(a)

(1) The commissioner shall appoint a state apiarist, subject to any applicable rules or qualifications established by the department of human resources. The state apiarist is responsible for the apiary work of the department of agriculture and, with the necessary assistants, is charged with the duty of enforcing this chapter. The person designated as state apiarist shall have, as a minimum, a college degree in one (1) of the biological sciences and a minimum of five (5) years apiary experience.

(2) The state apiarist is responsible for developing, implementing, and administering the apiary program needed to satisfy the objectives and provisions of this chapter, and shall have the duty of enforcing those rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter.

(b) The commissioner may appoint, in accordance with any applicable personnel rules and regulations, such assistants, apiary inspectors, and other employees as may be required, and to prescribe their duties; to delegate to apiary inspectors and other employees such powers and authority as may be deemed proper within the limits of the power and authority conferred upon the commissioner by this chapter.

(c) The state apiarist and the apiary inspectors may provide educational literature and may conduct training programs for beekeeping on topics related to prevention, detection, and control of bee diseases and pests and other topics that will help beekeepers maintain needed populations of honeybees. The literature and training programs may be developed and conducted in cooperation with the extension apiculturist at the University of Tennessee.

(d) The state apiarist and all apiary inspectors may own colonies of bees and engage in beekeeping activities on their own time, and their beekeeping activities will be subject to the same rules and regulations as applied to all other beekeepers. The department shall not prohibit such activities but may develop guidelines to avoid interference with work responsibilities and to prevent conflicts of interest.