Section 4-12-1. – Title.
§ 4-12-1. Title. Sections 4-12-1 — 4-12-17 shall be known as the “Rhode Island Apiculture Law”. History of Section.P.L. 1989, ch. 495, § 2.
Section 4-12-10. – Quarantines inside state — Seizure — Inspection — Notice — Eradication — Lien for expenses.
§ 4-12-10. Quarantines inside state — Seizure — Inspection — Notice — Eradication — Lien for expenses. (a) Whenever the director finds there exists in this state, or any part of this state, a harmful disease or pest of honey bees, which, for the protection of the apiculture and/or agriculture industry within the state, should […]
Section 4-12-11. – Revocation of movement permit.
§ 4-12-11. Revocation of movement permit. Any permit for the movement of bees or used beekeeping equipment into the state, or any health certificate, issued by the director or authorized personnel, may be revoked for cause by the director or authorized personnel. Notice of this revocation shall be in writing and shall be mailed, by […]
Section 4-12-12. – Registration of apiaries.
§ 4-12-12. Registration of apiaries. (a) All apiaries in the state must be registered, annually, with the director of environmental management not later than March first. All persons owning honey bees within the state shall annually notify the director of the keeping of bees, their location and number of colonies. (b) Any person(s) within the […]
Section 4-12-13. – Identification of apiaries — Abandoned apiaries — Written notice — Steps to protect neighboring apiaries.
§ 4-12-13. Identification of apiaries — Abandoned apiaries — Written notice — Steps to protect neighboring apiaries. (a) Each colony within an apiary shall be identified with the owner’s name and address. This identification may be affixed to external parts of the colony or placed between the inner and outer covers of each colony. (b) […]
Section 4-12-14. – Reports and records of inspector.
§ 4-12-14. Reports and records of inspector. The inspector of apiaries shall make annual written reports to the director of the department of environmental management, giving the number of colonies inspected, the number of diseased colonies found, the number of colonies treated, and the number of colonies destroyed. A record shall also be kept of […]
Section 4-12-15. – Powers and duties of director — Rulemaking.
§ 4-12-15. Powers and duties of director — Rulemaking. The director shall, from time to time, make regulations carrying out the provisions and requirements of §§ 4-12-1 — 4-12-17, including regulations under which inspectors and other employees shall: (1) Inspect apiaries and equipment associated with beekeeping; (2) Investigate, control, eradicate, and prevent the dissemination of […]
Section 4-12-16. – Beekeeping advisory board.
§ 4-12-16. Beekeeping advisory board. (a) A beekeeping advisory board shall be established. (b) The board shall consist of six (6) members appointed for terms as indicated: (1) The president of the Rhode Island beekeeping association (1 year). (2) Two (2) members from the Rhode Island beekeeping association appointed by that organization’s president (3 years). […]
Section 4-12-17. – Penalties.
§ 4-12-17. Penalties. Any person who violates any provision or requirement of §§ 4-12-1 — 4-12-16 or who forges, counterfeits, defaces, destroys, or wrongfully uses or possesses any certificate provided for in §§ 4-12-5 — 4-12-14 shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more […]
Section 4-12-2. – Definitions.
§ 4-12-2. Definitions. As used in §§ 4-12-2 — 4-12-17 unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following terms mean: (1) “Abandoned colony or apiary” means any colony or apiary which is not currently registered and has not been registered within the preceding two (2) years and/or which the inspector is unable to locate the […]
Section 4-12-3. – Inspector of apiaries — Deputies and assistants.
§ 4-12-3. Inspector of apiaries — Deputies and assistants. The director of environmental management shall appoint an inspector of apiaries, who shall assist in the enforcement of this chapter, under the supervision of the director. For those purposes, this inspector may, with the approval of the director, employ any deputies and assistants as may be […]
Section 4-12-4. – Inspectors — Qualification.
§ 4-12-4. Inspectors — Qualification. Any person appointed by the director as an apiary inspector shall be a practical beekeeper who before being appointed shall furnish the director with satisfactory evidence that the appointee possesses a practical knowledge of beekeeping and is familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of honey bee diseases and honey bee […]
Section 4-12-5. – Inspection/survey of apiaries — Notice — Entry — Abatement of infection — Infestation of undesirable bees.
§ 4-12-5. Inspection/survey of apiaries — Notice — Entry — Abatement of infection — Infestation of undesirable bees. (a) The director of environmental management, to determine the presence or absence of infectious, contagious or communicable diseases or honey bee pests, shall annually either: (1) Inspect twenty percent (20%) of the bee colonies located within thirty-three […]
Section 4-12-6. – Specialized examination — Inspection fees — Accessibility.
§ 4-12-6. Specialized examination — Inspection fees — Accessibility. (a) Any bees kept in anything other than a hive with removable frames (which must be reasonably removable) such as box hives or other receptacles, natural or artificial, shall be deemed impossible to inspect unless the owner of these bees removes the brood or makes the […]
Section 4-12-7. – Certification of health — Expiration — Quarantine — Eradication.
§ 4-12-7. Certification of health — Expiration — Quarantine — Eradication. (a) If, by reason of an owner requested inspection, the director is satisfied that no apparent disease or pest exists in any colony in an apiary, the director shall issue to the owner a certificate of health setting out the date of the inspection, […]
Section 4-12-8. – Movement permit required — When — Form — Issuance — Fee — Verbal authorization.
§ 4-12-8. Movement permit required — When — Form — Issuance — Fee — Verbal authorization. (a) It is unlawful to move, carry, transport, or ship bees, bees on comb, combs or used beekeeping equipment into the state unless accompanied by a valid permit issued by the director of environmental management. Applications for a permit […]
Section 4-12-9. – Quarantine areas outside state — Seizure — Inspection — Eradication.
§ 4-12-9. Quarantine areas outside state — Seizure — Inspection — Eradication. Whenever the director finds that there exists in any other state, territory, or district or part of any state, territory, or district, any harmful pests or diseases of honey bees, the director shall promulgate, and enforce by appropriate regulations, a quarantine prohibiting the […]