ROMAN BEE LAW 

Some beekeepers are convinced that a swarm of bees can be charmed into landing by “tanging” any piece of metal that comes to hand. Science has never been able to prove this assertion though and it may actually be a piece of jumbled ‘folk wisdom’. It may be relatively easy to see how this narrative might have originated though?

According to the first century naturalist, Pliney the Elder, Roman Law required that a beekeeper who had lost a swarm should loudly proclaim their continued ownership by following while striking a bell, triangle, iron bar or similar. Sound familiar? This Roman edict then passed into dark age Anglo-Saxon Law and was eventually absorbed into our early Common Law.

Even today, it is widely argued that a beekeeper retains ownership of a swarm in flight as long as ‘line of sight’ has been retained. Pots, pans, etc, are now fairly optional, unless you believe the myth of course. However, you still need to inform everyone of your intentions and consult with any landowners, just as the Romans did.