The City of Sacramento is now a "bee haven." The Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday night to include the city on a list of communities that are bee friendly.
Councilman Jeff Harris is a beekeeper.
"We are the 'farm to fork' capital. Honey bees are responsible for 30-percent of the food that we eat. We have $14 billion agriculture in California. If bees cease to exist in our ecosystem, it all falls apart," Harris says.
The council also approved future talks regarding the amount of bee habitat in the city.
Bill Bird is a beekeeper in the city. He urged the council to allow people who live in Sacramento to keep more bees than are currently permitted.
"They limit us is to just two hives per house," Bird says. "There are some households that could do more but the city says you can only have two and no more than that. The county has no number at all. They have no restriction. You can keep as many as you want. There are some other issues that they do along with fertilizers that they use for lawns that kill clover which is essential for honeybees."
The council resolution says Sacramento will do more to encourage alternatives to pesticides and improve water quality.
The council may also consider banning certain pesticides.
At least two studies say a type of pesticide called neonicotinoids is at least partly responsible for colony collapse disorder in honey bees.
The council also endorsed the creation of better bee habitats.
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