PD BACKGROUND AND RECOMMENDATION REPORT

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district on building sites approved by the State Department of Health and the Planning Director. Apiaries are currently not allowed in residential, commercial or industrial zoning districts. In addition to the limited information of apiaries within the Hawaii County Code, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule in 2016 which listed seven yellow- faced bee species, native to Hawaii, as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 after a report concluded that bee populations have been in a serious decline.' Bill 144 is the County Council's effort to ensure that Hawaii County Code supports the necessary changes which will allow beekeeping to thrive, as beekeeping plays a vital role in supporting our native ecosystem. In their effort to update the code and provide more clarification on apiaries, the County Council has initiated Bill 144, which defines apiaries, lifts existing restrictions, and expands their uses. To achieve this, Bill 144 introduces definitions for terms such as `apiary,' `bee,' `beekeeper,' `colony,' `disease,' `flyover barrier,' and `hive.' Bill 144 mandates that beekeepers regularly inspect their apiaries and ensure an adequate water supply is always available near the apiaries. Since swarming and aggressive behavior in bees are widespread concerns and considered nuisances, the bill requires beekeepers to proactively manage colonies to prevent swarming. Bill 144 also supports a specific species of bees, the honeybee European subspecies (Apia Mellifera), while restricting wasps, hornets, African subspecies, or Africanized hybrids which have been known to be very aggressive and have been known to cause death in animals and humans with multiple stings. According to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, the Africanized honeybee poses a very serious threat and while the specific species has entered various portions of the continental United States but has not been known to occur in Hawai`i.2 Therefore, Bill 144 prohibits the use of Africanized bees. Based on the preceding, Bill 144 is intended to balance the ability of residents to responsibly manage their backyard apiaries, while ensuring beekeeping activities do not develop into a nuisance to surrounding properties. Bill 144 also supports the Hawaii 1 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/09/30/2016-23112/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife- and-plants-endangered-status-for-49-species-from-the-hawaiian 2 https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/invasive-species-profiles/africanized-honey-bee/ -4-