The New York Senate Agriculture Committee created a lot of buzz in the beekeeping community Tuesday afternoon after voting in favor of a mandatory beekeeper registration.
In a 11-0 vote, the committee approved the proposed bill sponsored by Sen. Patty Ritchie (R-Heuvelton), which calls for the development of a beekeeper registry "with the goal of protecting the health and well-being of bees."
But Central New York beekeepers are less confident the bill is in their best interest. Both commercial and recreational beekeepers have expressed concerns regarding the impact the proposed legislation could have on agribusinesses and affordability, citing spiked honey and produce prices as a potential result.
Dave Lenweaver, owner of Clean Slate Farm in Tully, said a mandatory beekeeper registry is an overstep of government authority. His farm practices treatment-free beekeeping, and Lenweaver said government regulation of his hives could impact the quality of the beeswax and cosmetic products his farm produces.
"I'm going to take the gun rights people's approach: leave me alone," he said. "I don't want them to come down and say you're going to have to pay us a fee for each colony you have or whatever they're going to come up with."
Beyond the dollar sign, beekeepers have also criticized the state legislature for the lack of communication about the bill. The legislative session ends June 20, and some felt the expedited process prioritized the politics of the legislation, as opposed to the constituents affected by it.
Pat Bono, a beekeeper from Rochester and advisor for the New York State Apiary Industry Advisory Committee, criticized the lack of information she received from the committee before the bill was passed. Bono registered her hives and colonies more than ten years ago and has never been contacted by the department regarding proposed legislative changes.
"There's still a lot of beekeepers out there who don't know that there is such a bill being discussed in the New York State Legislature," Bono said.
Bono said the committee's failure to notify beekeepers regarding the bill extends from the politics at play within the industry, prioritizing "heavy handed regulation" instead of improved outreach initiatives.
"Right now, we have a small core of beekeepers that have a lot of clout," she said. "There's this entrenched group of people that are always calling the shots and that should be fixed before they proceed with anything and notify beekeepers that are already registered. Otherwise....it's pretty much just empty promises."
The bill cited increased numbers of mites and parasitic diseases affecting hives and impacting commercial and hobby beekeepers as its justification. If signed into law, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets' Commissioner and Apiary Advisory Program would develop a partnership program with Cornell University to create a tracking program of all hives and colonies, as well as to notify beekeepers regarding any viral outbreaks.
"What's going to happen is, most likely a lot of beekeepers will just not register," Bono said. "They will avoid it and go underground into hiding and not disclose their locations, and that should make things worse."
In March 2010, the New York State Senate passed a bill that repealed a provision requiring beekeepers to register with the department.
"This legislation saves money for the state and clears up onerous regulations on our beekeepers, enabling the bee yard owners to protect their colonies, save time and money as they look to grow their businesses," said former Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine following the bill's passing.
The bill was criticized by members of the Agriculture Committee -- including Sen. David Valesky of Syracuse -- for its potential impact on state agribusinesses. New York's agriculture economy currently makes upwards of $300 million worth of crops each year, and is home to more than 60,000 hives. Staple crops, including apples, grapes and pumpkins, are all pollinated by honey bees.
Peter Borst, a former Senior Apiatrist at Cornell's Dyce Lab for Beekeeping Studies and current president of the Finger Lakes Bee Club, said a mandatory apiary registration does not address the main problems facing commercial and recreational beekeepers. In an email, he said the outbreak of parasitic diseases in the industry have gone unanswered for years.
"Residues of miticides are present at alarmingly high levels and have been implicated as a possible cause for the honey bees' decline, as these substances are potent insecticides as well," Borst said. "[Agriculture and Markets] has done nothing to prevent these catastrophes, and is offering no solution, as there is none."
After passing both the Assembly and Senate agriculture committees, the bill heads next to the Rules Committee before being added to the floor calendar for full Assembly and Senate deliberations.
Sen. Ritchie's office could not be reached for comment.