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Cooperative Extension Ventura County
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LinkedInSo, you want to be a commercial beekeeper...
Eric Mussen
Perhaps you want to sell honey and beeswax, rent your bees for commercial crop pollination, rear queen bees, or sell bulk bees.
The newly published second edition of the Small Farm Handbook, which draws on the knowledge of 32 experts from the University of California, contains a wealth of information. The chapter, "Raising Animals," covers beekeeping as a business.
“Costs to start a beekeeping business are not particularly high compared to many small businesses, and a well-planned and managed operation can be profitable,” writes Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology.
“Beekeepers own, rent or find rent-free apiary locations where their bees can forage for food without becoming a nuisance to humans or livestock. Beekeepers must manage their colonies to the benefit of the bees and in compliance with existing state, county and municipal ordinances.”
For those who want to rent bees for pollination, “rental rates are as much as 10 times higher for almond orchards, which need to be pollinated a time of year when bee supplies barely meet demand.”
Indeed, California has some 750,000 acres of almonds, and each acre needs two colonies for pollination. Since the Golden State doesn't have that many bees, they are trucked in from all over the country.
"Fifty percent of the bees in the United States have to be in California to pollinate the almonds," molecular biologist and biochemist Joseph DeRisi of UC San Francisco said Jan. 9 at his lecture in the Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility at UC Davis.
DeRisi, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor and vice chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UCSF, pointed out that “California supplies 80 percent of the world's almond supply.”
No bees, no almonds.
“Beekeeping can sound deceptively simple,” Mussen writes in the chapter, “but in fact beekeeping is a form of animal husbandry that involves providing feed when nectar and pollens are lacking, preventing infections from various microbes, dealing with two well-established parasitic mites, and reducing the influence of Africanized bees. Before you try to keep bees commercially on your own, you should gain experience working with a commercial beekeeper for one or more seasons.”
The latest parasite discovered in bees is the parasitic phorid fly (Apocephalus borealis). In work published Jan. 3 in the Public Library of Science (PLoS One) journal, San Francisco State University researchers wrote that the parasitic fly lays its eggs in the honey bees; it was previously known to parasitize bumble bees, but not honey bees.
The fly-infested bees display altered bee behavior. Nicknamed “zombie bees,” the bees fly at night toward lights, such as porch, building or street lights. They do not return to the hive; they die.
Neither Mussen nor DeRisi believes that the parasitic fly is a dominant factor in colony collapse disorder, a mysterious phenomenon characterized by adult bees abandoning the hive.
For tips on beekeeping, be sure to check out Mussen's bimonthly newsletter, from the UC Apiaries, and his other resource, Bee Briefs, both posted on the UC Davis Department of Entomology website.
And if you want to become an full-time commercial beekeeper, read the “Estimated Investment Needed for a 1,000-Colony Bee Operation” in the Small Farm Handbook.
Honey bee heading for almond blossoms, spring of 2011, at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The queen and her court at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Comments:
2.
Hi, Rae,
Thanks for your comment. You can self-subscribe to Eric Mussen's newsletters at http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/news/apiarynewslettersubscription.html. Or, read them on the web. (I emailed you more information)
--Kathy
3.
HI
could you also add me to your mail list for information on commercial beekeeping . THanks tons Peter
4.
Where can I get more STATE and COUNTY information about hobby beekeeping in Riverside county?
Do I need to register my (proposed) top bar hive? Where or with whom? Do I need to have it inspected by the state/county? Do I need to be a member of a beekeeping 'society'?
5.
Hi, Scott. In answer to your questions, Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, UC Davis Department of Entomology, says:
This information is appropriate for all counties in California. California state regulations require each beekeeper to register his or her apiary locations and colony numbers with the agricultural commissioner in the county(s) housing the colonies in January or whenever the beekeeper
acquires the bees during the year. While there is a registration fee charged to beekeepers who are operating commercial-sized operations, the small scale beekeepers do not need to pay a fee.
The bees must be housed in a hive with movable frames, so that the combs can be examined when necessary. It is not likely that an inspector would visit an apiary, unless he or she is told that many beekeepers in the area are seeing a peculiarly high rate of brood diseases. Otherwise,
non-commercial beekeepers probably would never see a bee inspector unless he or she complained of a pesticide kill. Even then, if the beekeeper cannot convince the commissioner's office that an illegal application was
very likely to have been made, there likely will be no investigation.
Once state regulations have been followed, then the beekeeper must comply with county regulations. Those regulations vary between counties. Agricultural counties often differ from high density, urban counties. One
step beyond that, municipalities can develop ordinances dealing with criteria for keeping bees, or for prohibiting the practice. Check first, before running into problems (usually complaints from neighbors). Most municipalities use a nuisance ordinance to have bees removed from the district.
There are no special, personal obligations for a new beekeeper, other than those previously listed. However, to make things a lot easier, it would be a great idea to read some books on honey bees and beekeeping. Attend a beginning beekeeping class before starting. And, somewhere along
the line, find the nearest beekeepers' organization (frequently a county-based club in California). The local beekeepers can explain when to expect the flowers (food) to be available to the bees, how to provide water to keep the bees from bothering the neighbors, etc., and what to do during the season to keep the bees in their best shape possible. Most beekeepers are very gregarious and would be more than willing to help.--Eric Mussen, Extension Apiculturist, UC Davis Department of Entomology.
6.
Started beekeeping with three hives this year, seemed thy were doing well for a while, then the hives were overcome with tiny ants.I used cinnamon which worked for a while. I had to re-queen two hives. Are there any registered beekeepers in or close to Apple Valley I can connect with? Thanks.
7.
Mike, Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology offers this information: "Try contacting either the Los Angeles County Beekeepers and/or Orange County Beekeepers Associations. Both have web sites and both are a mix of commercial and non-commercial beekeepers."
8.
i have seven bee hives colonised and made my first harvest after six months on two hives and got ten liters of honey yet given the size of the hive i expected 20 liters per hive, did i harvest too early or some must have happened. i need advice on when to harvest. please advice. thanks
9.
Where does one find micro loans or grants to expand
A hobbyist in beekeeping.. The star if virginia has
Grants available for virginia beekeepers. We have suddenly expanded unknowingly by obtaining a wonderful opportunity and need financial help.
The USDA / ca cannot help nor microloans from
Banks.. Any ideas ? Need to expand to a hundred hives to help pollinate a ranch .. We are not commercial . We manage our bees well but new to our hobby. Two years now and our bees 12 hives survived two winters now.. One hive has two queens
Harvested 200 lbs this summer and still have over 100 lbs for the bees.. Can anyone help get us some info? Much appreciated
Deanna
10.
Hello;
I have a special opportunity coming out of southern Saskatchewan Canada; A Full BeeKeeping Operation, turn-key operation. Triple "R" Honey Ranch has been my Grandfathers passion for over 20 years and he is now due to retire.
http://triplerhoneyranch.webs.com/
11.
I would like to start in the bee business, need to learn about bees and bee keeping.
12.
I am the beekeeper. I want to sell 5 tons of honey and polyfloral, 100% pure. How can I buy this quantity.
13.
Hello;
I would like to start (small) bee business,tell me about bee business.600$ per month income.
Thanks,
Aqil Qazi
14.
I want start commercial bee keeping in Africa , so I wanna know about this
1 in the same place how many hive to
2 how much kg of honey I get by one hive
15.
interested in having bees on my property. I love in Northern Arizona (ash fork). I understand you can get paid to have hives on your land??
thank you
16.
I want to start beekeeping. What do I need to begin with and how much money do I need?
17.
I am interested in how to keep healthy bees. (preventing deseases such as Nosema,A, FOULBROOD, AND PARASITES SACH AS VARROA MITE AND BLACK BEETLE. I APPRECIATE ANY INFORMATION THAT WOULD LEAD ME INTO HOW TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF BEE'S PARASITES AND DESEASES THANKS
18.
I am from Kenya. I want to keep pollinator bees for export. Are the African bees Marketable or should I try exotic breeds?
19.
Anne, thank you for your email. Here's the answer from (now retired Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology:
“Only certain species and races of honey bees are appropriate for beekeeping purposes. The bees have to be willing to remain in a hive once they are placed there. Many will not. Also, a number of species will abscond (move out) from a hive that is disturbed or moved. Even if they do stay home and pollinate crops and produce honey, there is more to consider. Honey bees usually perform best in their native habitats, so breeding within local populations should provide the best bees for that area. However, there is always someone who thinks bees from elsewhere are better. That is how we introduced the European honey bees into the U.S. between 1622 and the early 1920s. Fearing importation of exotic parasitic mites, the U.S. closed its doors to foreign bee imports in 1922.
“Anyone interested in importing or exporting honey bees, or any other insect, should be aware that moving bees between countries is an activity that involves federal regulations, and often “health certificates.” The country of destination has the rules which must be followed to bring the foreign bees into the country. The country doing the exporting has to guarantee their freedom from disease and parasites. In the case of bees from Africa, there was some verbiage about freedom from unacceptable genes – meaning bees that are overly defensive and that are a danger to humans and other animals.
“ Before attempting to move insects, including bees, around the world, be sure to become familiar with all the federal and state (bumble bees in California) regulations.”
20.
All,
Eric Mussen (now retired as an Extension apiculturist) has a wealth of information in his apiary newsletters on the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology website. See http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/Faculty/Eric_C_Mussen/Apiculture_Newsletter/
21.
I was wondering if U.C. Davis has someone who could test some honey for me. I'm wondering what nectar the bees used to create it because I've never seen anything like it before. Thank-You, Jeffrey Coleman
22.
Hi..
me and my grandpa woyld like to start a small bee keeping business , however finding a site for the bees in orange county proves to be harder than it sounds... any suggestions?
23.
My self and fruend are vets and would like to start up a bee keeping farm we have 36.26 acres between both of us and half of it is wild flower prairie The rest forest agenst preserve land. Im a farm boy but
No bee keeping exp any advice
24.
Hi!
Im doing a project on bee farming and i would kindly like to know some requirements on bee farming like onthe rite site ,the criteria needed and some other important information on bee farming....PLIZ
25.
Sir, I want to start business in this field and I want to be a commercial bee keeper, I want information, as I am deciding my goal, please guide me for further set up or start up please.
26.
I am interested to be a commercial beekeepers 1000 or more colonies. My question is hoe much it costs and where is the best place to do the bee farming? I heard Florida is the best place for bee farming, how about Texas?
27.
Hi
i wish to do internship on bee keeping at international level.But didnot get a chance to do my internship at international level.If u know any mentor who is currently going to offer internship .kindly let me know i would be thankful to u.
28.
I am interesting to be commercial beekeepers. I have 40 ace vacant land in Riverside Washington. How much costs me to be beekeeper?
29.
Sirs, I am presently a bee keeper and I want to expand my operation to at least 100 hives, I have a way to go but I need guidance on how to organize and expand, I have access to plenty of land and orchards here in central Maryland USA. I really want to start a honey bee suppy store also. Please help with any info at all Thanks, Jerry
30.
Hi!
My name is Michael. I'm interested to be small commercial beekeeper, about 1000+ colonies. I'm living in Houston, TX. How much does it cost? How to begin? Thanks, waiting for your reply
31.
Hi,
I came across this website www.honeyflow.com It got me interested in commercial beekeeping. I am from Nigeria and would love to get some advice on how to start up as a commercial beekeeper. Thanks
32.
Dear sir,
How can I find bees rental for our almond ranch?
Could you help me?
Thanks
Arya
33.
Am from Kenya, I have ten hives, I would wish to be furnished with all necessary information pertaining bee keeping
34.
I have a huge honey bee hive in a the wall of a building that has been there longer than 60 years it is healthy and thriving. The bees don't seem to be affected by orchards right next to them that are heavily sprayed with pesticides. The honey bees are black and look a lot like the black British honey bee. I have been around honey bees all of my life and these are very different and super gentle. I have a commercial beekeeper helping me to extract them this fall. They are all natural and never been treated for varroa mite or anything. I want to start a beekeeping business with them.
35.
Nice Post! This is a great post. I like this topic.This site has lots of advantage.I found many interesting things from this site. It helps me in many ways.Thanks for posting this again. Thanks a million and please keep up the effective work Thank yo so much for sharing this kind of info.
36.
I would like to startup a bee keeping enterprise so advise me on the proposal writing that i can draft for funding.
37.
I really like bees, that why I choose to become a beekeeper, because they help big to our environment, without bee and other insect that pollenate our plant, trees, and all the flowers we cannot survive in this world.
38.
Hi..
I would like to export honey from India.
Please suggest right procedure of the same.
39.
i wanna join your team i am here in africa Zimbabwe
40.
I am a beekeeper with apis cerena indica.I am intrested in apis cerena cerena .May I be suggested what to do to get atleast two groups of it?
41.
There are several titles Small Farm Handbook who is the named author
42.
I have been fascinated by your information on bee-keeping and its values to a farmer.
I would like more information on how bees can be hired out for pollination and again recovered back
Thanks
Kind regard
Robert Kampala Uganda
43.
anybody who offer internshipborbon the job training for beekkeeping? i am very much willing to go for a training. presently i have 50 stingless bees and wishing to have more but wanted to apply right and correct practice for my beefarming
thank you
44.
I'm interested in starting a beekeeping business please share your info with me
45.
Hello, can someone please provide direction on laws of having bee farms in residential areas? I think bee farms they are wonderful ideas and greatly needed in our lives but NOT directly next door to neighbors (10 feet away) and across street from a school. Just want to make sure I am taking proper steps before getting upset with neighbors. Thank You.
46.
I really interested in being a beekeeping. I would like to startup a bee keeping enterprise so advise me on the proposal writing that i can draft for funding.if anybody live in Houston Texas agree & allow me to work with him as a volunteer as well get practicing .thx I look forward to hearing from you all.
47.
I really interested in being a beekeeping. I would like to startup a bee keeping enterprise so advise me on the proposal writing that i can draft for funding.if anybody live in Houston Texas agree & allow me to work with him as a volunteer as well get practicing .thx I look forward to hearing from you all.
48.
I have a 50 hectare virgin land at Epe in Lagos State in Nigeria with 1750 sq, m of swap. it is planed for an Integrated Organic Agriculture.
On this particular day I was with the palm wine tapper coming in from the farm with palm wine on his head. He suddingly shouted it was bees bite. The area is about an hectare he showed me a palm tree full of bees I then decided to grow commercial bee there. The palm wine has to be sift of bees both dead and alive to drink or sell in that area Epe town.
Please guide me through.
Thanks
49.
I would like to start working for a bee keepers business as a helper to learn about bee keeping so i can start my own business in the future hopefully
50.
Iam interested to find some one who is interested to invest in Beekeeping here in Tanzania. For those interested lets keep in touch.
51.
Hello, I am a highschool sophomore who is extremely interested in this career path. I was mainly wondering about what classes are reccomended to have in order to start a bee farm. Should I get an agricultural and/or business degree? Last question is are there any job oppurtunities in this field located in Georgia? Please respond to my email, Thank you.
52.
Hi! this was a really nice reading, I can't find the Small Farm Handbook since the link is broken, would you please help me out finding this document. Thanks
53.
Here's a link to the Small Farm Handbook http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3526. Thanks for letting us know it's broken.
54.
awesome just getting started on a grant am meeting with farmers in so central florida
55.
I'm very interested in starting my own bee farm, I live in WV and have 25 acres can you please give me advice on starting my business. Thank you for your time.
56.
I want to start bee keeping, i need guidance on how much money to start with,advantages of bee keeping over other agricultural projects such as rabbit production and horticulture.....i will be glad for your help guys
57.
After I read this article, I got to have knowledge and add my insight, I happened to look for an article like this, it is very helpful for me and the crowd, the writing is good to read and easy to understand.
58.
Hi everyone!
My name is Kendrick Shuler. I am a student at UC Berkeley and am currently working on an “Airbnb” like marketplace for local farmers and beekeepers to conduct bee rentals. This platform is called “bHive” – we are currently in beta testing and would love for any of you interested to make an account and give us feedback. Please follow the link here to check out our site: https://bhive.sharetribe.com/
As it stands, bHive will allow beekeepers to list their bees for rent, with a specific price per day, week, or month. Farmers can also request bees at a specific price point that suits their needs. In order for bHive to operate, we are currently charging a subscription fee of $1 per month if you are interesting in renting bees or posting a listing. This just covers the cost of hosting the website and keeping it operational. Since we are still in beta, we are offering anyone who wants to sign up and test the website a month free by using the promo cod “bhive1” at checkout.
Again, the thing that we value most is your input at this stage in our development. Please check out our site and play around with its features – let us know what you would like to see, what should go, or what we need to improve upon. If you have any questions at all, please e-mail me at bhive.kendrick@gmail.com.
Thank You,
bHive Team
59.
Honeybees have taken over in the siding of my house. They have been there for about 3months now. I thought of trying out being a beekeeper but everything I've read on bee shortages makes me think otherwise. I would love to try it cause I really need extra income and I can't afford to pay someone to come get them. Would be really nice if there was someone willing to pay me to take them! What are my best options?
Stephanie
Texas
60.
This is great.How do I download this great textbooks and also receive your magazines or beekeeping journals.Am a student of Agricultural Extension at Bayero University Kano.
I work directly with the peasant farmers to increase their farm income through modern Agricultural technology.Beekeeping is one of my priority as alternative sources of income and other Agricultural activities allowed.
61.
This is an excellent article
62.
I am interested in learning how to value a bee business and what is a fair charge for storing bees on others property. We are dealing with 250-300 hives and a queen building operation of 200+ queens. Looking for projected annual income and what would be fair and reasonable rent. Our ground is an organic orchard utilizing micro sprinklers. We would like to get income to help off set costs.
Thanks
Could you possibly add me to your mail list for information on beekeeping
Many thanks
Rae Crowley
Posted by Rae on March 26, 2012 at 6:59 AM