Author Archives: Rudi Kiefer

Excerpt from the website of the Ga. Dept. of Agriculture:
The Georgia Department of Agriculture supports and endorses agricultural activities across the state. Since nearly one-third of our food is the direct result of pollination by insects, honey bees are very important. In fact, more than 100 agricultural crops in the U. S. are pollinated by bees.

Although many people make a living from honey bees, most beekeepers have only a few hives and many reside in urban and suburban areas. The Georgia General Assembly recognizes the importance of honey bees – even in the urban and suburban environment – and has adopted several statutes to protect beekeepers. These statutes are:
O.C.G.A. §1-3-3, apiary products are included in the definition of “agriculture”,
O.C.G.A. §2-1-6, relates to local ordinances and production of agricultural farm products,
O.C.G.A. §2-14-41.1, local governments cannot prohibit beekeeping, and
O.C.G.A. §41-1-7, commonly called the Georgia “Right To Farm Law”.

Read more at http://agr.georgia.gov/honey-bees.aspx

It has never happened before in U.S. history:  7 species of honeybees are now on the endangered species list !  Habitat destruction, invasion of non-native plants and animals, and the use of pesticides have caused dramatic losses in those bee populations, and in pollinator counts around the U.S. altogether. Read the full article at

Seven honeybee species placed on endangered species list as pollinator collapse continues

An article published in the Gainesville Times explained the role that pollinators like honeybees play in food production.  “Without pollinators, we’d find two-thirds of the foods we eat gone.  They cannot be produced without the help of insects such as bees, butterflies, and other animals like bats for example,” said the author. “The over-use of pesticides is a real threat to the useful insects,” he continued.  “Moreover, when we look to the European Community, we’ll see that they have banned completely the use of insecticides incorporated in the landscape plants people buy.  Here in the U.S., we only get a warning label on the plant.  Bees don’t read warning labels.”

Read the article at

Earth Sense: Take care to protect the pollinators