West Virginia Apiary Law and Beekeeper Registration

Under WV Code Chapter 19, Article 13, every person owning or keeping bees in West Virginia must register with the Commissioner of Agriculture and provide colony location information. The state apiarist may inspect any apiary, and if American foulbrood or other contagious bee diseases are found, may quarantine, treat, or order destruction of infected hives. Importation of bees, used equipment, and queens requires inspection certificates. The statute applies uniformly statewide; local governments may regulate hive placement on residential lots but cannot waive registration or disease-control requirements.

Failure to register colonies, refusal to allow inspection, or non-compliance with quarantine orders is a misdemeanor punishable by fine. Diseased hives may be destroyed without compensation.