MN HF2908

Establishes definitions for bee-related terms including "bee" (Apis mellifera), "bee owner," "colony," "hive," and "pollinator" in Minnesota Statutes chapter 18B.

Creates a compensation program where the Commissioner of Agriculture must pay bee owners for acute pesticide poisoning deaths, with claims between $100-$20,000 per fiscal year, funded from the pesticide regulatory account (up to $150,000 annually).

Requires bee owners to maintain insurance covering at least 50 percent of colony value to be eligible for compensation, with payments reduced by insurance proceeds or other compensation received.

Authorizes the Commissioner to assemble a pollinator emergency response team of experts to investigate pollinator deaths or illnesses.

Appropriates $100,000 in fiscal year 2015 to fund the pollinator emergency response team and designates the Minnesota Zoological Garden as the state's official "pollinator bank" to preserve pollinator species.