(BIVN) – A bill that would remove some of the existing barriers to beekeeping on the Big Island was heard by the Hawaiʻi County Council’s Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-being on Tuesday. 

Bill 144 establishes “generally accepted apiary management practices” and allows beekeepers to maintain hives in all zoning districts on Hawaiʻi island, including residential districts.

The measure was introduced by Puna councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz.

“In a nutshell we are basically proposing that we permit the siting of apiaries in all zoning districts,” Kierkiewicz explained in the Hilo council chamber. “This would help to bring current operations, like ones at schools and in residential neighborhoods, into compliance.”

image of beekeepers at work from BIVN file video

“It would remove an arbitrary setback of apiaries being situated a thousand feet back from a major roadway,” Kierkiewicz said. “We would remove that, and what we are proposing instead is for hives to be located at least 25 feet from a property line, or 15 feet if there is a flyover barrier in place.”

“Finally, we are setting up a set of best management practices that are nationally recognized, industry recognized,” the Puna councilwoman continued, “and in consultation with the Planning Department and Department of Agriculture, limiting the number of hives to 15 on lots that are smaller than 20,000 square feet.”

“We recognize that there might be some folks that currently have more than that number of hives on smaller lots,” Kierkiewicz said, “and so there would be a provision where they could request for an exemption from the planning director.”

Hilo resident Ellen Meiser encouraged the Council to pass the bill in her written testimony. Meiser, a member of the Big Island Beekeeping Association, wrote that the bill “loosens many of the outdated and unnecessary regulations surrounding beekeeping near major roadways and according to zoning district. It also allows apiaries the ability to cultivate more hives per square feet– something that is deeply needed everywhere as global population of bees continues to decrease.”

Meiser noted that she runs a small orchard in Hilo town. “One of the vital aspects of my orchard is the presence of bees– without them, my lychee and citrus trees lack pollination and cannot produce the fruit and corresponding revenue required by County law,” she added.

The councilmembers voiced support of the bill, which must first go the Planning Commission before the council can advance it futher.

“I think there’s a few more steps that we have to go through, definitely want to get it over to Planning Commission and have them evaluate it,” commented Hilo councilmember Sue Lee Loy, “but to my director and my deputy director, could you also evaluate the Hawaii Revised Statutes, as it relates to the right-to-farm, against this bill? We’re dealing with something else, where individuals are trying to farm and their adjacent property owners don’t like it.”

“I just want to make sure that we’re lining up everybody, very nicely,” Lee Loy said.