Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79611. Section 79611.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this article govern the construction of this chapter.
ARTICLE 2. Definitions [79611. - 79629.]
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC 2.
in effectCal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79612. Section 79612.
“Apiary” means the physical location where beekeepers place one or more colonies of honeybees. As an adjective, “apiary” means pertaining to any aspect of beekeeping or the beekeeping industry.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79613. Section 79613.
“Beekeeper” means a person who keeps bees.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79614. Section 79614.
“Bees” means honey-producing insects of the genus Apis. It includes all life stages of these insects. For purposes of this chapter, bees and honeybees are interchangeable terms.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79615. Section 79615.
“Books and records” means books, records, contracts, documents, memoranda, papers, correspondence, or other written data pertaining to matters relating to the activities subject to this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79616. Section 79616.
“Colony” means the queen, the adult worker and drone bees, and the brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae) living together in a single society.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79617. Section 79617.
“Commission” means the California Apiary Research Commission.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79618. Section 79618.
“Department” means the Department of Food and Agriculture.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79619. Section 79619.
“Districts” consist of the following:
(a)
District 1 consists of the California Counties of El Dorado, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, and all counties north of these counties.
(b)
District 2 consists of the California Counties of Inyo, Kern, San Luis Obispo, and all counties north of these counties up to the southern boundary of District 1.
(c)
District 3 consists of the California counties south of District 2.
(d)
District 4 consists of all areas not in California.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79620. Section 79620.
“Ex officio members” are nonvoting members of the commission.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79621. Section 79621.
“Hive” means the structure containing a honeybee colony.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79622. Section 79622.
“Hive products” means materials collected or generated by honeybees, other than bees and honey, including, but not limited to, beeswax, pollen, royal jelly, venom, and propolis.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79623. Section 79623.
“Fiscal year” means the period beginning January 1 of any year and extending through the last day of December of that same year.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79624. Section 79624.
“Out-of-state beekeeper” means a producer whose principal residence is in an area outside of California.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79625. Section 79625.
“Pest” means American foulbrood or any other disease, parasite, virus or fungus, predator, or hereditary disorder that is detrimental to honeybees.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79626. Section 79626.
“Pollination unit” means a colony of adequate strength to meet the criteria delineated in a pollination contract for use in commercial crop pollination.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79627. Section 79627.
“Principal residence” means where the producer pays his or her state and local income tax.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79628. Section 79628.
“Producer” means an individual beekeeper or business who owns or operates, or owns and operates, more than 50 colonies in California, with the intent to earn income.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 79629. Section 79629.
“Secretary” means the Secretary of Food and Agriculture.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026