I'm just a beekeeper hobbyist with 8 hives. I'm registered with the
state of Louisiana as such. We felt the effects of Katrina and Rita
almost back to back. We evacuated and had to stay away for a time. When
I was able to get back into my hives, 4 of the bigger, well established
hives loss the covers and 6" of rain saturated the hives. I couldn't
even put the covers back on because the inside covers were swollen from
the rain. I noticed the bees left and the brood died. Within a couple of
weeks I noticed that the wax moths were trying to settle in. Nothing was
salvagable. If I didn't have to pay attention to human lives and
property damage or if I could have gotten back sooner, I may have been
able to salvage them. So now I'm down to 4 hives, mostly starters.
My property is insured through AllState and I'm still waiting for the
adjuster to visit. In the meantime, I took pictures of the hives as I
found them. I did not take pictures of the inner parts of the hives. One
hive was even stacked unevenly like a small child would stack blocks
unevenly. I'm still not sure how the wind did that. None of them flipped
or toppled.
Since I'm not a commercial operation, will my policy cover my bees and
the hives? I feel they are my personal property. What should I look for
on my policy as an exclusion(wording of it) that perhaps give them a way
out or not? I'm insured for all structures on the property. In my mind,
each hive is a structure with a foundation(cinder blocks) and they have
roofs(covers). Can anyone give me recommendations on how to talk to the
adjuster? One agent who was down to assist the local agents told me she
felt they were my personal property and it should cover it, however I
was told not the quote her.
We have a tractor shed that collapsed and my 1948 Allis Chalmers WD made
it. So the insurance will only have minor damage to my home, the
collapsed shed and my beehives. I have a $500 deductible.
Anyone's feedback would be appreciated.
51 days since the storm hit
Buddy Gauthier
Beekeeper Hobbyist
60 miles WSW of New Orleans LA
P.S. I did call the USDA and our county agent. They both sympathized and
took my information down. With wood and replacement bees, we calculated
$650 not even counting the honey loss and potential loss for spring.(not
even sure how to calculate that). They both said that they were pushing
for a relief package for farmers and I might not fall under that
umbrella not being a commercial entity. I also applied to FEMA for a
Small Business Loan, but I'm not keen on borrowing any more money. I'm
too stretched out already. 

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---