ARTICLE 4 - ALFALFA LEAF-CUTTER BEE
11-7-401.� Definitions.
(a)� As used in this act:
(i)� "Bee" means any stage in the life cycle of a bee of the species Megachile rotundata (F), commonly known as the alfalfa leaf-cutter bee;
(ii)� "Certification" means the process of analyzing bees and equipment by the department to determine whether they meet the required health standards;
(iii)� "Department" means the department of agriculture;
(iv)� "Equipment" means trays, incubators, cell removers, tumblers and other apparatus used in rearing bees excluding nesting materials;
(v)� "Nesting materials" means shelters, laminates, polyblocks, drilled boards or any other product which leaf-cutter bees actually use for nesting;
(vi)� "Parasite" means an organism living in or on any stage of the alfalfa leaf-cutter bee obtaining nutriment from the body of the bee or nesting material;
(vii)� "Pathogen" means an organism, parasite or otherwise, that causes disease in the alfalfa leaf-cutter bee;
(viii)� "Wild trap" means to trap bees on property not owned by the trapper;
(ix)� "This act" means W.S. 11-7-401 through 11-7-407;
(x)� "Sanitization" means any treatment including iodine, heat, chlorine or any other method approved by the department.
11-7-402.� Duties and powers of department.
(a)� The department shall:
(i)� Administer this act;
(ii)� By rule or regulation adopt minimum standards for the presence of pathogens and parasites in bees to be certified, imported and possessed or controlled in this state;
(iii)� Whenever it has reasonable cause to believe a person is in possession of any diseased or parasitized bee or equipment or otherwise possesses any bee or equipment in violation of this act or rules adopted under this act, order a quarantine of the suspected bees or equipment and may require any person in possession of such bees to hold them under specified conditions until notified otherwise in writing;
(iv)� Release any quarantine or order to hold bees upon a finding that the bees and equipment are possessed in compliance with this act.
(b)� The department may:
(i)� Enter into agreements with other governmental agencies or private associations in carrying out the provisions of this act;
(ii)� Enter upon any public or private premises to inspect and sample bees or equipment that may be diseased or parasitized;
(iii)� Quarantine any bees or equipment found to be infected with pathogens or parasites at a level exceeding certification standards;
(iv)� Order the sanitization or destruction of any bees or equipment that is infected with parasites or pathogens and that does not meet certification standards.
11-7-403.� Annual certification; application; inspection of sample; recertification; fees.
(a)� No person shall import, possess or control alfalfa leaf-cutter bees in this state unless the bees are certified annually under this section.
(b)� To certify bees, a person shall file a completed application form provided by the department together with the certification and laboratory fees. Certification and laboratory fees shall be established by the department for each pound of bees certified. The applicant must provide at least the following:
(i)� Name and place of residence;
(ii)� The general location and number of bees to be registered; and
(iii)� Other relevant information as required by department regulation.
(c)� After receipt of an application for certification, a sample of the total population of bees to be certified shall be selected by the department or its agent in a manner prescribed by the department. The sample shall be inspected for pathogens and parasites. If no pathogens or parasites in excess of certification standards are found, the sample shall be reported within certifiable limits.
(d)� When the department receives a completed application form, a certification fee and a report that the sample is within certifiable limits, it shall issue a certificate for the bees.
(e)� The department shall specify the date by which any applicant must apply for recertification the following year.
(f)� Fees collected under this act shall be deposited into a separate account and expended for administration and enforcement of this act.� In administering and enforcing the provisions of this act, the department, by a separately negotiated agreement with another governmental agency or a private association as authorized by W.S. 11-7-402(b)(i), may make the fees available for expenditure by that agency or association. Any such agency or association shall be required to submit an annual budget to the department for its review and approval prior to the expenditure of any funds under this section.
11-7-404.� Importation restrictions.
(a)� No bee shall be imported into this state except under the provisions of this section.
(b)� Prior to the importation of any bee, the importer shall file a completed application form as required under W.S. 11-7-403(b) and arrange a date and time for inspection.
(c)� Prior to certification, each bee and associated transport equipment shall be quarantined.
(d)� No bee shall be imported except in loose cells or as adults. No bee shall be imported in a drilled board, soda straw or other equipment that prevents adequate inspection of the bee.
(e)� A representative sample of the population of bees imported shall be inspected as the basis for certification.
(f)� No person shall import used nesting materials.
(g)� No bee shall be certified unless all other requirements for certification under W.S. 11-7-403 are met.
(h)� Used metal or plastic equipment may be imported with prior written notice to the department.� Used equipment shall be sanitized prior to entry into this state and immediately after entry as provided by W.S. 11-7-401(a)(x).
(j)� Any person not already owning or having leaf-cutter bees in Wyoming who imports leaf-cutter bees for the first time into an area where no leaf-cutter bees have previously been placed by that person shall meet the standards for unconditional leaf-cutter bee certification� established by rules and regulations adopted by the department.
11-7-405.� Restrictions on rearing, moving and trapping bees; permits; fees.
(a)� No person shall rear any bee in a nesting material from which samples of loose larval cells cannot readily be obtained such as drilled boards or soda straws.
(b)� No person shall move any quarantined bee or equipment except by special permit issued by the department.
(c)� No person may wild trap or attempt to wild trap bees unless that person has been issued a permit to wild trap in accordance with rules adopted by the department.
(d)� The permits under subsections (b) and (c) of this section shall be issued under rules adopted by the department. The department shall by rule establish a reasonable fee for each permit.
11-7-406.� Penalty.
Any person who violates this act is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00). Each day a violation of this act continues is a separate offense.
11-7-407.� Laboratory authorized; fees for services.
The department may develop and maintain a laboratory at the University of Wyoming agriculture extension center at Powell to provide analytical services required under this act and may authorize the laboratories to provide services to persons possessing bees or equipment by charging a fee equal to the cost of providing those services.