The San Diego County Board of Supervisors met this morning to discuss proposed changes to the current San Diego County Beekeeping Ordinance. The Agricultural Commissioner and County Advisers presented three options of proposed changes to the current ordinance.
You can see a summary of those options here: Bee Ordinance Options
Members of the Board of Supervisors are trying to decide which option is best for both public safety and also aids local beekeeper efforts to reduce the presence of Africanized (Hybridized) Bees by re-queening feral bee colonies with certified Italian Queens. In the end they voted unanimously for a Continuance on the matter. They directed the Agricultural Commissioner and County Advisers to investigate some of the issues brought forth by members of the SD beekeeping Society. Advisers agreed to bring a revised version of Option 3 in 8-12 months time.
The meeting was attended by many members of the SD Beekeeping Society. Most who spoke in front of the board were in favor of option 3 and for online certification which would include best practices for safe beekeeping. Also discussed was the possibility of using County Land for a public Apiary. The board asked the County Advisers to present possible locations for a Public Apiary at the next Board of Supervisors Meeting in June.
Here are some photos of the meeting I captured with my iphone
[one_second]
left side of stage included County advisers and Agricultural Commisioner
[/one_second]
[one_second]
Right side included members on the board of supervisors
[/one_second]
It’s ironic that the San Diego Board of Supervisors are facing the same exact challenge that we at Bee Best Bee Removal face everyday. With every job we always try to save the bees, but being a licensed pest control company we also want to ensure public safety. The Board is in the same exact position. Balancing the need to help save and protect local bee populations with the need for public safety. We at Bee Best Bee Removal hope that the Board of Supervisors will ultimately decide to chose legislation that both protects public safety and encourages and promotes people to help save the bees by educating and promoting safe beekeeping practices.
For more on this story you can check out this article: County Beekeeping Ordinance: Unanimous Ruling in favor of a Continuance
What do you think? Are you pleased with the unanimous decision for a Continuance by the Board of Supervisors? How should the County balance the need for public safety with the need for saving and protecting the health of the local bee population?
