An apiary is a place where bees and beehives are kept, usually a place where bees are raised for their honey. Beekeepers and their apiaries may be subject to state regulation under statutes designed to prevent the introduction into and dissemination of contagious and infectious diseases of honeybees by providing for the registration, inspection and control of honeybees and apiaries.
Such laws may require the annual registration of colonies of honeybees, bee yards and apiaries, and inspection of bees before leaving or entering the state. Statutory provision may be made for destruction of diseased bees, supplies or equipment or the quarantine of infectious or contagious bees. Apiary inspectors are appointed to conduct inspections of bees on a regular basis. State laws usually specify that beekeepers may sell honey but all honey offered for sale in a public place must be properly labeled.
