Section 5B-54.001 - Definitions(1) For the purpose of this chapter, the definitions in Section 586.02, F.S., and the following definitions shall apply: (a) Authorized Representative. Any designated employee, inspector, or collaborator of the department or the United States Department of Agriculture.(b) Backyard Beekeeper: A beekeeper who maintains 1 to 40 colonies on agricultural or non-agricultural property.(c) Certificate of Inspection. An official document stipulating compliance with the requirements of this chapter. The term certificate may include label, rubber stamp imprint, tag permit, written statement, or any form of inspection and certification document which accompanies the movement of inspected and certified honey bees, honey bee equipment or other regulated articles.(d) Certificate of Registration. An official document issued by the department to honey bee colony owners as evidence of being properly registered with the department in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.(e) Commercial Beekeeper. A beekeeper who maintains 101 colonies or more on agricultural or non-agricultural property for income.(f) Continuing Education Unit (CEU). A measure used in acquiring educational merit needed for a professional to maintain a business license.(g) Division Director. The director of the Division of Plant Industry.(h) Honey bee (also known as honeybee): means all species of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera). Managed colonies in the state of Florida are those that have European sub-species of Apis mellifera contained therein.(i) Motherline. The queen or hive from which eggs or larvae are taken for queen rearing.(j) Nucleus hive (nucs). A small colony of bees often used in making new increases and queen rearing, or the box in which the small colony of honey bees resides. The term refers to the fact that the essentials; bees, brood, food, a queen or the means to make one, are there for it to grow into a colony, but it is not a full sized colony.(k) Queen Breeder. A beekeeper that rears queens for sale or trade.(l) Sideline Beekeeper. A beekeeper who maintains 41 to 100 colonies on agricultural or non-agricultural property for income.(m) Stock Dealer. A beekeeper that produces nucs, colonies, or other arrangements consisting of frames with comb, honey bees, and a queen for the purpose of sale or trade that at any time maintains physical possession of such stock.(n) USDA. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Plant Protection and Quarantine.(o) Top-Bar Hive (TBH). A single-story horizontal construction, frameless beehive in which the comb hangs from removable bars or slats.(2) The purpose of this chapter is to identify and declare as nuisances those honey bee pests and unwanted races of honey bees which are known to science and considered to seriously threaten Florida's beekeeping industry. It is also the purpose of this chapter to provide guidelines for registering beekeepers and the placement of honey bee colonies, conducting inspection, control, eradication, and regulatory action to prevent the establishment of honey bee pests and unwanted races of honey bees, to provide early detection of any new pests, and to prevent or control their distribution within the state if infestation occurs.Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 5B-54.001
Rulemaking Authority 586.10(2) FS. Law Implemented 586.02, 586.11 FS.
New 11-22-88, Amended 6-20-00, 1-1-14, Amended by Florida Register Volume 44, Number 050, March 13, 2018 effective 3/27/2018.New 11-22-88, Amended 6-20-00, 1-1-14, 3-27-18.