Beehive suggestion: Relocate, don’t destroy
But some question how practical state senator’s proposal would be
State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi wants to save the bees.
The Bronx Democrat, a member of the Senate’s Agriculture Committee, proposed a bill Wednesday to help preserve honey bee colonies across New York. The legislation would require individuals to call the state’s Division of Plant Industry — an arm of the Department of Agriculture and Markets — about bothersome hives or swarms of honey bees at least a day before exterminating them.
The division would then try to help relocate colonies instead of destroying them. The rule would apply not only to everyday New Yorkers, but also licensed and commercial pesticide applicators.
“It is important that the state create alternative avenues to safely relocate nuisance honey bee swarms to promote the preservation of the colonies we still have and avoid further extermination,” Biaggi said in a release. “As one of the country’s leading producers of fresh fruits and vegetables, (New York) cannot take our natural pollinators for granted — our food and farms depend on it.”
The accompanying bill memo notes that honey bees help to pollinate $300 million worth of state crops every year, but have been rapidly declining in population across the state. New York beekeepers lost more than 40 percent of their honey bee colonies between 2017 and 2018, the legislation states.
“Unwanted bee swarms and colonies that pop up around homes and businesses can be problematic, but there are other steps that can and should be taken before extermination is settled upon,” said State Sen. Monica Martinez, a Long Island Democrat and another sponsor of the legislation.
But some leaders in the state’s beekeeping business aren’t convinced that the legislation would help save honey bees. Residents often mistake honey bees for hornets or yellowjackets, and it might be difficult to find reliable professionals to relocate honey bees without a state directory, they said.
Dan Winter, the president of the Empire State Honey Producers Association, said legislators may be underestimating how many bee removals and relocations take place around the state. “I’m not sure that the state is really up to manage something like that,” he said.
Winter said the state should implement a registry where residents could research their local beekeepers and contact them for relocations.
“Trying to rescue and save bees when we don’t even know where the beekeepers are is kind of a tall order,” he said.
A beekeeper registry was proposed in a June bill put forth by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, an Endwell Democrat. It never saw a vote or accompanying Senate legislation, but Lupardo said in an email Wednesday that “I fully intend to work on this bill during the upcoming session in order to get a conversation going between all parties that are concerned about protecting honey bees.”
Michael Molina, the owner of The Bee Shepherds Bee Removal, which has offices in Syosset, Johnstown and Warrensburg, said that while a directory could be helpful, it may not be necessary because “Google is a pretty good resource.”
Molina said the legislation would increase the number of calls his business receives, but the state may encounter issues in accurately identifying homes and businesses where honey bees are located. He estimated that 95 of 100 calls he receives regarding honey bee removal actually concern wasps.
Tony Antonucci, the president of the Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association, said his organization’s members have mixed opinions on the implementation of a state-run registry, but his concerns with Biaggi’s bill lie more in the possibility that someone who “just doesn’t want bees in the area” will call and get the state involved in a personal dispute.
“I don’t know how this bill can control that or force those situations to be remedied, other than by the individual who owns the property,” he said.
Antonucci said members of the association would likely see the legislation as government intervention in “something that isn’t going to bode well for us.” He hopes Biaggi and other supporters of the bill will talk with local beekeepers before moving forward with the measure.
In an email, Biaggi said her office has been working with advocates from Bonac Bees on Long Island, and she is open to creating a state registry of beekeepers “if necessary.”