CHAPTER XV 
LAWS THAT CONCERN THE BEE-KEEPER 
Brcausr of the nature of the honey-bee and the fact that 
the insects cannot be restrained like cattle or poultry, the laws 
concerning the bee-keeper are somewhat different from those 
that affect the owners of other live stock. In the first place bees 
are recognized as being wild by nature and once a swarm gets 
beyond its owner’s control and passes to the premises of another 
he loses all property right in them unless he follows them and 
keeps them in sight. 
Bees found in a tree or other natural cavity become the prop- 
erty of the first person who reclaims them. This fact, however, 
does not give any right to trespass on the property of another. 
During the days of early settlement of this country there was 
an unwritten law that wild bees became the property of the man 
who found them and marked the tree. While this right was 
generally recognized there was no law that would confer 
any right to the bees unless the finder proceeded to take posses- 
sion of them. As soon as wild bees are taken into possession 
they become the property of the man who reclaims them. This 
right will be recognized and proteéted as long as they are under 
his care. Should he injure the tree in which the bees are found 
in removing them, he will be liable to the land owner for trespass. 
‘ The time has gone by, in most localities, when serious ques- 
tions regarding the ownership of wild bees are likely to arise. 
Bee-keeping is now a recognized industry in itself and the owner 
of bees enjoys the same rights and privileges as holders of other 
property. The relation of the bee-keeper to his neighbors, how- 
ever, especially where there is a large apiary in close proximity 
to the home of other persons, frequently presents some problems 
that are decidedly different from those of any other calling. 
The keeping of bees in cities and towns is so generally prac- 
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