At a time when a number of Virginia communities are considering new laws that encourage self-sufficiency, Fairfax City residents are pushing to make it easier to keep bees and harvest honey in their backyards.

It’s already legal for city residents to raise bees at their homes. But the rules are so restrictive — like requiring hives to be more than 100 feet from any property line — that it’s virtually impossible for would-be beekeepers to meet them, residents said.