New Ga. law means you need someone with a state license to remove bees

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - It is now illegal in Georgia to remove bee hives from inside someone’s home or a structure unless you have a license from the state.

Licensed Master Beekeeper Dale Richter helped write the new Georgia law.

Richter is one of the very few experts licensed through the Department of Agriculture to remove bees from inside buildings in Georgia.

He said he removes more bees from inside buildings and homes than ever before.

”We are doing them every day,” said Richter. “And I have had a huge increase since Hurricane Michael because they lost a lot of habitat, trees and that type thing. So, they are going into houses or wherever they can go.”

Richter said the problem being seen is that many people with no license and no experience have been taking on the job of beehives in homes.

State lawmakers decided they needed to protect the consumer.

”If you exterminate the bees inside the structure, which is very difficult to do in the first place to do,” said Richter. “But if you are successful in doing it, you have the dead bees, the honey, the comb and all that kind of thing. And it just becomes a buffet for ants, roaches, and mice. So you are eliminating one problem, and creating 4 or 5 more.”

The new law states that only licensed people can try to kill or remove bee hives inside Georgia buildings.

Richter says it’s a tough and dangerous job, one that a licensed professional should do.

It’s costly but better than having a novice create more trouble.

Richter said if you have a bee issue inside your home or building, make sure the person handling the job has the new state license for bee removal, that they are bonded and insured to make sure your home is not ruined.

To read the new law, visit the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s website.

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