Starting a Small
Beekeeping Operation
Eric C. Mussen, Extension Apiculturist, UC
Davis
The number of US beekeepers has declined steadily
since
World War II, partly because land development has eliminated many
flowering
plants from which bees collect nectar to make honey. However, nearly
100,000
people in the US still keep bees for fun or profit.
Beekeepers enjoy being their own bosses--deciding
what
to do and when to do it, being responsible for their own successes or
failures.
Beekeepers are adept at, and spend a significant amount of time in,
assembling
and repairing hives, frames, and other equipment. They enjoy the
natural
world and appreciate the contribution their bees make in increasing
plants
and benefiting the animals that use the plants for food and shelter.
Getting Started in Beekeeping
One knowledgeable beekeeper is needed for every 500
to
1,000 colonies. Without some experience and lots of sage advice, taking
care of a commercial beekeeping operation would be overwhelming.
Experienced
beekeepers are full of advice. Their years of experience have shown
them
what does and doesn't work. These beekeepers are also your best bet at
getting into the business. With your enthusiasm and his or her
expertise
and apiary locations, you could work out a phased retirement plan that
eventually leaves you in charge.
When kept in a healthy, stress-free condition, bees
will
thrive as long as food and water are available in abundance. But this
success
can be a problem. Populous colonies often swarm in the spring. While
fascinating
to watch, it is not appreciated by neighbors in whose bushes the swarm
settles. Worse, the swarm sometimes finds an opening and moves into the
wall of the neighbor's house.
When Africanized honey bees move into an area, it is
extremely
difficult for your neighbors to accept the presence of your bees.
Anti-beekeeping
ordinances will become common, as will law suits after stinging
incidents.
At the end of the season, after the honey has been
removed,
the bees exist on stored honey and pollen until new supplies become
available--as
long as six months in cold areas. Beekeepers must be certain that
adequate
food supplies are available. Hive components must be weather tight and
well protected from winter winds. In warm climates, bees continue to
fly
on nice days and deplete their food reserves quickly. As soon as spring
approaches, another year of monitoring must begin.
Moving a honey crop from hives into containers is a
multi-step
process. The bees must be removed from the honey combs by brushing or
blowing
them off or chasing them out with bee repellents. The combs are moved
to
a place where robbing bees cannot find and empty them. The cappings are
removed and the honey is spun from the combs with a honey extractor.
The
honey runs out of the extractor, through sieves, into a settling tank.
When the foam has floated to the top, the honey is poured into jars.
Labels
are placed on jars just before the honey is sold.
Land and Buildings
Land--Beekeepers own,
rent,
or find free locations where their bees can find food while not being a
nuisance to humans or livestock. You must abide by beekeeping
regulations,
including restrictions or prohibitions on beekeeping, and colony
registration
(by county in California). In some areas, the hives are left
permanently.
In other areas, suitable permanent locations do not exist and the
apiaries
are relocated six or more times a year.
Buildings--You will
need
a place for storing and repairing equipment, mixing bee feed and
antibiotic
treatments, extracting and handling honey. Some people use a garage or
toolshed, but a larger facility really is required. Many beekeepers
rent
buildings. Others build a "honey house." Before building a facility,
visit other beekeepers to note features that make handling of equipment
and honey efficient.
Equipment and Supplies
Vehicles--You'll need
vehicles
for hauling equipment or bees from one location to another. Flat bed
trucks
are used most often, equipped with a bee boom, or pulling a forklift so
hives do not have to be lifted by hand. Some beekeepers use a station
wagon
or pickup truck.
Hives--Bee hives are
stacks
of four-sided, bottomless boxes that hold wooden frames upon which the
bees build their combs. Each hive has a bottom board and cover. The
bees
glue the small cracks between the components together with "bee glue"
(propolis). The frames rest on ledges cut into the top of the boxes.
Sheets
of embossed beeswax (foundation) are attached in the frames to provide
the bees with the midribs for their new combs. The bees extend the
foundation
wax and add more to it and draw comb cells out of each side of the
sheet.
The comb cells are used for food storage, clustering, raising baby
bees,
and air conditioning.
Queen excluders are
wire
or plastic screens with a mesh size that allows worker bees to pass
through
while preventing the passage of the queen (or drones).
Fume boards are similar
to
covers, with an extra rim that provides a space for an absorbent pad
saturated
with liquid bee repellent, the fumes of which drive bees from the boxes.
Feeders are usually
gallon
cans with small holes in the cap that fit into a hole drilled into the
hive cover; or a plastic or waxed wooden device that has similar
dimensions
to drawn combs and hangs with them and into which syrup is poured.
Entrance reducers are
wooden
or plastic blocks that partially close hive entrances to prevent
robbing
or entrance of mice.
Robbing screens allow
continuous
ventilation of the hive while prohibiting entry of robbing bees.
Division or follower boards
are frame-shaped dividers used to confine bees to a specific portion of
a hive.
"Nuc" (nucleus)
refers to a queen, bees, brood, and food covering two to five frames,
or
to a specially designed small hive box holding a three- to five-frame
nuc.
Bee brush is a
long-bristled,
soft brush to sweep bees from combs.
Escape board is a
divider
placed between hive boxes containing gate-like devices that allow bees
to pass only unidirectionally from one box to another.
Veil and hat prevent
stings
to the face if the smoke fails to calm the bees while a hive tool is
being
used to break apart the propolis bonds between the components in the
hive.
Smoker and hive tool are
essentials that are used daily.
White coveralls protect
clothing
and prevent stings.
Elbow-length gloves
keep
bees away from hands and out of sleeves.
Sources of Bees
Purchase a "package" of bulk bees containing
a queen to install in an empty hive.
Purchase functioning colonies, hives and all, from
another
beekeeper.
Purchase a nuc--a queen, some workers, brood, and
food
can be purchased on three to five frames for installation in an empty
hive.
Catch a swarm. Police and fire departments and
animal
control agencies will appreciate you, but swarms come with problems: 1)
they may swarm again, 2) they may carry diseases or parasites, and 3)
they
may not be as gentle as breeder stocks. Stocks can be changed by
replacing
the old queen with a new one.
Income
Costs to start a beekeeping business are not high.
There
are quite a few ways to make money from bees. Most beekeepers rely on
honey
and beeswax production and commercial crop pollination.
Honey production
depends
on the availability of nectar producing plants. Production is lowest in
areas that receive little rain. The color and flavor of honeys vary
with
the origin of the nectar. Lighter colored, milder flavored "table"
honeys sell for a few
Investment Needed for
1,000
Colony Operation
Hive Equipment
1,000 bottom boards @ $8 each
$
8,000
1,000 covers @ $8 each 8,000
2,000 deep boxes @ $12 each
24,000
20,000 deep frames @
$0.35-0.65
10,000
20,000 deep foundation @ $0.06
1,200
1,000 medium depth boxes @ $8
each
8,000
10,000 medium depth fames @
$0.40
each 4,000
10,000 medium depth foundation
@
$0.40 4,000
100,000 frame eyelets @ $2.00
per
1,000 200
2,000 queen excluders
(optional)
$9.00 each 18,000
6,000 metal rabbets @ $0.08
each
480
50 fume boards @ $9.00 450
1 bee blower (optional) @ $325
each
250
75 gallons paint @ $16-21 per
gallon
1,500
1 staple gun and compressor 500
Bees 1,000 packages @ $25.00
25,000
Honey Handling Equipment
Automatic uncapper 1,700-3,000
Frame conveyor 600
Conveyor drip pan 250
Cappings melter 1,000-2,000
Extractor 1,900-7,800
Settling tanks (each) 170-250
Spin float (replaces melter)
3,300
Honey sump 325-800
Honey pump 170-190
Flash heater (optional) 1,000
Barrels (each) new: l6; used: 8
Barrel truck 160-250
Hand truck 125-525
Glass jars (if not selling
bulk
honey) 17,300
Bottling equipment (if not
selling
bulk honey) 940
Vehicles
Flat bed trucks (each) 16-1800
Bee booms (each) (mounted)
2,500
Forklifts (each) new:
16-18,000;
used: 8-10,000
Pickups 14,000
Warehouse 6,000
Land @ $3,000/acre 20,000
Rent (house and
shop/year)
15,000-17,000
Labor
Self 30,000
Help, full time, each 20,000
Help, part time, each 1,630
Overhead
Utilities (year) 2,400
Insurance varies
Workman's compensation, health
insurance
13,000