8 Ways You Can Make Money From Beekeeping

Beekeeping is also known as apiculture, a scientific method of managing and maintaining honey bee colonies.

It’s an occupation that cares for and manages honey and wax production. It is also one of the most profitable agricultural business ideas you can start.

If you’re wondering if this is legal, the answer would depend on the state.

Some states allow keeping bees by following the qualifications, and some outright ban this activity. 

Many people are interested in beekeeping because you can keep them as a hobby and profit from farming these insects. If you love hobbies and have a rich beehive in your backyard, you can consider starting your own beekeeping business.

So, if you’re wondering how to start a profitable one, here is a list of ways you can start earning money with beekeeping.

1. Sell Beeswax

Before you start beekeeping, you must ensure that your state allows this activity. If so, you can prepare all necessary materials such as Bee Hives, safety gear, the bees, and other tools.

Beeswax is a product that’s produced from the honeycomb of bees. You can sell this product to companies or local brands or try your shot at making upgraded beeswax products like candles or lip balm.

2. Sell Honey

You can think about selling raw honey if you want an easier way to sell bee products.

It will lower production costs and sell them higher than the mass-produced honey items in groceries.

Since it’s a popular good, there will always be a demand for natural honey.

3. Sell Propolis

This is a resin-like material produced by bees to build and disinfect their hives.

Propolis presents various human health benefits, such as treating allergies and lowering blood pressure.

Keep in mind to sell them to licensed practitioners.

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4. Provide Pollination Services

Pollination is the process that allows plants to fertilize. So, it’s crucial to reproduce the plants. However, flowers and some other plants aren’t capable of self-pollinating, and they’ll need bees to carry the pollen from one flower to another.

Though some farms and horticulture businesses have their bee farms, some would instead outsource pollinator services. As a beekeeper, you can take this chance to provide pollination services to the farms that need them and rent out your bees. 

However, remember that if you go over this type of service, you must have the proper equipment and experience handling hives and bees. Also, you’ll have to consider the risks of transporting them to another place. Nonetheless, pollination services are a good way to have profitable beekeeping.

5. Offer Beekeeping Classes

If you have gained experience in beekeeping, maybe it’s time to share your knowledge and offer beekeeping classes to others. Welcome them to your backyard and earn profit by training them with bee handling, hive care, and maintenance.

Just like when you’re just starting, the world of beekeeping can be overwhelming, especially with all the things you’ll need to remember. However, having someone that can teach you and train you the proper ways in beekeeping can lessen the issues during the learning process.

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6. Provide a tour

Yet, if you’re somewhat shy about teaching a class, you can instead open your backyard for the general public and provide a tour. You can make it an educational tour by providing insight while showing them your hives. 

Most importantly, don’t forget to present your rates. You can present it by the hour of stay or by class session.

7. Sell Bees

Beekeepers sell two types of bees: the Nucs and queen bees. Nucs or nucleus colonies are small bee colonies created from larger colonies, and smaller bee farms usually sell them.

So, if you have a smaller backyard, you can sell nucs instead of queen bees. All you need to prepare is a nuc box, a smaller version of a beehive.

You can also offer to sell bees as you start your beekeeping classes if anyone’s interested. In this way, you can earn more.

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8. Offer Bee Removal Services

The last way to start profitable beekeeping on this list doesn’t take place in your backyard. You might need to visit other people’s backyards instead.

As a beekeeper, you’re more knowledgeable in handling bees. So, you can offer services to people by removing their bees. In this way, you can earn money and at the same time increase your hives.

In pricing your bee removal services, you can consider the distance you’ve travelled and the difficulty in accessing the bees. You can also think about including the population of bees you’ll need to remove. Keep in mind that in pricing services, your goal is to earn a profit.

Final Thoughts

Start learning the basics to become a successful farmer. You can start reaping what the bee produces.

Once you’re done collecting them, you can turn them into products and sell them to people. Although most people will think about honey, there are other bee products you can sell.

Now that you’ve more ideas on how to earn money by beekeeping, you can continue caring for your bees and figure out which of the above-listed items would benefit you the best.

You must weigh the pros and cons and consider the risks and benefits. You can take your time in deciding what to go for as you prepare your hive that’s in your backyard.