BeeWhere is a collaborative initiative to bring beekeepers and pesticide applicators together to share best practices by tracking and safeguarding hive locations across California using innovative mapping tools.
Each year millions of bees are imported into the state of California to work the fields, starting with Almond bloom. Bees contribute greatly to California’s agriculture, and mapping bee hives is critical to the health of both the bee and the state’s agriculture sector.
California law requires beekeepers to register bees with their local County Agricultural Commissioners. BeeWhere offers a dynamic, real-time GIS mapping system where users can use a mobile app to mark hives with a simple pin drop in the field.
BeeWhere integrates with Crop Management tools like Agrian and CDMS that are used by Pest Control Advisers (PCA) and growers and licensed applicators in the state. These Crop Management tools will interface with the BeeWhere layer to access the general number of hives within a mile of the permit when a PCA is considering a pesticide for crop management and allow applicators more in-depth access to hive locations for 48-hour notification purposes.
History
BeeWhere evolved out of a simple idea – to further facilitate communication between beekeepers and applicators by using modern technology. Historically, pins on a cork board would mark hive locations that were faxed or called into the County Agricultural Commissioner office.
A coalition of stakeholders, led by the California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA) and County Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association (CACASA), was formed in 2017 to create a model for beekeepers to easily register their hives.
Although regulations have been in place for years, beekeeper registration compliance has been historically limited across the state impacting notification between beekeepers and applicators during bloom. The former system was lagging due to outdated technology and variations in the reporting process from county to county. BeeWhere was created to allow beekeepers to easily register their hives to comply with state law and regulations.
BeeWhere has been a collaborative effort between industry and state regulators. BeeWhere thanks our partners who generously support this program.