Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program

BEE CRITERIA (print friendly pdf version)

Program Criteria

• For important general TAEP and Producer Diversification criteria, please refer to the 2008-2009 TAEP Application.
• Minimum requirements to participate: (3) three years beekeeping experience and (5) five existing colonies.  Applicants must report experience and number of hives in the application proposal to be eligible.
• The proposed activity must encompass quality expansion or improvement of pollination or honey production.  The eligible categories are:
• Apiary expansion
• Honey processing equipment
• Pollination services
• The requirement for 50% Cost Share is the completion of the UT Extension Hobbyist Bee Master Level Course.  Applicants may apply for 50% if they have completed or plan to attend the course.  They must submit a copy of the course completion certificate with application or reimbursement materials prior to the program reimbursement deadline to receive 50 % cost share. 

Regulatory Requirements

• Apiaries must be registered with the State of Tennessee. Contact Mike Studer with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Regulatory Services Division, at (615) 837-5317 or Mike.Studer@state.tn.us. 
• If you pack or sell more than 150 gallons of honey per year, you must be licensed and inspected by the State of Tennessee as a food manufacturing facility.  Contact John Sanford or Buddy Woodson with the TN Department of Agriculture—Regulatory Services at (615) 837-5193.

Experience Criteria

• Producers must have a minimum of three years experience to participate. Experience must be hands-on experience working with hives (colonies).
• If the producer has worked with other beekeepers and mentors in working directly with bees, he or she may count this hands-on experience toward the three year requirement.  The producer should list the beekeeper worked with, along with their contact information, and time worked to qualify towards experience.
• Producers do not have to have had ownership of hives for at least three years to be eligible.  However, producers must have current ownership of at least 5 colonies.

Sample Application

Example Application. This application is an example of a well planned activity with appropriate budget and quotes in its entirety needed for TAEP funding.

ELIGIBLE ITEMS

Apiary Expansion

Beekeeping Supplies

• Queens:  (1) Queen per new hive — Requeening of existing hives is not eligible
• Package Bees
• Nucleus Colonies

Hive or Super Equipment

• Deep Supers (Hive Bodies) 9 5/8”
• Illinois, Western, Medium Supers 6 5/8”
• Shallow Supers 6 1/4”   

Frames (Not for Maintenance of Existing Colonies)

• Deep Supers (Hive Bodies) 9 5/8”
• Illinois, Western, Medium Supers 6 5/8”
• Shallow Supers 6 1/4”

Foundation Wax (Not for Maintenance of Existing Colonies)

• Deep Supers (Hive Bodies) 9 5/8”
• Illinois, Western, Medium Supers 6 5/8”
• Shallow Supers 6 1/4”  

Hive Accessories (For Increase, Not Maintenance)

Telescoping Covers, Western or Flat Cover Bottom Boards Division Board Feeders Entrance Feeder Top Feeders Queen Excluders

Entrance Reducers Metal Frame Spacers Metal Rabbits Eyelets Frame Wire Pollen Traps

Honey Processing Equipment

Gates for Honey Storage Containers (> 5 Gallon and usually Stainless Steel) Uncapping Knives Capping Scratchers Immersion Heaters Band Heaters Drum Handling Truck Strainers

Bottling Bucket Kit Uncappers Wax Melters (mechanical or solar extractors) Honey Dispensing Tanks Honey Filters Honey Pumps Honey Bottling Valve Honey Refractometer

Pollination Services

• All items and equipment listed above are eligible under the pollination service.
• Trailers —size cannot be larger than needed for the number of colonies.  Trailers for pollination are only eligible for the 35% reimbursement.

INELIGIBLE ITEMS

Used Equipment & Materials Honey Houses Materials for Self-Made Construction Smokers Smoker Bellows Smoker Materials Hive Tools Maxant Hive Tools Section Scraping Tools Bee Brush Frame Grip(s) Frame Cleaner Labels Ross Rounds Comb Cutters Swarm Traps Observation Hives Frame Spacing Tool Frame Fixers Frame Holders Electric Embedder Frame/Form Board Coveralls Sweet Bands Sting Kill Swabs

Veils Bee Hats Beekeeping Gloves Brood Builder Medications Diagnostic Kits Small Hive Beetle Traps Queen Rearing Systems Queen Paint Markers Queen Cell Protectors Nuc Boxes Plastic Queen Cell Cups Grafting Tools Mailing Cages Queen clipping scissors Bee Escapes Bee Go (Product for moving bees out of supers) Fume Boards Honey Jars Honey Labels Jar Caps Honey Containers (buckets) Corn Syrup Sugar

Bee Master Course

TN Department of Agriculture is working with UT Extension (Instructor: John Skinner) to provide the Hobbyist Bee Master Level Course in three (3) locations across the state.  Opportunities to participate before next year’s reimbursement deadline will be provided.  The course is a 3 day course offered in the afternoons, with over 20 hours worth of training.  Check back for locations, dates and costs. Producers interested in attending the course should complete the Master Bee Course Interest Survey.

For more information regarding the Producer Diversification — Bee Cost Share Program, contact Jon Frady at        615-837-5344 or Ag.Growth@state.tn.us.

* This information is current as of June 4, 2008.

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