How to Start a Honey Bee Farm? Honey bees can generate a lot of honey, and selling honey can be a profitable business for people who aren’t allergic to bee stings, don’t have a lot of money, and have little backyard space to farm their honey bees. If you enjoy working with insects and seeing the results of your efforts, you will not only be contributing to agriculture, but you will also be fulfilling a pleasant and satisfying hobby. Learn how to start a honey bee farm as well as enjoy your new swarm by clicking here.
How to Start a Honey Bee Farm?
- Find out if you may farm honey bees in your backyard by contacting your local Cooperative Extension office. Not all towns or municipalities allow beekeeping.
- Choose a suitable location in your garden for your honey bee farm. Begin with one or two hives and situate them near nectar and pollen-producing flowering plants. There should be plenty of shade and no wind, and they should be located in a quiet spot where they won’t bother your non-beekeeping neighbours.
- Purchase your first honey bee hive colonies from such a local beekeeper or order them from a reputable Apiary. Order honey bees in January or March for dispatch in March and April. You can also buy packed bees and queens and move them to your own colony. Most packages weigh between two and five pounds and contain between 9,000 and 22,000 honey bees.
- Purchase beekeeping equipment such as hives, hive bodies or brood chambers, queen excluders, honey supers, feeders, and inner and outside weather covers. Many online auction sites, including eBay, provide inexpensive beekeeping equipment.
- Wear protective beekeeper gear, such as a netted veil and long gloves, to avoid stings.
Requirements
- Hives
- Covers
- Feeders
- Gloves
- Hive body
- Netted veil
- Honey supers
- Flowering plants
- Water container
- Styrofoam chips
- Brood chamber
- Queen excluder
Key Points to Start a Honey Bee Farm
Join your state’s beekeeping association to become a registered beekeeper. Keep your honey bee hives away from sidewalks as well as other public areas to be considerate to your non-beekeeping neighbours.
To keep your bees from drowning, fill a container with water and some Styrofoam chips or floating wood. Move hives around on a regular basis to provide your bees with fresh flowering plants to eat. Each bloom produces a unique variety of honey. Use mild queens that have been professionally bred to reduce stinging.
Cautions to Start a Honey Bee Farm
In the winter, keep your hives away from cold, damp areas. Be wary of bumblebee swarms, which eat the same flowers as honey bees. In the injured area, a bee sting induces discomfort, reddening, and swelling.
