Summer is officially here.  Although it has been unusually wet and cool, the nectar is flowing and the bees are busy.

A hotly discussed topic is result of the public hearing before the Spokane County Planning Commission regarding beekeeping in Spokane County.  It seemed from the hearing that that the county rattled the hive on this one.  As a result of the meeting, the panel voted recommend to the County planners to table the proposed amendments indefinitely, and tasked the local beekeeping community with proposing a comprehensive beekeeping code throughout the county.

Is beekeeping a safe activity in the Spokane and Inland Empire metropolis and surrounging urban residential areas?  Here is what some folks in another urban area have to say.

The Inland Empire Beekeepers' Association has formed a committee to assist the County in drafting comprehensive code amendments to help regulate beekeeping in the count as a safe and beneficial activity.  Members of the IEBA drafted, and helped pass, municipal code amendments in the City of Spokane, which can be used as the baseline for beekeeping guidelines in Urban Residential Zoned properties situated in Spokane County.  If you have a comment, opinion, or believe something should be included in, or excluded from, the beekeeping code, visit the working copy here and tell us your thoughts.

If you have just found the IEBA and are looking for information on beekeeping in the northwest, join us at one of the meetings to get the latest local apiary news, straight from the beekeepers mouth.

For those of you new to our site InlandBeemail.com©, the Inland Empire Beekeeper's Association serves bee-keeping hobbiests and apiary professionals of the Inland Northwest from Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. The IEBA was established to promote beekeeping in eastern Washington state and the Idaho panhandle. The association and this site are intended to provide a public educational resource for honey, bees and the incredible hobby (and for some the profession) of beekeeping.

Our aim is to promote the world of honeybees and apicultural activities. For anyone interested in learning more about beekeeping, we invite you to join us at our monthly meeting. The Association is located in Spokane, Washington and holds meetings on the second Friday of each month. The meetings are that the Spokane County WSU Ag Extension Office on Havana in Spokane, Washington. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM with Officers and Board meetings. At 7:00 PM is social time and at 7:30 PM the general meeting starts. The IEBA is a member of the Washington State Beekeepers Association who keep their home at http://www.wasba.org.