![]() ![]() In a typical Langstroth hive, the boxes are stacked one upon the other, regardless of how high they get stacked. Therefore a hive is one colony of bees AND the box or boxes they live in and store food in. Even though a bee colony starts out with one box, it may grow to need many. Equipment or hive boxes are the boxes that you will provide to each colony for living, colony growth, and honey storage. The colony includes the Queen, Drones, and Worker bees. Local County AG Requirements Download WHAT IS A HIVE? HOW MANY BOXES IS THAT?Ī bee colony is the family of bees living together in one set of boxes. For example, Travis County and Williamson County both require adding another hive for each additional 2 acres, whereas Hays County requires another hive for every additional 1.5 acres. Eggs and Larvae HOW MANY HIVES ARE REQUIRED?Įach county sets its own minimum standards, but typically you will need 6 hives for the first 5 acres plus 1 more hive for every 1.5 – 2 additional acres. We offer classes and consulting, and we sell nucs and equipment. The beekeepers at Texas Honey Bee Farm are here to help you! We are the one-stop-shop to get you off to the best start. It all depends on the location of your land, availability of bees, and the amount of time and money you have to spend. You can also hire us to manage your bee colonies for you and advise you on what to buy. You can read some books, take some classes, or join a beekeeping club. There are several options to help with this concern. For instance, I have seen properties in Travis County go from a regular tax value of $40,000-$70,000 per acre down to an AG value of $2,000 per acre!!! Would you rather pay property tax on $40,000 or on $2,000? EXACTLY! Family Fun I DON’T KNOW HOW TO KEEP BEES! Counties we have worked with seem to be using “orchard values” on the property once it goes into AG, which means thousands of dollars in tax savings for you. BUT, if you have HIGH property taxes now, you will likely be VERY pleased with the new valuation. The Ag valuation savings number is different for everyone depending on what county you are in and how many acres you have and your land values, of course. Either take a homestead exemption or be working on AG, not both at once on the same acreage. No ‘double-dipping’ with your exemptions. Keep in mind as you are working AG, you won’t qualify for the homestead exemption on those extra acres, so your taxes will be higher until you achieve AG. The remainder of land (minimum of 5 acres) will be to start the new AG valuation. If you live on the land and have your house and homestead there, you will need to set aside approximately 1 acre of the land for your house/homestead. Expert Help WHAT ABOUT MY HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION? Each county appraisal district sets their own rules for eligibility, so be sure to talk with your county appraisal district and to stay current with rules year to year. That means you utilize the land in beekeeping for 5 years in a row and the 6th year your taxes will go down if you meet all the requirements for your county. ![]() AG use is required for 5 of the last 7 years in order to begin receiving the lower valuation. ![]() You may be able to buy or lease bee colonies to keep on your land and lower your property taxes. 23.51 – (2) “Agricultural use” includes but is not limited to the following activities: ….”The term also includes 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.” 5-20 ACRES OF LANDĪmount of land required and you must not live in a subdivision that has restrictions against bees or AG usage. ![]() Texas Tax Code: Chapter 23, Subchapter D. Or maybe you want cute little goats, like I did, until my husband told me to “google: GOAT ON CAR”! Not my car, no thanks! Now we keep bees and we can help you get started with an amazing hobby or part-time business! And that’s just one advantage of using beekeeping for AG valuation instead of raising cattle on your 5-20 acre parcel. ![]()
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