Environmentalists Applaud New Legislation That Protects Honeybees

LONG ISLAND, NY — Beekeepers and environmentalists are lauding new landmark legislation that will protect honeybees.

Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, who is also a farmer from Cutchogue, worked with Citizens Campaign for the Environment to craft and pass the bill, which prevents exterminators from killing honeybees found in without first calling a beekeeper to safely remove them, Krupski and Adrienne Esposito, executive director of CCE said.

The bill passed the full Suffolk County Legislature on Tuesday, July 27 in a vote of 18 to 0. It requires homeowners, pesticide applicators, and exterminators addressing unwanted honeybee infestations first call a beekeeper to safely relocate the hive, Krupski said.

Honeybees are an integral component of the food web, but global populations have declined since 2005 — and massive bee die-off events pose a serious threat to this critical species, Krupski said.

“Healthy honeybee populations make for a healthy planet," Esposito said. "In Suffolk County, our agriculture industry and ecosystem rely on healthy honeybee populations. This bill protects and preserves our honeybees and prevents the unnecessary extermination of pollinators. CCE thanks Legislator Krupski for championing this important bill and we hope that other municipalities and New York State follow Suffolk’s lead on honeybee protection.”

Krupski said he was happy to sponsor the legislation, "which will help prevent the unnecessary extermination of important pollinators, honeybees. As beekeeping has become more common throughout Suffolk County, there are more beekeepers are willing to provide this valuable service.”

Beekeepers are applauding the news. Ken Robins, a master beekeeper from Cutchogue with 60 hives, who will soon help to remove a honeybee swarm from the steeple of a local church, said the legislation is critically important.

In the past, if honeybees were found, exterminators might just come in, spray, and kill them, he said. Beekeepers, he said, are essential to the food chain. "Two-thirds of what we eat is pollinated by honeybees," he said.

Honeybees, he added, "have been having a rough time." The bees are facing environmental challenges including varroa mite infestations that sicken and cripple them, he said.

Mattituck master beekeeper Chris Kelly of Promised Land Apiaries also lauded the initiative. "Legislator Al Krupski has been a lifelong environmentalist and farmer on the North Fork. His work to help honeybees reflects his awareness that pollinators and food go hand-in-hand. This legislation creates an awareness for the public and exterminators alike to identify and save bees. It is a win-win. A win for the environment — and a win for us."

Joe McInnis, who, when he was in eighth grade in Greenport in 2016, launched a GoFundMe to help with a project that including cutting-edge research on bees. While still a senior at Greenport High School, McInnis published a scientific paper in a peer-reviewed journal after proving bees were susceptible to a virus found in honeybee hives; he is entering his sophomore year at Dartmouth this fall.

"As we continue to search for a definitive cause and cure for the sharp decline of bee colonies, there’s one thing we already know. Honeybees — with their critical role as pollinators — are directly or indirectly responsible for a huge percent of our food supply and without them, we would starve. We’re fortunate to have Al Krupski, with his advanced degree in plant science and a farm owner himself, fighting for the bees that are so critical for all of our survival," McInnis said.