SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 38 Offered January 11, 2006 Prefiled January 10, 2006 Requesting the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to study the plight of Virginia's beekeepers. Report. ---------- Patron-- Blevins ---------- Referred to Committee on Rules ----------

WHEREAS, pollination by insects is necessary for the successful reproduction of many plant species; and

WHEREAS, the typical colony, consisting of upwards of 40,000 honeybees, provides a mobile workforce that effectively pollinates many of Virginia's top agricultural commodities; and

WHEREAS, Virginia growers are increasingly reliant on itinerant beekeeping operations located outside the Commonwealth to provide adequate pollination of their crops; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's beekeeping industry is threatened by the introduction of honeybee pests and diseases such as the Varroa mite, the honeybee tracheal mite, and small hive beetles; and

WHEREAS, beekeepers are a primary resource to emergency management personnel and serve as first responders to hazardous situations associated with Africanized bees; and

WHEREAS, approximately 90% of feral or unmanaged wild bees in Virginia have disappeared since 1995; and

WHEREAS, the number of managed hives in Virginia has declined from 90,000 in 1984 to fewer than 24,000 in 2003; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services be requested to study the plight of Virginia's beekeepers. The Department shall seek and outline possible remedies to the problems identified by the study.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for this study, upon request.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2006, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2007 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.