June 18: State Inspection: My $5 At Work

Yesterday, I got home and found a slip in my mailbox from the bee inspector. He wrote: "Bees look good. Good brood pattern. Super as needed." I was thrilled! Doesn't seem like much but it's validation for a beginning beek. I just wish I would have been present for the inspection.

Apiaries in Ohio need to be registered. It only costs $5.00 per location. That seems pretty cheap to me: especially since the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture has proposed cuts to the apiary program which would eliminate the position of the chief bee inspector for the state. I would pay a lot more for an annual inspection, and that's what I said in my email for the letter-writing campaign.

Did you know? There were 3,128 beekeepers registered in 2007 in Ohio which represents 4,898 apiaries, or an estimated 16,654 colonies.