The Apiary Section protects honey bees in order to maintain viable populations for the purpose of pollination in Arkansas. Most recently, there were 4,101 active registered beekeepers in the state, with 6,776 active registered apiaries with a total of 62,891 colonies. A total of 11,100 colonies were visited last fiscal year.
Instructions for Arkansas Bee Yard Registration
Registration Requirement
In accordance with Arkansas Apiary Laws and Regulations, all apiaries (locations of kept bees) must be registered with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Apiary Section. To accomplish this, beekeepers are required to complete an application for Beeyard Registration within (10) days after coming into ownership or possession of bees or before moving bees from outside the state of Arkansas.
Application Review Process
At the office, the applications will be reviewed for consideration as per the apiary laws and regulations in a timely fashion. The applicant will be notified if the Registration is complete or if it is being detained due to some conflict.
Application Instructions
Most of the application is self-explanatory. You must provide the location of the bee yard as the legal description of the land (found on your property deed or property tax receipts) or as GPS coordinates.
Permanent, Temporary or Seasonal
The portion of the application that inquires if the location is “permanent, temporary or seasonal” the applicant should mark accordingly.
- Permanent hives remain in one location all year.
- Temporary is for hives that will only be in place for a short time, such as for pollination.
- Seasonal apiaries are used when a beekeeper moves hives between two or more locations in order to make different honey crops.
Owner of Land
In the column for “owner of land” write “self” if you own the land. Otherwise, provide the name of the property owner.
Apiary Name or Number
In the box that reads (Apiary Name or Number) We are asking for a name you can remember for this specific yard. This is a way to communicate with you about a specific location. Give it any name you wish (Number 1, Home, Big Field, Smith Pasture, Red Barn, etc.)
Contact Information
For more information, questions about this process, or help in filling out the application, contact Amanda at the Apiary Section Office at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture at (501) 219-6354 or visit:
https://www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/plant-industries/regulatory-section/apiary
Submission Instructions
Return the completed form by mail or email:
Bee Yard Registration Form: Please download the form to your computer, fill it out, and hit to submit button to return it to [email protected] and [email protected].
Mailing Address
Apiary Section
P.O. Box 1069
Little Rock, AR 72203
Inspections
Purpose of Inspections
Inspections of bee yards and colonies serve the purpose of finding potential diseases or other bee ailments or unwanted species and taking care of them in ways that are consistent with the Apiary Laws and Regulations and the Plant Act in order to minimize the negative effects and spread of honeybee ailments.
More often than not, diseases and other serious bee problems are not found to be out of control but there are situations when the beekeeper may need some guidance in dealing with various honeybee situations.
In certain circumstances quarantines have to be put in place to minimize the spread of specific bee problems.
These quarantines are removed as soon as the requirements of the quarantine have been met and the problem is found to be under control.
Education During Inspections
During inspections our inspectors also take the time to educate the beekeeper about different facets of modern beekeeping methods.
Inspection Priorities
Because the apiary section is short staffed, we find it necessary to prioritize the inspections we do.
Priorities are based on several factors that include:
- trouble areas
- movements
- sales (or transfers of ownerships)
- historic problem areas
- requests for inspections
Beekeeper Responsibilities
The way the regulations are written, they put the burden of requesting inspections on the beekeeper in certain circumstances.
The beekeeper is obligated to contact the Apiary Section office to request an inspection:
- when they are planning to move bees
- when they are planning to sell or transfer the ownership of bees
Not notifying the Department of Agriculture prior to these circumstances is inconsistent with the Apiary Laws and Regulations.
Beekeepers can also request inspections when they suspect problems or need guidance.
Coordination with Inspectors
The inspector will always make efforts to coordinate inspections with the beekeeper.
When possible the inspector would prefer that the beekeeper is present to:
- observe the inspection
- open the hives
- remove supers
- avail requested frames for inspection
- close the hives after the inspection
Laws that Affect Beekeepers
Overview
Beyond the Arkansas’s Apiary laws and regulations, beekeepers can be affected by other laws.
Arkansas, other states and the Federal Government have laws on the books that can affect beekeepers in their beekeeping endeavors.
Pesticides, Herbicides, and Antibiotics
General Information
Honeybees produce a food product and that creates issues that laws address.
The most obvious of these involve the use (or misuse) of chemicals.
Pesticides and antibiotics must be registered with the Federal Government and with state governments.
Regulation and Oversight
Depending on whether they are pesticides, herbicides, or antibiotics, their uses, and methods of use, are strictly described by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
After their registration by the federal government, the distributor or manufacturer of a chemical or drug is required to get the label registered in each state.
Legal Use Requirements
The directions must describe the legal use and any variance of that is an infraction.
Plant Board officials are mandated to report such infractions.
Section 18 Products
There are some products that the EPA does not really like but due to special circumstances, will allow their temporary use through an annually renewable Section 18.
Section 18s can be thought of as temporary permits for a non-registered product.
They also come with precise directions that must be followed.
Reporting Requirements
In the case of Section 18 products, a report must be filled within 10 days of using the product.
This report must be filed with the EPA through the State Plant Board.
Additional Resource
For your convenience, the reporting form for Section 18 Product Use is available in this website.
Other State’s Laws
Bees also are social insects that live both in crowded conditions and go out and mingle with other bees.
This creates issues of contagious situations and the passing on of parasites, pathogens and unwanted species that are addressed by our apiary laws and regulations and those of other states.
Movement of Bees Across State Lines
For those reasons, our laws and regulations and those of other states are concerned with the movement of bees across state lines.
Almost all states have laws concerning the movement of bees and these laws and regulations must be obeyed when moving bees into or through other states.
Assistance
Our office can help you in being sure you are in compliance with all related laws.
- Apiary Rules and Regulations
- To request an apiary inspection email [email protected].
Arkansas Honey Bees and Africanized Honey Bees
Benefits of honey bees:
- Provide 80% of the bee pollination required for fruit, vegetables, flowers and seed crops
- Pollinate forage crops such as alfalfa and clover which are fed to dairy and meat animals
- Produce honey, wax and other products
Hives of honey bees managed by beekeepers play an important part in our lives. These bees are necessary for the pollination of many crops. One-third of our diet relies on honey bee pollination.
Efforts taken to control Africanized honey bees must assure the continued maintenance of beekeepers’ hives. If honey bees were eliminated in an area, the wild Africanized honey bees would quickly fill the gap.
People can coexist with the Africanized honey bees by learning about the bee and its habits, supporting beekeeping efforts and taking a few precautions.
Africanized Honey Bees
The Africanized honey bee is a hybrid of one of the several European honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera mellifera, A.m.carnica, A.m.caucasia, or A.m.linguica) and the African Honey Bee (Apis mellifera scutellata). The hybrid is virtually indistinguishable in the field from the common honey bee. The Africanized honey bee will set up colonies in all the same areas as the European honey bee and will also nest close to or in the ground. The most noticeable difference between the two types of bees is that Africanized honey bees are extremely aggressive in defense of the colony. At any perceived threat, bees can “swarm” out of the colony and attack, stinging in large numbers, sometimes in the hundreds.
The introduction of the Africanized bee into Arkansas has been closely monitored by the placement of traps along the Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana borders. Fifty two traps are currently in Arkansas. Swarm traps are placed in trap lines along the Oklahoma and Louisiana borders, along Africanized Honey Bee (AHB) counties in Arkansas, and in strategic locations. There have been about twenty positive locations verified in Arkansas since 2005. Counties with positive finds include: Miller, Lafayette, Clark, Columbia, Bradley, Nevada, Faulkner, Baxter, Howard and Union counties.
All colored areas were previously quarantined because of Africanized honey bees. Beekeepers should use extreme caution when moving or relocating honey bees in these counties.
The Arkansas Beekeeper’s Year
Disclaimer
Arkansas is a very diversified state. While it does not cover a large landmass, it includes a wide variety of topographical, geological, and agricultural conditions. This diversity makes it difficult to create a single set of rules without variation.
Conditions can differ significantly even within regions such as hills, bottoms, and delta areas. Climate, crops, and available forage all vary from place to place.
For this reason, the following information should be used as a general guideline only. Beekeepers should adapt practices to their local conditions. Beekeeping is both an art and a science that requires ongoing observation and adjustment.
This guide is not intended to be a perfect calendar or to provide specific recommendations for medication use. It is designed to give hobbyists and new beekeepers a general understanding of the Arkansas beekeeping year.
December
- Medications should be completed.
- Bees that need feeding should already have food in the hive.
- Harvesting and extraction should be finished.
- Focus on cleanup and indoor projects.
- Clean up bee yards and take inventory of needed repairs.
January
- Catch up on reading and education.
- Make wax products.
- Build frames.
- Prepare and enjoy honey-based foods.
- Repair, paint, and clean equipment.
- Order equipment, supplies, queens, and bees for the upcoming season.
February
- Take advantage of warm days to check for a laying queen.
- Inspect briefly for diseases.
- Ensure bees have adequate winter food stores.
- Feed if necessary using a non-stimulating mixture (two parts sugar to one part water).
Seasonal Notes:
- Clean up and repair season
- Build-up and swarming season
March
- Be prepared for possible cold snaps.
- Monitor brood areas and ensure colonies have enough food.
- Combine weaker colonies with stronger ones if needed (use newspaper between boxes).
- Be prepared to feed when necessary.
- Reverse brood chambers to support colony expansion.
- Complete medication use before honey production begins.
- Switch to a stimulating feed (one part sugar to one part water) to simulate nectar flow.
- Replace old frames with foundation.
- Remove mouse guards from stronger colonies.
April
- Replace queens that are more than a year old.
- Make splits if increasing colony numbers.
- Install packages or purchase new bees.
- Focus on swarm control.
- Ensure colonies are using available space before adding supers.
- Move frames to encourage brood expansion.
- Finish miticide treatments.
- Remove antibiotics at least 30 days before adding honey supers.
- Check newly introduced queens after installation.
- Destroy swarm cells weekly if not increasing colony numbers.
- Equalize weaker and stronger colonies.
May
- Nectar flow is beginning in most areas.
- Continue monitoring for swarm activity.
- Watch for queen cells.
- Add supers as colonies grow and crowding occurs.
- “Under supering” or “baiting” supers may improve usage.
June
- Honey flow is well underway.
- Ensure colonies have enough space.
- Avoid adding unnecessary supers.
- Monitor mite levels closely.
- Be prepared to prioritize colony health over honey production if needed.
July
- Honey flow may end in hill regions.
- Major flows begin in bottomland and delta areas.
- Harvest honey before bitterweed affects flavor (in hills).
- Leave enough honey for colony needs.
- Prepare for summer flows in cotton and soybean areas.
August
- Hill regions typically experience a nectar dearth.
- Delta regions may still have strong nectar flows.
Management Focus:
- Hills: Begin mite control
- Delta: Ensure adequate super space
September
- Cotton and soybean nectar flows are ending.
- Begin removing honey supers.
- Monitor and manage Varroa mite populations.
- Fall nectar sources may include:
- Spanish Needles
- Goldenrod
- Asters
These should support winter food stores.
- Begin fall medication for:
- Foulbrood prevention
- Tracheal mite control
- Varroa mite control
- Fall requeening may be done during this time.
October
- Finalize winter preparation.
- Check recently installed queens.
- Ensure adequate honey stores for winter.
- Feed if necessary using a heavy mixture (two parts sugar to one part water).
- Feed Fumidil-B® for Nosema control if needed.
- Reduce hive size to match colony strength.
- Complete extraction and finalize mite and antibiotic treatments.
November
- Combine weak colonies with stronger ones.
- Install mouse guards.
- Clean and organize bee yards.
- Complete any final feeding.
This is also a time to reflect on the value of bees, their pollination, and honey production.