Jerome Township v. Melchi

Defendants are family members residing upon two adjacent parcels of land in Jerome Township. The property has been zoned residential since 1965. Prior to that year, the land was used for farming.

In 1979, defendant James Melchi captured a wild swarm of bees and established a commercial apiary on the property. Retail sale of bee by-products and bait was also conducted. It is undisputed that prior to 1979 no bees were maintained on the land. As of 1987, James Melchi had approximately 1,505,000 bees and had registered the apiary with the Michigan Department of Agriculture. In 1987, James Melchi…