How to make money with bees and honey?

[follow123]

Does anyone keep bees and produce honey? I'm thinking this would be a good business to get into for a couple of reasons:

1. Bee populations are decreasing meaning that there will be more demand than supply.

2. Local honey and the positive effects on allergies is becoming more and more well know.

3. The whole organic movement

Do you think this would be a good business to get into and does anyone have experiences with keeping bees and making local honey?

[bjl584]

You can make a lot of money, but you need a lot of property to do so. If you have several hundred hives 50 or more acres and about 25 hours of free time a week, then you might pull in $25K a year.

If you are talking about just having a hive or two in the backyard, then anything you make will probably be eaten up in expenses. Your only benefit would be access to fresh honey part of the year.

[disneysteve]

1. Bee populations are decreasing meaning that there will be more demand than supply.

The reason bee populations are decreasing is because of Colony Collapse Disorder. The cause isn't yet known. The result is that many bee keepers have seen their colonies die out faster than they can replenish them. Their formerly lucrative honey and pollination businesses have been going down the tubes to the point where many were forced to get out of the business entirely. That doesn't sound like a business I would be rushing to jump into.

[sblatner]

Our neighbors are beekeepers. I don't know all about their business but I know the basics.

They ask people to host hives on their land. My neighbor services the hives and gives the owners part of the honey.

They sell honey from their house, go to farmer's markets/craft fairs, make soap, hand lotion, etc. They also sell their honey to restaurants. Their kitchen has been certified by the county so they are legit.

He also hosts beekeeping classes at his house which have been really successful. They are always full.

I don't think it pays all the bills but they do quite well.

[Petunia 100]

In my area, orchard farmers pay big money to rent bees to pollinate their trees. Honey is not the only source of revenue.

[GrimJack]

Check with your local area but the last report I looked at said that beekeepers are making money by taking on all the urban beehives that clueless people set up thinking that beehives are easy money. Is there enough food for your bees? Do you know how many flowers it takes to support a beehive? Can the bees survive your winter? This last is a complex issue because the honey is how bees survive the winter.

[mortgagereport]

Other fees

Keep in mind that you usually need a license to keep hives (even in a rural area) and must pay to have them inspected reguarly. I suppose there are probably many more regulations related to marketing and selling food products. That will take a nice bite out of your profit.