Is beekeeping a good part time home based business?
Image by net_efekt
A bit more beekeeping training before Siobahn heads of for hols and leaves me in charge for the summer… Argh!
Question by Flagler Beach: Is beekeeping a good part time home based business?
My neighbor is a beekeeper but he does it as a hobby and doesn’t know anything about it as a profession. Is there money to be made in beekeeping?
Feel free to answer in the comment section below
5 Responses to Is beekeeping a good part time home based business?
Leave a Reply
There is some money to be made beekeeping but if you want to make a good strong full time income from a part time comitment msg me @ highiq143@yahoo.com
quickgun
August 16, 2011 at 5:48 am
There’s money to be made as a large-scale beekeeper, especially if you rent your hives out for pollination as well and haul them to where they are needed seasonally. Not so much income potential on the small-scale, and not so much home-based.
oregano13
August 16, 2011 at 6:43 am
if your not allergic.
Brianna
August 16, 2011 at 7:41 am
I’m a beekeeper myself and I personally think that you can make honey out of it but not instantly. Of course you’ll have to set aside a capital (starting money) and wait it out for a few months before you start gaining revenue. If you will enjoy it as a hobby, then waiting should be no trouble for you.
Here is a useful link on beginning beekeeping.
http://www.beekeepingmethods.com/beginning-beekeeping/
If you browse the site, you can also find more useful articles on beekeeping if you want to pursue it as a part-time home business. You can also register for a free e-course on beekeeping. All the information in the website can be quite useful.
Dean Montford
August 16, 2011 at 7:52 am
Beekeeping can be an enjoyable and rewarding activity. Not only does the beekeeper have the benefit of pollination of any nearby gardens, they are also able to enjoy delicious honey.
Everyone knows the expression “busy as a bee” and it is true. In fact, bees work so hard bringing nectar back to the hive to make honey that after about 35 days of life, they actually wear out their wings and their usefulness to the colony and die.
The bees store the honey which can then be used as food during times when flowers aren’t blooming. If it is a good season with a lot of nectar producing flowers, the bees are able to collect a lot of nectar and they end up making much more honey than they could ever eat by themselves. The beekeepers are then able to harvest a good amount of honey to use for themselves or to sell for profit.
It is possible for beekeepers to profit from the honey that their bees are producing by selling two different types of honey. The honey that is easily extracted from the hive is liquid honey.
Beekeepers are able to remove it from the honey combs by the use of centrifuge equipment. These machines are called extractors. Beekeepers are also able to sell honey in another way; they sell pieces of the comb. Comb honey is honey that is still in the original wax combs that the bees made. Although this honey is less adaptable to use in cooking or with mixing in tea, it is enjoyed by those who prefer its natural flavors.
It is not widely known that honey comes in lots of different colors and flavors. Different flowers have different scents. Therefore the nectar that is given off by the flower will smell and taste different as well. Soil chemistry is another thing that determines how honey tastes and looks.
Honey that is made from the nectar of alfalfa which grows in drier, alkali soil, may vary from white to clear. On the other hand, honey that is made from the nectar of buckwheat which grows in more acidic soils tens to be very dark. Plus, the quality of the honey comb that the bees make is a factor in the color and taste of honey. The color of honey can also be golden, red, and even green hues.
It is very important that they follow state and federal regulations for processing, labeling, and handling food products when beekeepers are processing honey and other types of bee products. It is a real business and local governments may vary in the guidelines that they have set up regarding beekeeping in the area.
Beekeepers must also consider marketing strategies to sell their honey and other types of bee products. Where will they sell their honey and what types of consumers are they targeting for sales? Beekeeping is a rewarding hobby but when the beekeeper is trying to turn a profit, they must view their hobby like a business and make decisions that will allow them to not only survive but thrive.
Ormond Beach
August 16, 2011 at 8:06 am