Arkansas Law: Honey Bee Ordinances

Arkansas beekeepers must adhere to state laws.

Arkansas has laws in place to oversee beekeepers and apiaries (areas where bees are kept). The Arkansas State Plant Board oversees all honeybee regulations and sends inspectors to apiaries to ensure beekeepers comply with all state regulations.

Time Frame

Beekeepers must register their apiaries with the state's Plant Board to help prevent the spread of disease. The University of Arkansas notes that beekeepers should register a new apiary site with the board 20 days before constructing the site and that all beehives should be registered within 10 days of new ownership or possession or before moving beehives into Arkansas from out of state.

Considerations

All honeybees must be kept in hives with movable frames for ease of inspection. Plant Board inspectors must be granted access to all hives to inspect them for pests and diseases. Beekeepers with healthy colonies are issued a health certificate valid for one year and enables them to move their hives within the state. Unhealthy colonies must be treated or destroyed based on the inspector's recommendation.

Warning

Arkansas law prohibits the placement of honeybee hives within three miles of each other, unless the hives are placed on the beekeeper's personal land, to aid disease and pest prevention. If a beekeeper places an apiary within three miles of another beekeeper, the other keepers are automatically notified of the new colony.

References

• University of Arkansas: Beekeeping-Apiculture in Arkansas

Resources

• The Arkansas Apiary Law and Regulations