Calling those that do bee keeping for ag exemption

[jcamp]

What is the initial start up cost like and how much time do they occupy? Looking for an overall run down if what it takes to have bees.

Thanks in advance


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[Gummi Bear]

You want to buy established hives, or start your own from nuc? It's pretty neat to watch them grow as a colony, but there is maybe some security in buying an established hive. You'll pay a bit more for an established as well. No wrong answer here, just whichever approach seems most appealing to you.

A bunch of the equipment, you can buy second hand. Mrs has found us some great deals on Facebook beekeeping communities. I even bought some equipment from a member here (which is working out really well, BTW)

We have one hive right now, I'm about to start another soon.

Our circumstances are a little different, my daughter got a scholarship through FFA with the local beekeeping club (https://www.metrobeekeepers.net Can't say enough nice things about everyone that we've met) We go to class, and have a mentor. So far, they're doing pretty well.


Find your local beekeeping club, and start attending meetings and classes. Build up some contacts to learn from (everyone seems eager to share what they know, it's pretty fun)

We check on the hive once a week (maybe an hour or so), and top off the feeder as needed (we feed full time for the first year, as the hive is establishing itself, they consume a lot of resources building out the hive)

You'll need to keep an eye on hive invaders (moths, beetles, roaches, ants) and take action against them as necessary.

[1riot1ranger]

Check to see how many hives you have to have. I believe they have a formula of so many hives per acre to qualify for ag exemption. Definitely was not a hobby when I looked at it. May still put out a couple of hives sometime but not for the ag exemp. (I went with the wildlife management plan.)

[buzzbait]

I do carpenter (wood) bees. All I have to do is provide them a place to live. No hive management. Has to be less than 20 acres though. I live on 14 so I needed 10 houses.

[Gunswayne]

I started with 2 hives last year(initial cost was two nucs $450 plus two complete hive bodies $350ish). I have 11 hives now. I check up on them most days but do actual hive inspections every week and a half to two weeks from spring until fall and a few times on warm days in winter. It used to take me several hours but now that I know what i'm looking for(brood of all stages, no queen cells, no pests) i can go thru a hive in a few minutes.
My bees have cost me from $0 per hive to $225 each. I have bought 4 of them and caught or trapped out the rest. I've spent around 3k in equipment so far. It's cheapest to build your own, lots of plans on the internet. Next best option is to buy unassembled and put everything together and paint.
I'm currently making my first honey harvest and that's a whole new set of expenses for the equipment. Kinda like hunting, a never ending money pit. lol
It has turned into a family affair, my teen boys and my dad help me and my wife is all into things she can make with the honey and wax.
The amount of hives you have to maintain depends on your county and the amount of land you have. I'm required to have 6 hives on my 5 acres for 5 years before i'm eligible for the tax break, I think. I need to talk with them at the extension office to get the rest of the details i'm ignorant of but for right now i'm just enjoying working them.

[toledo]

I do carpenter (wood) bees. All I have to do is provide them a place to live. No hive management. Has to be less than 20 acres though. I live on 14 so I needed 10 houses.

Can you tell us more about this? I thought the production of honey for human consumption was what made bees a possibility for exemption?

Also do they qualify under Ag or Wildlife exemption?

[Mountaineer]

I'm interested in finding somebody to set up their own hives on a 15ac piece of property I'm buying in Hunt county. I won't be living there or have time to check on them myself regularly. Are there beekeepers out there that put their bees on other properties like a free bee lease? I'm trying to get it back in Ag exempt and also want more pollinators around.

[Beeman]

Just find a beekeeper who needs a place to put bees, let them do the work and you have no out of pocket expense ,

[bowhuntvideo]

Takes 6 hives in Ellis Co. Probably have about $1200 in new boxes and 3 nucs. Thought we might catch the other 3 but it’s looking like I’ll just buy them next spring. $200 each.


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[buzzbait]

https://agrilifecdn.tamu.edu/coastalbend/files/2015/02/Colorado-County-Ag-Manual.pdf

Number 10

[buzzbait]

The Texas Tax Code Section 23.51 (2) was amended to include in the definition of agricultural use “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, provided that the land used is not less than 5 or more than 20 acres.”

[friscopaint]

The Texas Tax Code Section 23.51 (2) was amended to include in the definition of agricultural use “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, provided that the land used is not less than 5 or more than 20 acres.”

Wonder if that means 5 acres regardless of what county says, our county 10 acres is minimum for ag

[buzzbait]

From what I understand it’s a County by county basis. Colorado County has a low bee population

[AggieDoc08]

Depends on how many hives you are required to have. We have 9 acres under exemption and are required to have 7 hives in Montgomery county. I believe the calculation was 5 hives for the first 5 acres, then 1 hive for every 2 acres over the 5 acre minimum.

You also must have the property currently in ag exemption of some sort to convert to bees.

My equipment startup cost for the 7 hives pushed upwards of $2K. I agree with above, it's cheaper to build your own or buy unassembled boxes, but time played a huge factor for me last year and I just needed to get them done to meet the April 30th deadline. I was also initially going to buy 6 established hives at $1800 for the pallet, but ended up catching a ton of swarms last year and was able to cancel my order. Nothing better than free bees from mother nature!

Another thing to remember about buying established hives is even though they are established and mated, doesn't necessarily mean they'll stick around after moving them onto your property. Theres nothing worse than paying $300-400 for an established colony, just to have them abscond within the first week of moving them onto your property. I'm not saying it happens every time or extremely often, but it's a known risk you take. Another reason I've tried to trap most of my colonies.

We got about 25lbs of honey last year off our first harvest. Not much, but considering we didn't expect anything that season, it was an added bonus and allowed us to give out a bunch of samples to everyone. Checked the hives yesterday and looks like we've got about 150lbs ready and waiting to be pulled, just have to find the time to do it.

It's definitely a lot of fun and the whole family can get involved. Bees a very interesting creatures and despite startup costs, we will make up for that in sales rather quickly, not to mention the significant tax savings!

Good luck with your decision and feel free to PM me anytime if you have questions about starting up. I'm definitely still in the learning process, but happy to help if I can.

[Gummi Bear]

I'm interested in finding somebody to set up their own hives on a 15ac piece of property I'm buying in Hunt county. I won't be living there or have time to check on them myself regularly. Are there beekeepers out there that put their bees on other properties like a free bee lease? I'm trying to get it back in Ag exempt and also want more pollinators around.

There absolutely is a demand for this.

Contact your local beekeeping club, and ask around. Chances are, you might have several interested, and you can interview for the person ya feel most comfortable with.





I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau