeeping in Evanston.

“Neighbors should not have to arm themselves with an EpiPen and full protective gear to just enjoy their backyards,” Peterson said. .

John Black said there are benefits to bees, but there are better places to have them.

“I think beekeeping sounds like a great thing,” said Black, also a Madison Street resident. “I just don’t think this is the right area for it.”

Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) said he wrote a paper about bees in high school and called the insects “fascinating.”

“I wouldn’t force people to just accept (bees),” he said. “It imposes a little too much in my perspective.”

Ald. Stephen Bernstein (4th) said the vote should be delayed and that the council should consider limiting beekeeping to specific locations.

“I’m not ready to ban them nor am I ready to give anyone carte blanche authority to raise them,” he said. “I don’t know nearly enough about it to vote today.”

The committee will hear the issue again at its next meeting on June 5.

Reach Matt Presser at [email protected].