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Committee approves bill to raise hobbyist beehive limits and registration sites
Summary
The committee concurred, as amended, on House Bill 624 to increase allowed hobbyist beehives from five to ten and to permit up to five registration sites; sponsors said the change improves disease tracking after heavy colony losses.
The Senate Agriculture, Livestock & Irrigation Committee voted to concur on House Bill 624 as once amended. Representative Eric Tillman, sponsor of the bill, said the measure increases the number of hobbyist beehives an individual may register from five to ten and allows hobbyists to register up to five locations, aiming to improve registration compliance and disease response after heavy colony losses.
Ian Foley, ag sciences administrator for the Department of Agriculture, described Montana’s four licensing categories for beekeepers (commercial, landowner, pollination service, and hobbyist) and explained that registration by site helps the state inform owners in the event of pest or disease outbreaks. Committee members questioned the scale of recent colony losses; the sponsor corrected an earlier exaggerated figure and said the correct figure was that nearly half of colonies died in a recent year.
The committee considered a technical amendment to the site limit and, after discussion and a voice vote with some recorded no votes, concurred on HB624 as once amended. A senator volunteered to carry the bill on the floor.
What’s next: HB624 was concurred in committee and will be carried by a sponsor to the next legislative stage.
