Yes it’s that time again. Time for our monthly recap of bee related news!
The biggest news story broke in early May. Thats when the results of a new federal survey was released. The survey, which was partially sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, found that beekeepers lost more than 40 percent of their colonies last year.
The new survey is causing some anxiety among beekeepers. The results show that during last summer, when bees should be at their optimum health, another round of mass die-offs occurred. The report states that beekeepers lost 42 percent of their colonies between April 2014 to April 2015. In the previous period, the prior year, the loss was only at 34 percent.
So the month started out out with some bad news for beekeepers. Luckily there was better news on the horizon. Another big story that hit in May is that The Federal Government is taking steps to help solve the bee loss problem.
A new federal rule was recently proposed by The Environmental Protection Agency. The rule will create temporary pesticide-free zones. The zones will be in affect when bees are trucked in from farm to farm by professional beekeepers. The pesticide free zones will only occur when flowers are blooming and bees are present. The new rule applies to virtually all insecticides, including “neonics”.
Right now the proposal is awaiting public comment before it will be finalized. If all goes well, the new rules and pesticide labels will be ready for spring 2016. Although this is great news, the new EPA proposal is limited in scope. It doesn’t address a number of other factors that may be contributing to the bee loss. It also does not apply to residential pesticide use. It only applies to areas where commercial beekeepers haul in their hives.
The federal government is not the only government agency considering changes to the beekeeping laws.
The city of angels made big news regarding their bee ordinance. It used to be that the city of Los Angeles prohibited beekeeping on lands that were not zoned for agricultural use. The new ordinance, which was approved in May by the city planning commission, now allows for backyard beekeeping in residential areas.
Back home here in the county of San Diego, the city of Lemon Grove has been making the headlines. Beekeepers and residents are speaking out about the bee ordinance at the Lemon Grove City Council meeting.
Currently Lemon Grove has a set of rules for beekeeping, but lacks an official way to get a permit. Two Lemon Grove beekeepers have been speaking in defense of their beekeeping hobby. In opposition, two residents of Lemon Grove are expressing their concern to the council. The two in opposition are worried about neighbors in the area who are allergic to bees.
Ultimately the Lemon Grove council said it will wait to see what happens with the County’s decision.
So where does the County of San Diego stand? For now, lawmakers are still considering new regulations. The county is currently in the last days of a public review for its environmental impact report. For more information check out an earlier blog post on the proposed changes to the beekeeping ordinance. You can also check out the current bee ordinance.
As far as the city of San Diego is concerned, it is already steps ahead of the county. The city’s beekeeping ordinance was relaxed back in 2012 in order to promote backyard beekeeping. Many members of the San Diego Beekeeping Society have been instrumental in these changes and are hoping the county will follow suit.
Know of any other cities making changes to their bee ordinance that we may have missed? Let us know by sharing below!
