Concerned that his beehives and small business could be decimated by pesticides

Concerned that his beehives and small business could be decimated by pesticides, a retired local fire chief turned dedicated beekeeper is among those leading the charge against a bill that would allow pesticides to be applied via drone without notification to nearby beekeepers. With his wife Janice, Joe Mercieri, who retired as Littleton’s fire chief in 2020, owns White Mountain Apiary in Whitefield, which today represents the second-largest honeybee apiary in New Hampshire. Lack of notification would not allow beekeepers to protect the enterprises that are dependent on their hives, said Mercieri, who gave testimony Thursday during a New Hampshire Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on House Bill 1698. Sponsored by state Rep. Judy Aron, R-South Acworth, the bill was brought forward after discussions with the New Hampshire Farm Bureau.