removing swarms from houses

[Kurt Bower]

Hi everybody:

There has been some question in the past concerning the legality of the removal of honeybees from houses and buildings by beekeepers.
After some research and discussion with various State level persons the following conclusions have been reached.
1. The honeybee is not a structural pest.
2. The honeybee may be removed from a structure without penalty to the beekeeper.
3. The beekeeper may charge a fee if desired for removing the swarm/hive from a structure.
4. The beekeeper may not use pesticides or other chemicals during or after the removal of the honeybees.

Basically a beekeeper or other individual may trap or physically remove a swarm/hive from a structure and charge a fee as long as the removal does not incur the use of any pesticides in the process.

I have received calls indicating that there may be persons in the triad area not following the above guidelines, but I am not aware of anyone doing so.

I hope this has cleared up any confusion.

Kurt