DISASTER ASSISTANCE

Honey and Honeybee Programs

NAP

NAP Overview

Under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance 

Program (NAP), eligible honey includes table and 

non-table honey produced commercially for human 

consumption.

NAP provides financial assistance to producers of 

noninsurable crops to protect against natural disasters 

that result in lower yields or crop losses or prevents 

crop planting. To qualify for assistance, covered crop 

losses must occur as a result of an eligible cause of 

loss during the coverage period and directly cause, 

accelerate, or exacerbate destruction or deterioration 

of the eligible crop as determined by the county 

committee. 

NAP offers basic 50/55 coverage equivalent at 50 

percent of a producer’s approved yield and 55 percent 

of the average market price. (Must have greater than 

50 percent loss for payment.)

Additionally, buy-up coverage levels are available 

(except for crops intended for grazing). Coverage 

is available from 50 percent to 65 percent of the 

approved yield, in 5 percent increments, at 100

percent of the average market price. Producers 

must have successfully grown the crop in a prior 

year to be eligible for buy-up Coverage.

Service Fees and Premium Cost

The NAP service fee is $325 per crop per administrative 

county. All honey is considered a single crop regardless 

of type or variety of floral source, intended use, 

or where the honey is produced. As a result, the 

administrative service fee of $325 will be applicable.

Basic 50/55 Coverage is available for the $325 service 

fee. Producers who qualify as beginning, limited 

resource, socially disadvantaged, or veteran farmers or 

ranchers are eligible for a service fee waiver and a 50 

percent reduction of buy-up premium.

Honey producers selecting buy-up coverage must pay 

the service fee in addition to a premium equal to the 

product of multiplying the producer’s share, times the 

highest number of eligible colonies reported at any 

time during the crop year, times the approved yield, 

times the coverage level, times 100 percent of the 

average market price, times 5.25 percent.

ELAP

ELAP OVERVIEW

The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, 

and Farm Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides 

emergency assistance to eligible producers of 

livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish who have 

losses because of disease, adverse weather, or other 

conditions, including losses because of blizzards 

and wildfires. 

Eligible Honeybee Losses

Colony Loss: 

• Losses in excess of normal mortality as a direct 

result of an eligible adverse weather or loss 

condition. The normal mortality rate for 2020 is 

22 percent.

• Physically located in the county where the eligible 

adverse weather or loss condition occurred on the 

beginning date of the eligible adverse weather or 

loss condition.

Hive Loss:

• Damaged or destroyed as a result of an eligible 

adverse weather event or loss condition.

Purchased Feed:

• Purchased feed intended for honeybees that was 

lost, or additional feed purchased above normal 

quantities to sustain honeybees for a period 

of time until additional feed becomes available 

because of an eligible adverse weather or eligible 

loss condition.

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023 fsa.usda.gov/ELAP
NAP

Eligible Causes of Loss

Eligible causes of loss must be the result of a natural 

disaster. 

• Damaging weather, such as drought, freeze, hail, 

excessive moisture, excessive wind, lightning or 

hurricanes;

• Adverse natural occurrences, such as earthquake 

or flood; and

• Conditions related to damaging weather or adverse 

natural occurrences, such as excessive heat, plant 

disease, volcanic smog, wildfire or insect infestation 

may also be considered.

The natural disaster must occur during the coverage 

period, before or during harvest, and must directly 

affect the eligible crop.

How Do I Earn a Payment?

Honey producers may request NAP coverage by 

completing an Application for Coverage and paying the 

NAP service fee by the application closing date. The 

NAP application closing date for honey is December 31 

of the prior calendar year. Buy-Up coverage premiums 

will be billed at a later date.

Producers must timely file acreage (colony) reports 

and production records by reporting pounds of honey 

produced per colony of bees per crop year. When a 

natural disaster occurs, a Notice of Loss must be filed 

within 15 calendar days of the date of the disaster.

 Losses will be calculated by multiplying the producer’s 

highest number of eligible colonies reported at any 

time in the crop year times the producer’s approved 

yield and subtracting the producer’s total actual and 

assigned production of honey from all the producer’s 

colonies. 

Producers requesting payment must file an application 

for payment no later than March 1 of the subsequent 

calendar year.

ELAP

Eligible Adverse Weather Events and Loss 

Conditions for Colony & Hive Losses

For honeybee colony and hive losses to be eligible, the 

honeybee producer must have suffered physical loss of 

honeybee colonies or hive loss because of an eligible 

adverse weather event or loss condition, including but 

not limited to:

• colony collapse disorder (colony loss only);

• eligible extreme cold, eligible sustained cold, and 

eligible winter storm as defined in 1-ELAP, Exhibit 2, 

for colony losses only; or

• earthquake, excessive wind, flood, hurricane, 

lightning, tornado, volcanic eruption or wildfire.

fsa.usda.gov/ELAP

HONEYBEE AND HONEYBEE PROGRAMS 2

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023
NAP

Producer Responsibilities 

1. OBTAIN COVERAGE

Eligible producers must apply for coverage and pay the 

applicable service fee or certify as a beginning limited 

resource socially disadvantaged, or veteran farmer/

rancher by December 31 preceding the production 

year. (Example: Coverage for 2021 production of honey 

must be obtained by December 31, 2020).

• NAP offers Basic 50/55 coverage equivalent to CAT 

insurance at 50 percent of a producer’s approved 

yield and 55 percent of the average market price, 

• Buy-up coverage levels are available from 50 

percent to 65 percent of the approved yield, in 5 

percent increments, at 100 percent of the average 

market price.

2. REPORT ACREAGE

FSA uses acreage reports to verify the existence of the 

crop, to record the number of colonies, and report 

the names and shares of all producers sharing in the 

colonies for producing honey, pollinating, or breeding. 

Honey producers must file their report by January 2 

and must notify the administrative FSA county office 

within 30 calendar days when changes occur 

in the: 

• Total number of colonies. 

• Names of additional counties to which bees are 

moved.

The colony and the production reports are used to 

calculate the approved yield (expected production for 

a crop year). The highest number of eligible colonies 

reported at any time in the crop year is used.

3. NOTIFY FSA WHEN A LOSS OCCURS

When a loss occurs, the producer must notify the FSA 

county office and complete a notice of loss within 15 

calendar days of the earlier of: 

• A natural disaster occurrence;

• the date a loss is apparent; or

• the normal harvest date.

4. FILE APPLICATION FOR PAYMENT

Producers requesting payment must provide 

acceptable production records and file an application 

for payment no later than March 1 of the subsequent 

calendar year.

ELAP

Producer Responsibilities 

1. REPORT ACREAGE

FSA uses acreage reports to verify the existence of the 

honeybee colonies, record the number of colonies, and 

report the names and shares of all producers sharing 

in the colonies for producing honey, pollinating, or 

breeding.

Honeybee producers must file their acreage report 

by January 2 and must complete additional acreage 

reports in the recording FSA county office within 30 

calendar days of when colonies are: 

• acquired, split, bought, or sold. 

• transported into, or out of the county. 

2. NOTIFY FSA WHEN A LOSS OCCURS

When a loss occurs, the producer must notify the FSA 

county office and complete a notice of loss no later 

than the program application deadline of January 30 

following the program year in which the loss occurred.

A notice of loss is part of the application process.

3. FILE APPLICATION FOR PAYMENT AND PROVIDE 

DOCUMENTATION

In addition to the notice of loss, a participant must 

submit a completed application for payment no later 

than January 30, after the end of the program year 

in which the loss occurred. The ELAP program year is 

January 1 – December 31. 

4. DOCUMENTATION FOR PRODUCERS TO PROVIDE: 

For eligible honeybee colony and hive losses, the 

participant must provide:

• proof of beginning inventory for the program year 

of honeybee colonies and honeybee hives such as, 

but not limited to, any of the following:

• a report of acreage (colonies reported). 

• loan records.

• private insurance documents.

• property tax records.

• records of purchase and sales transaction of 

honeybee colonies and hives throughout the 

program year.

• state colony registration.

fsa.usda.gov/ELAP

HONEYBEE AND HONEYBEE PROGRAMS 3

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023
NAP

5. PROVIDE PRODUCTION TO UPDATE 

APPROVED YIELD

It is the producer’s responsibility to maintain verifiable 

or reliable production evidence to support their actual 

production history (APH). The approved yield is an 

average of a producer’s APH for a minimum of four 

to a maximum of 10 crop years. To calculate APH, FSA 

divides a producer’s total production by the highest 

number of eligible colonies reported at any time during 

the year.

Honey production must be reported by January 2 

following the crop year in which a report of colonies 

was filed. The total amount of honey production 

includes all honey harvested in the calendar year.

Please maintain storage or sales records for 

future verification.

ELAP

• proof that the participant is following best 

management practices as determined by the 

county committee, such as, but not limited to 

documentation to substantiate that the producer 

provided the following:

• proper nutrition for honeybee colonies.

• preventative treatment for varroa mites and 

disease.

• proper maintenance and hygiene of hive 

equipment.

• proper colony management.

• any additional documentation the producer 

may have, such as State health certifications for 

varroa mite or nosema levels reflecting the lack 

of mites or disease. 

• if the participant was paid for a loss of 

honeybee colony or hive in either or both 

of the previous two years, the participant 

must provide documentation to substantiate 

beginning inventory for the current year for 

which the loss occurred.

• For honeybee colony losses due to CCD, the 

participant must provide a producer certification 

that the loss was a direct result of at least three of 

the five symptoms of CCD.

For More Information

This fact sheet is for informational purposes only; other 

eligibility requirements or restrictions may apply. To 

find more information about FSA disaster assistance 

programs, visit farmers.gov or contact your local FSA 

office. To find your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/

service-center-locator.

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

HONEYBEE AND HONEYBEE PROGRAMS 4