[Pollinator] Plan would classify wild bees as public nuisance

[Ladadams at aol.com]

Plan would classify wild bees as public nuisance
By MIKE MEYER
Cronkite News Service
Jan. 31, 2007 05:35 PM 
PHOENIX - A bill that would classify wild honeybees as a public nuisance 
created a little buzz in a House committee Wednesday when a lawmaker worried that 
beekeepers could get stung by the proposed law.

The House Committee on Natural Resources and Public Safety endorsed HB 2306, 
sponsored by Rep. Jennifer J. Burns, R-Avra Valley, after Burns agreed to help 
develop stronger language to protect beekeepers.

Burns said wild honeybees should be considered a nuisance because nearly all 
wild colonies in Arizona now contain Africanized bees, commonly referred to as 
"killer bees." 
Africanized bees can kill because they attack in larger numbers and with 
greater ferocity than European honeybees.

The bill would require property owners to remove any beehive or bee colony 
deemed a threat to the public's health or safety. Those who fail to comply would 
face a fine as well as removal of the bees at the property owner's expense.

Hives or colonies that are maintained by beekeepers, both professional and 
amateur, would be exempt from the proposed law. The bill would require 
beekeepers to place signs with their names and phone numbers on property containing 
hives or on the hives themselves.

The only concern about the bill came from Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, who 
wanted to protect beekeepers whose signs are lost or stolen. Burns said she would 
work with Biggs to amend the bill to his satisfaction, and the committee 
endorsed the measure on a 10-0 vote.

Ed Hermes, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, said he was 
satisfied that the bill would not interfere with the state's beekeeping 
industry, which he said generates $11.8 million annually.

---

Web Links:

- Arizona Legislature, Bill Info: azleg.gov/Bills.asp

- Arizona Department of Agriculture: azda.gov

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Laurie Davies Adams
Executive Director
Coevolution Institute
423 Washington St. 5th
San Francisco, CA 94111
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LDA at coevolution.org
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