To bee or not to bee?

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President / CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

If you hang around Hawaii long enough, you’ll hear a lot of buzz about the need to diversify our economy, help small businesses and support agriculture.

Yet, Hawaii often ranks poorly in surveys of state business climates, due in large part to our taxes and regulations.

All too often, we find ourselves defending those commendable goals against the very policymakers who claim to support them.

On the other hand, we sometimes come upon sweet opportunities to support legislation that would expand freedom in those areas.

We’ve found ourselves doing both recently when it comes to an unsuspecting topic: beekeeping.

In exciting news, the Hawai‘i County Council last month unanimously approved — and Mayor Mitch Roth has since signed — a bill that liberalizes the county’s zoning rules for beekeeping.

Grassroot first heard about Bill 144 back in April and has spoken out several times in support of the measure, which now allows beekeeping in all county zones, subject to basic health and safety rules.

But just as Hawai‘i County lawmakers were working on freeing the bees, the Honolulu County Council began making an unexpected beeline in the opposite direction.

Early drafts of Bill 64, which aims to make sweeping zoning changes throughout Oahu, proposed placing heavy restrictions on beekeeping with no indication as to why.

Oahu beekeepers currently enjoy few restrictions, though there are limits on the number of hives permitted in non-agricultural areas, along with rules about how far hives must be from the property line.

Fortunately, the Council listened to Grassroot and a swarm of beekeepers who testified in support of maintaining current rules. The latest draft of Bill 64 features only minor adjustments to setback rules.

Unfortunately, Honolulu lawmakers nearly created a very sticky situation. There was no malice involved, merely an unsubstantiated concern about public safety. But it remains a cautionary tale of how easily small government actions can become immeasurable burdens for entrepreneurs.

So why care so much about bees? Well, the state as a whole produced approximately 1.4 million pounds of honey in 2021, and has a lucrative trade in the export of queen bees, supplying about one-third of the mainland’s queen bees and as much as 75% of Canada’s.

Given their important role in pollination of crops, it’s no exaggeration to say that Hawaii’s bees help feed the world.

They also help feed working families here at home. Hawaii’s beekeeping industry might not rival tourism in size or influence, but it is still a vital part of our economy.

While both councils should be commended for supporting beekeepers, there is a lesson to be learned here: Heavy regulations that make it difficult to do business in Hawaii often start with good intentions.

Hawaii’s lawmakers should always proceed cautiously when making new rules, because even small actions can have big consequences. And we must continue to work together to make sure we don’t get stung by those consequences.

The result will be sweet as honey.

E hana kākou! (Let's work together!)