OLYMPIA - Beekeepers in the state have struggled in recent years, but would benefit from a proposal by Rep. Judy Warnick to extend tax exemptions for bee food.

Beekeeping is a small industry but necessary for state agriculture, the largest industry in the state.

"Honey bees are crucial for agriculture - especially seed crops and fruit trees. We depend on them to pollinate buds into apples, pears and peaches," said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. "This exemption makes sense, it helps one of our top employers in the state and it costs the state just $67,000 each year. This is a small price to pay to ensure the abundance of crops in our state to continue to grow."

The bill would extend an existing tax exemption for bee food for the nearly 300 apiarists and bee brokers in the state. Without the legislation, the exemption would expire in July. The legislation passed unanimously in the House of Representatives last week.

"Many beekeepers don't even need to buy food for the bees, but sometimes natural bee food is scarce and beekeepers need a way to keep the bees alive," Warnick said.

The bill will primarily benefit larger businesses competing for pollination services from out of state beekeepers. Tim Hiatt, of Hiatt Honey and Grigg Apiaries in Moses Lake, provided testimony at a recent public hearing in Olympia.

"Extending this exemption is just a start," Warnick said. "We intend to look further into how we can address challenges, like colony collapse, facing apiarists."

An amendment was made to the bill to link the purposes of the incentive to the impacts of colony collapse disorder. A workgroup would be established to address challenges to the industry and report back to the Legislature at the end of the year.