Swarm Ownership

[Millet]

If i happened to collect a swarm from a neighboring beekeeper are they still his property and if someone collected a swarm from my hive are they still my property or is it a free for all.. i know it may sound a silly question but you never know if you don't ask..

 

[alldigging]

Where the swarm lands it the biggest thing to consider.

If it's in your garden then it's yours if you catch it.

We've been told if a swarm goes into a neighbour's garden she will get other bee keepers to come and get it. Her garden, her choice.

A much more experienced bee keeper suggested that if the bee keeper she contacted knew whose bees it was they would offer it back.

 

[dexter's shed]

I was always told, that whilst the keeper could keep an eye on "his" swarm that they were his, once out of sight, it's anybodies,

saying that I had a swarm call out where 30 minutes later the owner did appear, I let him take them, get far too many call outs to argue over one

 

[B+.]

Where the swarm lands it the biggest thing to consider.

If it's in your garden then it's yours if you catch it.

We've been told if a swarm goes into a neighbour's garden she will get other bee keepers to come and get it. Her garden, her choice.

A much more experienced bee keeper suggested that if the bee keeper she contacted knew whose bees it was they would offer it back.

Lots of things have changed over the years.
Some years ago I was at one of Michael Colliers Open days where he demonstrated his queen rearing. He had a hive which he split up and used to make a number of nucs (Vince Cooks method). During the upheaval the queen got lost. A couple of hours later I happened to notice a cluster of bees and, upon, closer inspection found the queen. I immediately called Michael (who I have known for many years) over amid comments such as "You should have put it in your pocket!"
I have to say, maybe I am old fashioned but you don't steal from your friends!

 

[Millet]

Personally i would prefer to hand a swarm over to the rightful owner.. just the same as i would with any lost property..is they no laws in beekeeping for returning lost bee's even if a marked queen can be traced to the rightful owner.

 

[Mike101]

I think "in law" honeybees are wild animals and as such do not belong to anyone. While they choose to inhabit a hive belonging to you and on your land I guess you could claim some kind of ownership/possession. But if they choose to leave they do not belong to anyone and revert back to there wild status. That's the law but of course we beekeepers try and apply a form of moral conduct to such matters. Same actually applies to cats (in law).

 

[Thymallus]

As I understand it a swarm of bees become the property of the owner of the land they settle in....until they move off and land somewhere else and then becomes someone else's property..........unless the original owner has kept the swarm in sight from the moment they left his/her hive.
Too complicated for me...I just clip my queens saves a lot of bother.