I don't know about Illinois but New York has laws on the books which allow the state inspectors to search your property and inspect your hives without permission. The hives can be destroyed without compensation. There are also fines for non-compliance. 

I don't think these laws would hold up under a legal challenge, but nobody has tried it in NYS. All the same, the law was passed in the 1920s and now includes African bees, or any other bee pest or pathogen that the Dept of Agriculture sees fit to condemn the hives for. Confirmation from the USDA lab is considered grounds to proceed.

I have copies of the law, and have exercised its provisions many times, when I worked for the state as an inspector. I no longer support it and would like to see it modified, modernized or repealed, but it is the law and ignorance of the law alone won't get you off. Nor would simply disagreeing with it. 

PLB

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm