Bee Hive Leasing for Agricultural Valuation
Bee Hive Leasing for Agricultural Valuation in Texas
Own land in Texas and looking to maintain or establish an agricultural valuation through beekeeping? Lockhart Honey Company provides professionally managed honey bee colonies for qualifying properties throughout Central Texas.
We provide the bees, hives, management and ongoing care. You provide the property.
How Our Hive Leasing Program Works
Lockhart Honey Company places and maintains active honey bee colonies on your property as part of a legitimate beekeeping operation. Our team handles routine hive inspections, seasonal management, feeding when necessary, queen management, mite and pest management, and other work required to maintain healthy colonies.
Our goal is simple: you shouldn't have to become a beekeeper just because you want bees as the agricultural use on your property.
How Many Hives Will I Need?
The number of colonies appropriate for a property depends on several factors, including acreage, property characteristics and the requirements of the county appraisal district.
There isn't one hive count that applies to every property in Texas.
We'll review your acreage and location with you before recommending the number of colonies for your property.
What Does It Cost?
Our hive leasing rates start at $350 per hive, per year.
For new properties, there is also a one-time setup fee starting at $500 during the first year.
Final pricing depends on factors such as the number of hives required, property location, accessibility, travel distance and any special management considerations.
For example, at our starting rate, a property requiring 12 hives would begin at:
Annual hive lease: $4,200
First-year setup: $500
First-year total: $4,700
We'll provide specific pricing after reviewing your property and determining the appropriate number of colonies and service requirements.
What's Included?
Your annual hive lease includes the colonies and equipment placed on the property along with routine management by Lockhart Honey Company.
We handle the beekeeping so you don't have to purchase equipment, source bees, learn colony management or schedule routine hive work yourself.
Our team maintains access to the apiary throughout the lease period so we can inspect and manage the colonies as needed.
New Agricultural Valuation vs. Existing Agricultural Valuation
This distinction is important.
If your property already has an agricultural valuation, transitioning the agricultural use to beekeeping may be different from establishing agricultural use on land that does not currently qualify.
Properties seeking to establish a new agricultural valuation generally must demonstrate qualifying agricultural use for at least five of the preceding seven years. Because individual circumstances and appraisal district requirements can vary, landowners should confirm their property's eligibility directly with their county appraisal district.
Because requirements and degree-of-intensity standards can vary by appraisal district, the county appraisal district—not Lockhart Honey Company—makes the final determination regarding eligibility and qualification.
We can help you understand how our hive leasing program works, but landowners should confirm the requirements for their individual property with their county appraisal district.
Why Lease Hives Instead of Managing Them Yourself?
Beekeeping involves considerably more than placing boxes of bees on a property.
Colonies require seasonal inspections, swarm management, feeding during dearths, queen evaluation, pest and disease management, equipment maintenance and preparation for winter.
With Lockhart Honey Company managing the apiary, your property benefits from professionally managed working colonies without requiring you to become responsible for managing the bees yourself.
Local Beekeepers. Real Working Colonies.
Lockhart Honey Company doesn't simply place hives on a property and walk away.
We're working Texas beekeepers.
We manage hundreds of colonies throughout Central Texas and work with honey production, pollination, hive leasing, bee removal, live bees and beekeeper education.
The colonies placed on leased properties are part of our working beekeeping operation and are actively managed by our team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to take care of the bees?
No. Lockhart Honey Company handles the routine management and care of the colonies.
Can you guarantee my property will qualify for agricultural valuation?
No. Agricultural valuation is determined by your county appraisal district. We provide professionally managed working colonies and can explain our hive leasing program, but the appraisal district determines whether a property qualifies.
Do you provide the hives and bees?
Yes. Lockhart Honey Company provides the colonies and hive equipment used in our leasing program.
Can you help me determine how many hives I need?
Yes. We'll review your acreage, location and property details and recommend an appropriate hive count based on the property and local requirements.
Interested in Hive Leasing?
The first step is determining whether your property is a good fit for our program.
Contact Lockhart Honey Company and provide:
- Property address
- County
- Total acreage
- Whether the property currently has an agricultural valuation
- Current agricultural use, if applicable
- Your name and best phone number
We'll review the property and talk with you about the next steps.
Lockhart Honey Company
729 S. Colorado St.
Lockhart, Texas
Call: 512-944-5270