One of the perks of hobby beekeeping is that it can generate some income and help pay for. It is also scalable into a small business. The main source of honeu income for most small and medium-sized beekeepers is honey sales. In the United States, the demand for raw, local honey exceeds the supply and beekeepers have no problem selling all the honey that they can produce. The requirements that need to be met before a beekeeper can legally bottle and sell honey varies from state to state. Some states require a licensed honey house, which can be quite burdensome to the small producer. Other states allow beekeepers who less than a certain amount of honey annually to be exempt from the honey hour requirements. In other states, direct producer to consumer sales are exempt from most regulation. Honey sales are usually regulated by mqke state department of agriculture. Your local agriculture extension service is a good contact to help you understand what is required before you can legally bottle and hooney honey.
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Most of the people I know who keep honey bees do it to make money. Many started out looking for something to do, an activity that would benefit the the garden, help the environment, and provide them with a needed activity. But somewhere along the way they found out that they could make money from keeping bees or from bee products. The home brewers got into beekeeping because they wanted their own honey for home-made beer, mead, fruit drinks and even hard stuff. They wanted to produce their own honey to control the quality of the product, and, in theory, to reduce the cost of one of their raw ingredients. Many profit-focused beekeepers find that a challenge, but it is worth a serious discussion and your consideration in the upcoming year. We have discussed the concept of Two and a Half Hives over the past year or so, and this is a major focus of my latest book, Bee-sentials: A Field Guide. In case you are new to this conversation, I advise new beekeepers to start with two hives during their first year, using package, nucleus, swarm or purchased bees. This provides them with a quick fix for many of the problems new beekeepers experience, such as replacing a failing or absent queen, a colony that is weak and needs a frame of brood or a frame of honey. It is a simple way to increase your chances of getting at least one hive through the winter, rather than resting all of your new beekeeping talents on a single hive. From these two colonies, during the first season, you can develop an Increase or Nucleus hive, which I advise you put into a five-frame nucleus colony. Use this small colony to house a queen with genetic resistance, or just as a backup for the two full-sized units.
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There is a honey rush on, mostly thanks to an explosion in the returns from manuka honey because of its remarkable antibacterial properties. The result is overseas markets are clamouring for our honey and we are struggling to keep up. There is an explosion in the number of beekeepers too. In in the last year or so, beekeeper numbers grew by 70,, many of them hobbyists and semi-commercial set-ups. Should you be one too? Bees on your block would be lovely, right? Looking after bees well is complicated, expensive and time-consuming. There is a lot to learn, including all the legal requirements that come with bees.
The Traveling Beekeeper
Beekeeping has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, and it continues to be a profitable endeavor for many hobbyists and professionals. While honey is the obvious source of income for beekeepers, you might be surprised to learn that there are many other streams of revenue connected to beekeeping. Here are some of the many ways you can make money with bees:. Honey is the most obvious yield from beekeeping and it enjoys a high level of popularity with consumers, making it a highly marketable product. Each hive of bees can produce anywhere from 20 to 60 pounds of honey on average per year depending on a variety of factors such as geographic location, weather, temperature, pests, local flora, and more. Some hives can produce much greater amounts under ideal management conditions. Beeswax can be converted into many different products including candles, soap, and lip balm. Beeswax prices can vary widely based on the quality and color of the wax.
The Market for Honey
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There is a honey rush on, mostly thanks to an explosion in the returns from manuka honey because of its remarkable antibacterial properties. The result is overseas markets are clamouring for our honey and we are struggling to keep up.
There is an explosion in the number of beekeepers ohney. In in the last year or so, beekeeper numbers grew by 70, many of them hobbyists and semi-commercial set-ups.
Should you be one too? Jaking on your block would be lovely, right? Looking after bees well is complicated, expensive and time-consuming. There is a lot to learn, including all the legal requirements that come with bees. Your bees may still die, or just not prosper. There is an easier way to have bees than to become a beekeeper. Commercial beekeepers always need places for honeyy hives, and there is considerable competition for good apiary sites.
This is a basic guide on what to expect when you host the hives of a commercial beekeeper. If you have pip or stone fruit trees, or a large vegetable garden full of cucurbits and other vegetables that produce flowers, then fruit, having hives of eager bees nearby will uow your maaking. Bees also pollinate kaking, and clover moneg an excellent nitrogen-fixing plant. By pollinating clover you get the significant value of the fertiliser effect of nitrogen, without having to pay for or spread the fertiliser.
To give you an example, NZ Lifestyle Block editor Nadene Hall hosts 10 hives on an unused corner of her north Waikato block and in return receives 12kg of different types of honey in 1kg pots.
Mwking, if you are running a commercial proposition, you can expect proper compensation. This can be in a few forms, depending on what your site is like and what the beekeeper is using your site. If you have manuka, you would expect between per cent, depending on the quality of the manuka in the area and the quality of the honey ie, the strength of the manuka honey. Each hive will grow to up to boxes mkney the end of the season. Some beekeepers put their hives on other sites for over-wintering.
How to make money from honey without being a beekeeper. More stories you might like:. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Print Email. Discuss This Article. Most Popular Make your own beeswax food wraps: updated recipe 5 tips to drying firewood 9 garden tips for January: Protect tomatoes, be careful with nitrogen fertiliser 8 nut trees that are good to grow in New Zealand Tips to keep your hens happy this summer.
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