How to Start Beekeeping - Small Business Opportunity
This might sound a bit off topic, but you can learn how to start beekeeping and make a descent amount of money from it. In fact, in the United States alone, there is an estimated 200,000 beekeepers. While most are hobbyist, there are many profiting from the sweet taste of honey that bees make.
Believe it or not, there are beekeepers in that live in populated cities as well. Maybe people become beekeepers for an excuse to get outside or to become more connected with nature, or maybe it’s the just the thought of sharing your own home-made honey to friends, family and local businesses. Whatever the case, it just goes to show you that there are ways to make money doing whatever it is that you enjoy doing.
But there may be even grander reasons learn how to start beekeeping. As you may have heard, there is a serious shortage of bees, which is affecting nature in a number of ways. The role of the honeybee in particular is critical to the pollination of plants. No bees, no plants. No plants, no oxygen and food for many insects and animals. Due to this shortage, many beekeepers are losing their colonies and struggling to create their product. As a result, there’s a greater demand for bee-produced products.
So this hobby and small business opportunity certainly has its challenges, but there are others. For one, becoming a beekeeper can be difficult because there is no one way to do it. The methods, techniques and strategies depend completely on your environment and local conditions, and it can take some time to figure out how to run your farm. Then of course there are the angry little bees themselves that don’t really enjoy you putting them to work, so there’s the occasional bee sting.
That can all be avoided with proper equipment. To start beekeeping you’ll nee a little money up-front to invest in:
- Bee Hives, which have multiple pieces, including the box, frames, bottom board and cover and fume boards
- Fume Boards for your liquid bee repellent
- Entrance Reducers to close the hive entrances and protect the hive
- Bee Feeders to fill with syrup to keep your bees energized and healthy
- Smoker to relax and confuse the bees when you’re working around them
- Coveralls to protect yourself if the smoker fails
Beyond that, you just need your honeybees to start your beekeeping business.
Fresh, sweet honey and bee pollination is always in demand, and this could be one of those fun hobbies that just so happen to also be a lucrative business. But before you get started, check with your local government to find out the laws in your area.
If you’re ready to take the next step, download your complete guide on how to start beekeeping.