County apiary program continues

TIFFIN — The Seneca County Board of Commissioners met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, June 26 to hear an update on the county's apiary program, led by Barrett Zimmerman. Buzzing in with an update Zimmerman began by sharing a few numbers in regards to Seneca County, noting that as of June 2025, there are 121 registered apiaries and 58 beekeepers, 5 of which are new this year, and a total of 700-800 colonies of bees. "An apiary is a location where beekeepers maintain their colonies, many beekeepers have several apiaries and that's why the numbers are not close in value," noted Zimmerman. He continued his presentation with a brief introduction, explaining his role in the program and some of the issues beekeepers are currently facing in the county. "Nationally we lost 60% of our colonies of bees over the year last year," said Zimmerman. "Most of those numbers are commercial beekeeper numbers, people that moved their colonies out west or down south for the different vegetable and fruit seasons." Locally, his role is to oversee the bee population and sound the alarm if a problem is found. "We collect samples, the comb, the brood, etc. and send them to various labs across the country," said Zimmerman, noting his samples were sent to Beltsville, Maryland. At this time, his largest concern is varroa mites – something that is always an issue for beekeepers. "Every colony I open as an inspector, I do a mite wash, which is where I take a sample of 300 bees and wash them off with alcohol– this knocks the mites off of them, and then I count the number of mites," a tedious task according to Zimmerman. He continued, saying that if you have three per hundred bees or nine mites or more, it is a threshold to treat. "Recently, I have been focusing on the beekeepers in the county who are queen certificate holders– allowing them to sell bees and queen bees. I've been focusing on getting those in and then I can work with the new beekeepers," said Zimmerman. Another issue Zimmerman noted was urging beekeepers to register with the county. "It's only a $5 registration per apiary, and I can understand residents not wanting the government to interfere, but I urge you to register regardless and note you don't consent to inspections," said Zimmerman. This would allow him to notify beekeepers if there is an airborne issue or another viral issue. Not only does Zimmerman play a large role in the county's apiary program, but for the last 32 years, he has also served as a Vanguard-Sentinel Vocational School agriculture teacher, with his classes held at Clyde Green Springs High School. In 2022, he was awarded the Golden Owl Award - a prestigious recognition from the FFA for outstanding agricultural educators in several states, including Ohio. Better known by his students as "Mr. Z", his students are allowed to work with over 70 acres of farmland in the Clyde area, and also are able to learn some of what it takes to be a beekeeper. Several of Zimmerman's family members were in attendance for him to be recognized by the commissioners with a formal proclamation. In other news Several citizens voiced their concerns about the industrial egg farm being constructed at 1533 W. CR-90, about five miles south of Tiffin, across roughly 40 acres of land. According to previous reporting, about 90% of the farm is to be pasture, which is where a majority of citizens' concerns currently lie. First to speak was Rachel Hemminger, who shared that there have been over 40 requests from the public for a hearing regarding the egg farm. "The proposed facility is directly west of a protected corridor of the Sandusky River– this area is protected because that's where the city of Tiffin gets their water from," shared Hemminger. "Chicken Manure is high in phosphorus and nitrogen, which directly leads to an increase in algae blooms." Another resident, Brenda Kuhn, expressed concern about the EPA's role in monitoring the facility. Seneca County Board of Commissioners President Tony Paradiso responded to citizens' concerns, expressing that he is willing to look into the situation and noting he wasn't as informed on the matter until today. "I am pro agriculture, I think agriculture is a good thing – but you guys have definitely raised some questions," Paradiso said. "My summary would be that I want to learn more about it from both sides." A public hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on July 15 at the Seneca County Fairgrounds in the Youth Center building. The next regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners meeting is set for 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 3.