Ag Valuation Questionnaire – Collin County – 2025

Clients in Collin County now have a questionnaire to fill out for their annual ag valuation for honeybees.   Here are some of the answers I can provide for you for filling that out – for properties where I am managing bees on your land:

• When did you obtain equipment – (when placed on your property – each property/client will have a different start date)
• Type of Bees:  Apis Mellifera (european honeybee)
• Who’s the 3rd party bee wrangler:  Harmony Hollow Apiary / Rex Smith
• Education – Texas Master Beekeeper Program + I teach classes for several bee schools in central Texas, and am active with Trinity Valley Beekeepers Assn. in Dallas
• Queen Replacement – When signs of low population or behavior that is not conducive to management (i.e. excessively aggressively defensive, or no VSH qualities, etc)
• Africanized bee prevention:  See above answer for queen replacement
• Fire ant prevention:   Has not been an issue.  Granules such as Amdro are fine for placing on the ground under the hive stands, though.
• Planting / Pollination : I’d suggest you have a garden so the bees can pollinate food for human consumption, or production of food for human consumption (i.e. honey).  Texas property tax code states: ““the use of land to raise or keep bees for pollination or for the production of human food or other tangible products having a commercial value.”  – which is what is stated in the Texas Tax code for bees for ag – pics of a garden or field are good documentation for you to have)  I also have a page on my website with a list of fantastic plants that benefit from the bees – and provide food for humans and other wildlife.  It’s pretty specific to each individual property – so you’ll need to provide that answer for your land.
• Relocation of hives:  Done if needed to do utility work or if they are a nuisance to neighbors.  I try to eliminate the need for moving in the beginning placement by not having them near property lines where there is a structure nearby.
• Winterizing:  In Texas – we simply make sure they have ample honey / syrup stores left on the hives in the Fall as we enter winter – and I supplement with nutrition sugar bricks.  Winter losses are expected, and are replaced in spring as soon as bees are available for placing on properties.
• Expected harvests:   Bees ( more livestock) are the most common harvest, queens, honey – if excess is produced, and possibly wax are also produced.   Note that the lives and health of the bees is FIRST in my management – and honey production is not “expected” – but is great if it happens.
• Expected production:  (presuming a question for honey: ) Unknown each year.  Depends on flowers, rainfall frequency and amount, and heat, as well as available nearby forage.  Strong colonies are used to create more hives to help cover upcoming expected winter losses.
• How I’m making my product... – Honey (if produced) is extracted and sold.  Wax is melted with a solar wax melter, and used to re-coat foundation for the hive frames.    More livestock is made by producing splits from strong colonies.
• Prevention and control of diseases:  Small Hive Beetle (SHB) Traps are added to most hives.  Wax moths are watched for – and excess space is minimized for the bee populations.  Periodic testing for mite load – and treatment with Oxalic Acid and / or ApiGuard.  Long-Term – queen genetics that provide the ability to deal with disease is optimal – but until then – treatments are utilized when needed.
• Transport Permits:  – As of 2023 legislative session – TAIS no longer issues intrastate transport permits.  They do maintain a list of beekeepers of reference for each property – and I have listed myself as beekeeper for all my clients’ properties.
• Other Documentation / Evidence:  The questionnaire mentions photos.  Take pics of the hives!   (Better to over-document!!) I’ll try to take pics when I open the hives and can text those to you periodically.   Otherwise – pics of the hives can be used – best, though, of you can discern bee activity at the entrance.  Be safe around the hives, though – I’ll take pics when I am there to manage the bees.   Feel free to provide a copy of our Colony Management Agreement – or the Land Access Agreement.   Those are written to continue on a quarterly basis after the contract dates end – so if you would like a freshly dated contract – let me know and we can sign a fresh copy.   I also provide at the end of each year – an Annual Synopsis for each client – where I show how many hives are on a property, and what was produced that has commercial value.  ( honey, nucleus colonies, queens, etc).