Friday, August 16, 2013
BEES CONTINUED FROM A1
to Roberts. Originally, Roberts meant to work with just two hives. But he got back and somehow his project of two hives turned into clearing land and setting up new hives and plants for pollination. “Needless to say, that didn’t work out,” he laughed. “I have a three-year plan. I reason my mom has hung onto it is because it’s the one thing she wanted to give to me. Ultimately, the bee thing isn’t a bad idea.” Emrich agrees. Especially since entire hives cannot be imported to the United States from just anywhere. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, only an
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adult queen and package bees (workers, drones, with a queen) can be imported from Canada or New Zealand. With that information on hand, Emrich believes that it is important that beekeepers do their best to work hard to keep colonies healthy and alive. Due to parasites and poor beekeeping, the recent decline of bees doesn’t surprise Emrich, but it does frustrate him. “We have beekeepers, and we have a bunch of people with bugs in a box,” Emrich said of professionals versus amateurs. “You have to literally make a date to be with your girls.” Emrich advises beekeepers check their hives at least every two weeks to make sure mites and other pests, like the varroa mite, aren’t invading. Regularly checking on the honeybees also ensures that hives aren’t being over-
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pets, either out of neglect, or because they are confused or not aware that cities and counties require licensing. Other reasons, according to the report, are that fees vary between cities and the county and that locations to get licenses aren’t convenient. Baker told commissioners that the rates charged for pet licenses haven’t been raised since 2002. Commissioners opted to move forward with making changes to the county’s animal control services and pet licensing policies, including raising fees. Commissioner Josh Brown said he thought the committee was incredibly dedicated. “Right now the true cost of impounding or taking in a stray
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highlighted by earning the CNO Environmental Award for Natural Resources Conservation, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Award Five Star Accreditation for overall excellence in hotel lodging, SECNAV Energy and Water Management Gold Level Achievement, CNIC Winner for SECNAV/CNO Award for Achievement in Safety and, the Captain Edward F. Ney Award for the best large shore galley in the Navy at NBK Bangor. Dawson’s military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service
crowded, which can lead to swarming, meaning that bees leave and go elsewhere with the old queen. For those who want to know more about keeping bees happy and healthy, Sheyanne Ricicar is glad to help out. As an employee at Stedman’s Bee Supplies in Silverdale, the young store manager is excited to chat about bees any chance she gets. “It’s more than just throwing them in a box,” she said. “They do need weekly care.” Ricicar has a chance to inspect hives and feed bees weekly when she isn’t working inside the gift shop. The site offers bee supplies like handmade wooden hives, and fresh honey in a variety of flavors like raspberry, wildflower and blueberry. Before working for Stedman’s, Ricicar had no real working knowledge of bees.
animal is not being paid by the irresponsible pet owner,” Brown said. “That’s being put upon the taxpayers to the tune of hundreds and hundreds of dollars annually. With these changes, responsible pet owners will be rewarded because if they lose their pet and the pet is licensed, they will pay less to get their pet back, whereas the irresponsible pet owner will pay more.” Under the suggestions of the committee, fees for cats and dogs that are spayed or neutered and that are microchipped would not be increased. The proposed other fees reflect discounts that encourage pet owners to spay, neuter and microchip their cats and dogs. The new fee structure includes one-year licenses at: Dog, spayed or neutered with microchip: $10 (same as is now) Dog, spayed/neutered without microchip: $25, up from $10 Dog not spayed/neutered with
Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards). He has a bachelor of science in chemistry from Oregon State University, a master of arts in National Security Affairs from the Naval War College, and a doctorate of philosophy in Political Science from Rice University. Captain Dawson is married to former Laurie Eubank of Wimberley, Tex. and has two sons and a daughter. Established in 2004, Naval Base Kitsap is the third largest installation in the United States Navy, covering nearly 11,000 acres and home to more than 70 tenant commands.
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Working in a shop where she can hear the hum and buzz of working bees in an observatory hive, she’s found a certain peace. Getting stung doesn’t even worry her anymore when she holds a tray up for inspection. “I just really fell in love with it,” she said. “Before I was here, I didn’t even know there were different types of honey.” Now, Ricicar knows all about honeybees and the dangers they face. She’s worried like most beekeepers about viscous wasps and destructive mites. Soapy water kills wasps and yellow jackets without using harsh chemicals and killing bees, she said. “The honeybees are having such troubles,” she said. “We try to find natural ways to help bees.” Farmers must also be careful with pesticides because the wrong type can kill off bees quickly. Between pests
microchip: $50, up from $35, and without microchip, $60, up from $35 Cat spayed/neutered with microchip: $5 (same as now) Cat spayed/neutered without microchip $20 (up from $5) Cat not spayed/neutered with microchip $40, up from $35, and without microchip, $50, up from $35. Options may be offered for threeyear licenses and a lifetime license as well. Service dogs do not need to be licensed, with the appropriate papers. Eric Stevens, executive director of the Kitsap Humane Society, said he worked with the committee in an advisory capacity and thinks the proposed fee structure will help with the costs of housing strays. “It puts more responsibility on the pet owner instead of taxpayers,” he said. “And it identifies a revenue stream to help support animal wel-
and dangerous pesticides, the future doesn’t look so bright for bees if beekeepers can’t get a handle on it, Emrich said. Disappearing bees would greatly impact pharmaceutical companies that use the wax and honey in products. It also could be the end of certain breakfast cereals and cosmetics due to a lack of access. “Beekeeping is not sexy. It doesn’t get a lot of headlines,” said Emrich. “Unless there’s something thats absolutely earth shattering ... you aren’t seeing their obituaries.” Natural substances, like peppermint oil, however, keeps pests at bay and also keeps the bees healthy enough to keep producing, said Roberts. Additionally, Roberts thinks planting mint fields around his hives may help ward off parasites. “It does no damage to the bees, but it kills off the mites,”
fare in Kitsap County.” The committee report showed that 60 percent of animal control costs for the county are the costs spent on recovering strays. Last year, the shelter handled more than 2,700 stray animals. Of those, about 2,000 were never recovered by their owners and the society had to care for them until new homes were found. Another 2,000 pets were surrendered to the shelter because owners could no longer care for them. Currently animals are held 96 hours for owners to claim, and then they are put up for adoption. If a pet is not spayed or neutered and is not claimed within four days, the pet is altered when ownership is taken with those costs being paid by the shelter. One of the committee’s recommendations is to change the time frame for holding pets. Now, animals are held for four days. But the recommendation is to expand that
he said of the oil. With more than a quarter of a million bees to take care of, Roberts doesn’t have much time to rest. He came back in April to take care of his grandmother who has since passed, and his 76-year-old mother who recently had back surgery. “I work 24/7,” said Roberts. “Basically, I’m finishing what they started years ago.” Roberts points to several areas of the property, stretched across five acres in Bremerton that he plans to expand the business on. He suspects it will take some time to build up, but he’s ready for the challenge. It’s been two years since the farm has sold a drop of honey, and he knows his mom is ready to get the farm’s honey out to the masses. “A lot of people are waiting for it,” he said. “People are actually excited about it.”
to seven days for animals that are licensed, as a way of encouraging pets owners to license their pets. Unlicensed dogs and cats would be held 72 hours and kittens and puppies under six months would be held 48 hours. Litters of kittens and puppies would be held just 24 hours. The committee also said every adopted pet, from the shelter or purchased from a pet store, be licensed as a condition of adoption. Brown said the county will move forward with the recommendations. Baker is expected to put together an action plan for the implementation of the new hold times and fee structures and those that require changes to county codes will be set for a public hearing. To view the report go to www. kitsapgov.com, and click under commissioners tab. View the weekly agendas under Aug. 12 and look for documents.
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