Tools

State apiary inspectors

Updated October 2026

On this page6

What an inspector is for When to call Registration How to find yours What an inspection is like References

Beekeepers often meet their state inspector for the first time when something has gone wrong, which is the worst moment to work out what the relationship is. It is a free technical service that happens to have regulatory powers.

What an inspector is for

Containing disease, principally American foulbrood, which is one of the only regulated honey bee diseases and reportable in most states. Beyond that they inspect colonies moving across state lines, certify bees for sale, and answer questions from beekeepers who ask.

They are almost always helpful rather than punitive, because containment is the job and a beekeeper who calls early is doing it for them.

When to call

Suspected foulbrood, before moving any frames anywhere.
Anything you cannot identify in brood, which is where serious problems show first.
Before selling bees, since many states require inspection for nucs and queens.
Before moving colonies between states, which usually needs certification.

Calling early is not an admission of anything. An inspector would far rather look at a suspect frame than trace an outbreak back through an apiary that stayed quiet. The cost of calling is an afternoon; the cost of not calling can be every colony in your yard and your neighbors'.

Registration

Many states require apiaries to be registered, often free, and registration is what puts you on the list the inspector works from. That is how you get told when foulbrood is found nearby, which is worth considerably more than the ten minutes it takes.

It is also usually a precondition for selling bees, so it is worth doing early even if you have no intention of selling yet.

How to find yours

The apiary program normally sits inside the state department of agriculture, sometimes under plant industry or entomology. Your state's cooperative extension service will know, and your local beekeeping association will know immediately, because somebody there has already called.

What an inspection is like

They open colonies, look at brood frames, and in most cases tell you things you did not know. If disease is found there is a defined process, which for foulbrood usually means destruction of the colony and burning of frames and comb. Confirm the diagnosis with a field test kit before it gets that far.

References

eXtension Bee Health. Seasonality of Brood and Adult Populations; Beekeeping Equipment. bee-health.extension.org

Michigan State University Extension. Rules and regulations for selling honey in Michigan. canr.msu.edu

University of Georgia Extension. Honey Bees and Beekeeping (B1045). extension.uga.edu

Apiary registration requirements, inspection powers and disease procedures are state law and vary. Your state department of agriculture is the authority, not this page.