Youngstown Daily Legal News

Proposed legislation would create Beekeepers Association license plate

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: April 21, 2014

The buzz going around the Statehouse is that a pair of lawmakers from Berea and Marysville have introduced a bill that would create the Ohio State Beekeepers Association license plate.

The proposed legislation, House Bill 474, is sponsored by Republican Reps. Mike Dovilla and Dorothy Pelanda and has gained a wealth of support from individuals such as Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture Magazine and past president of The Ohio State Beekeeper’s Association.

“I have watched the beekeeping industry in this state and this country struggle to maintain itself while bearing the onslaught of a multitude of problems,” he said. “An invasive predatory mite devastated the beekeeping world more than 25 years ago and we are all still reeling under its destructive influence. Agriculture has grown and cities and towns have developed, consuming the rich landscape that once furnished the necessary floral display our bees need for nourishment.”

Flottum went on to say that the ways of modern agriculture have tainted much of the land that remains, leaving fewer safe places for bees.

“This license plate will bring honey bee plight to the forefront of public awareness and promote beekeeping, provide educational information about beekeeping, and support state and local beekeeping programs and research,” he said.

In sponsor testimony for the bill, Dovilla pointed to agriculture as the state’s No. 1 industry and said honey bees play a vital role in the field.

“In fact, our very own Department of Agriculture first began apiary inspections in 1904. Over the past century, our state beekeepers and the colonies they raise have grown exponentially,” he said. “Today, we have over 4,390 registered beekeepers supervising an estimated 38,822 colonies.”

In 2012, Dovilla said Ohio’s honeybees produced more than 1.1 million pounds of honey with an estimated market value of more than $275 million.

“More important than honey production, however, is the vital role of honeybees in crop pollination for many of the fruit and vegetable crops in our state, including soybeans, apples, tomatoes, pumpkins and cucumbers,” he said.

“It is apparent that Ohio’s largest industry depends heavily on the honeybee. Yet, nationwide we have seen much concern over the health of the bee population due to Colony Collapse Disorder.”

Described by the federal agriculture department as “a serious problem threatening the health of honey bees and the economic stability of commercial beekeeping and pollination operations in the United States,” CCD is a mysterious phenomenon where worker bees suddenly disappear.

“More than just a license plate demonstrating support of honeybees, the $15 fee which individuals electing to purchase the plate would pay will assist in keeping the foundation of Ohio agriculture strong,” Dovilla said.

HB 474 has gained bipartisan support from Reps. Andrew Brenner, Dan Ramos, Timothy Derickson, Gerald Stebelton and Louis Blessing III.

The bill was scheduled for a second hearing before the House Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security committee this week.

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