Mary Ellen McKeen

As the President of the NH Beekeepers Association, I am strongly in favor of this bill as it will benefit both the native pollinators of NH and our honey bees. Our board has voted unanimously to support this bill. I cannot attend the hearing but I want to stress the neurological effects of neonics on honeybees by affecting their ability to navigate and communicate. Bees require communication in order to share forage locations. The inability to navigate and geo-locate prevents our bees from their ability to return to the hive with their forage resulting in a dwindling effect in the hive population. This ultimately results in the death of the hive.. It takes approximately two years to establish a productive hive that will yield an annual honey harvest. The economic effects of a loss of an entire apiary to a pesticide kill can be devastating. Our bees are under more pressures than ever and this bill will help us to navigate this very difficult era in beekeeping.