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.  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).