Should I be a beekeeper?

Do you have a passion for saving bees and want to make it a hobby or full-time career?

A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees.

Beekeepers create profit by selling honey, honeycomb, and wax.

• Maintain healthy bees for pollination and honey production

• Look at hives to ensure there are no diseases present

• Collect and package honey, beeswax and pollen

• Stick to food safety guidelines when harvesting and processing honey and other hive products 

• Maintain records regarding the condition of the hive and associated production levels

Beekeepers are hobby beekeepers or commercial beekeepers.

Hobby Beekeepers

• Typically work on only a few hives

• A single, healthy hive can yield 50 to 100 pounds of honey

Commercial Beekeepers

• Have hundreds or thousands of bee hives

• Produce millions of pounds of honey

• Are you afraid of being stung? Every good beekeeper will get stung at some point.

• Are you allergic to insect bites or stings?

• Do you have a good location to keep your bees? Will you keep hives in your yard? What about neighborhood restrictions?

• Can you lift at least 25 pounds? Hives full of honey can get quite heavy.

• Can you tend to the hives year round? You will need to check on your hives all year.

• Can you afford it? It can cost at least $400 to buy the equipment you need.

In the US, the salary for a commercial beekeeper is $47,562

In Canada, the salary for a commercial beekeeper is $39,750

Now that you have a better idea of what it is like to be a beekeeper and what it takes, what can you do?