The American Bee Project seeks agricultural tax benefits for lands made available to rebuild bee colonies impacted by colony collapse disorder.
If you own vacant land, you may be able to help save bees while saving on your taxes.
THE AMERICAN BEE PROJECT
One out of every three bites of food we eat depends on the honey bee. Tragically, commercial bee colonies are collapsing throughout the United States and around the world at an alarming rate, a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), linked to pesticides on crops. It is imperative that beekeepers have access to healthy forage land to rebuild bee colonies after crop pollination.
By leasing their vacant land to a commercial beekeeper for legitimate commercial agricultural use, property owners may be able to save on their property taxes, insurance and other costs while helping to save the bees. Commercial beekeepers use the land to make honey and rebuild the health of their hives.
Our founder, Julie Zahniser, was named 2014 Pollinator Advocate of the United States for her innovative approach to making forage land available to beekeepers by expanding agricultural tax benefits to beekeeping.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN BEE PROJECT
One out of every three bites of food we eat depends on the honey bee. Tragically, commercial bee colonies are collapsing throughout the United States and around the world at an alarming rate. Colony Collapse Disorder is linked to a type of pesticide introduced in 1999 that is widely used on agricultural products. It is imperative that beekeepers have access to land that has not been exposed to these substances to rebuild bee colonies.
The American Bee Project seeks to connect owners of vacant land with commercial beekeepers. We are working with state and local governments throughout America to establish commercial beekeeping as a legal agricultural use of land. By leasing their vacant land to a commercial beekeeper for legitimate commercial agricultural use, property owners may be able to save thousands of dollars on their property taxes while helping to save the bees. Commercial beekeepers use the land to make honey and rebuild the health of their hives. Together we can save the bees, and ourselves, one acre at a time.