§ 2101. Short title of chapter.
§ 2102. Definitions.
§ 2103. Chief apiary inspector.
§ 2104. Quarantines.
§ 2105. Registration of apiaries.
§ 2106. Inspection.
§ 2107. Diseases.
§ 2108. Infected shipments.
§ 2109. Prohibitions.
§ 2110. Free access.
§ 2111. Transportation.
§ 2112. Imported bees.
§ 2113. Penalties.
§ 2114. Civil penalties.
§ 2115. Injunctions.
§ 2116. Concurrent remedies.
§ 2117. Disposition of funds.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Bee Law.
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
The secretary shall apppoint a chief apiary inspector to be in charge of all apiary inspections and shall appoint such additional apiary inspectors as may be necessary. The inspectors shall be attached to the bureau and shall be furnished with official badges or other insignia of authority. The secretary and the bureau are charged with the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter.
The department may establish, modify and maintain such quarantines as may be necessary to control the shipment into or within this Commonwealth of any bees, queen bees, hives or appliances capable of transmitting any bee disease for such periods and under such conditions as may be necessary in order to control and eradicate any bee disease or to prevent its introduction, spread or dissemination in this Commonwealth and for such purposes may make and promulgate such rules, regulations and orders relating thereto and to the general enforcement of the provisions of this chapter as may be necessary.
(a) General rule.-The owner of an apiary located in this Commonwealth shall register the apiary with the department.
(b) Application.-The application for registration of an apiary shall be made on a form provided by the department and shall include all of the following:
(c) Fee.-The apiary registration fee shall be $10 for each applicant. No fee shall be charged for temporary relocation of a hive or hives for crop pollination from an apiary yard properly registered as an apiary under this chapter.
(d) Registration term.-A registration under this section shall be valid for a period of not more than two calendar years and shall expire on December 31 of the year following the initial year of registration.
(e) Relocation.-The department may by regulation require apiary owners to report the relocation of an apiary from its original location as reported at the time of registration to another location in this Commonwealth. The owner of an apiary yard which is properly registered as an apiary under this chapter shall not be required to report the temporary relocation of a hive or hives for crop pollination as long as proper records of hive locations are maintained by the owner at a location available to the department for inspection.
The department through the inspectors shall at least twice during each summer season, inspect all queen apiaries. If from the inspection it appears that any bee disease exists in the queen apiary, the apiary inspector making the inspection shall immediately notify in writing the owner or person in charge thereof, and thereafter it shall be unlawful for that person to ship, sell or give away any queen bees from the apiary until the disease has been destroyed and a certificate of that fact has been obtained from the chief inspector. If upon inspection it is found that no bee disease exists in the queen apiary, the chief inspector shall issue a certificate of that fact and a copy of the certificate shall be attached to each package or shipment of queen bees transported from the apiary. The certificate shall be valid for one year from the date of its issue unless revoked for cause.
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The department, the chief apiary inspector and any apiary inspector shall have free access, ingress and egress to and from any apiary, premises, building or other place, public or private, in which bees, queen bees, wax, honey, hives or appliances may be kept or stored. No person shall deny to such duly authorized oficer or agent access to any such place or hinder or resist the inspection of the premises.
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No person shall import any living insects belonging to the genus Apis from any foreign country except Canada for any purpose without written permission from the department.
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The Attorney General as the request of the department may initiate in the Commonwealth Court or the court of common pleas of the county in which the defendant resides or has a place of business an action in equity for an injunction to restrain any violation of this chapter or any order or regulation promulgated under this chapter. The Commonwealth shall not be required to furnish a bond or other security in connection with this proceeding.
The penalties and remedies prescribed by this chapter are concurrent. The existence or exercise of any remedy shall not prevent the exercise of any other remedy under this chapter.
Moneys received from registration fees, fines and civil penalties shall be paid into the State Treasury and shall be credited to the general government operations appropriation of the Department of Agriculture for administering the provisions of this chapter.
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