Bees in Nineteenth-Century Lore and Law

The nineteenth century gave rise to a surprising proliferation of legal cases involving bees, but the depictions of bees in the law display an ambivalence about our relationship with bees. In some cases, involving ownership or theft of bees, they are described as wholly wild and uncontrollable, reflecting the view expressed by Roman lawyers. In other cases, involving liability for bee stings or nuisance, they are described as equivalent to other domesticated livestock, reflecting, among other things, nineteenth-century advancements in natural science, which led in turn to a greater societal understanding of bee behaviour, and a view that bees could be controlled. It is suggested that the nineteenth-century cases underscore our difficulty in depicting our complex relationship with bees and their produce. Despite the nineteenth-century advancements in natural science, which allowed us to understand and control bees, the ambivalence in the cases highlights our suspicion that bees have a wild aspect, and they would happily continue without us.