Beekeeping is both a hobby and a practical business plan that many individuals have taken up in recent years as a viable way to culture a valuable natural resource and have fun in the process. In any given year, an effectively built beekeeping business can bring profits up to 500 percent of your investment according to numerous private beekeepers. The benefit of growing your own honey and selling it to local customers for between $3 and $6 a pound, depending on how you cultivate and whether your honey is completely organic, can be a huge boon for anyone with the money and time to invest.
This book walks all motivated potential beekeepers through the process of building and operating their beekeeping business from the ground up, ensuring it is both a fun hobby and a great way to make a little extra money on the side.
You will learn everything you need to effectively start beekeeping for profit and fun, including:
- What materials you need
- Which bees are best for honey or wax production
- All of the fundamental safety equipment you need to effectively handle the bees
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Where to place your hives on your property to take advantage of natural circumstances
- The basics you need to understand what bees do and how they interact, including details about the queen bee, the worker bees, drones, and foragers
- The affect that seasons have on your colonies
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How to use your smoke to access and gather honey from your bees
The best in home beekeeping professionals have been interviewed and their expertise and insights have been gathered here for you to review, providing additional details about a variety of topics including:
- The kinds and methods of honey gathering that you can profit from you
how to install everything and keep your colonies updated
- How to keep the necessary records
how to sell your honey and what the best prices for that honey is
- What is involved in opening a colony and how to manage pests effectively without endangering the bees or the honey
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How to manage your hives in the winter and fall
- What you can do with everything your bees produce
For anyone who has ever considered beekeeping as a hobby or source of side income, this is the book for you.
Cindy Belknap is a licensed Florida beekeeper and a member of the Alachua County Beekeepers Club and the Florida State Beekeepers Association.
About the association Established in March 2009, the Alachua County Beekeepers Club is the second largest regional beekeepers group in Florida. The mission of the club is to educate the public of all aspects involving honey bees and other pollinators endangered through chemical use, diseases, parasites, or other problems encountered in a bee s short lifespan. We encourage new beekeepers by assisting them in setup and operation of hives throughout the first year, and to assist all members as needed. We also encourage the youth of the area to become involved in saving our honey bees.
