Taking up beekeeping is a fun and satisfying hobby to pursue and the advantages are obvious, particularly beekeeping with honey bees. Beekeepers will have the pleasure of their garden (and nearby gardens) being pollinated and will also enjoy their own delectable honey.
The Hardworking Life of a Honey Bee
The expression "busy as a bee" is very well known and is so for a very good reason. That's because it is so very true! Bees work so much each day to bring nectar back to the hive that a little over 35 short days after their birth, they have already worn out their wings with the result of being no use to the hive, and then they simply die. The colony accumulates the honey which is then used as their food source when flowers are not blooming. If the season has been a good one with the flowers giving good amounts of nectar, then the bees collect this nectar and make much more honey that they could ever hope to eat on their own. The beekeeper of a hive like this can certainly harvest enough honey for themselves to enjoy and be able to sell the rest. This when the beekeeping of honey bees is fun!
Liquid Honey and Comb Honey
There are two avenues a beekeeper can take to profit from the honey their colony is generating - by selling two distinct forms of honey. The first option is "liquid honey" which is extracted from the hive. A straightforward process, is it performed using centrifuge equipment with machines known as extractors. The second option is to sell the pieces of the "comb". The honey that is left in the initial wax combs constructed by the bees is the comb honey. Comb honey is highly prized by those who do favor the natural approach, although is it less adaptable than the liquid form of honey; such as being used for cooking and in the flavoring of drinks.
How the Flowers and the Soil Can Affect Honey
Honey actually has a vast range of colors and flavors and this is something not many people know about. And it begins with the flowers - different flowers possess different scents. So the nectar from one flower is going to have a different taste and smell to another kind of flower. The composition of the soil is also a factor and is responsible for how honey tastes and looks. For example, honey that is the product of the nectar of alfalfa can be white to a clear color due to the drier, alkali soil it grows in. And honey that is the product of the nectar of buckwheat tends to be quite dark because of the levels of acidity in that soil. Also, the quality of the honey comb that the bees cultivate determines the color and taste. Honey can have a color range from red to yellow and sometimes even have greenish hues.
Your Business of Beekeeping
Something that beekeepers need to do is comply with the state and federal regulations in regards to the processing, labeling and treatment of food products when honey and other types of bee products are involved. It's vital to understand that it's a business and the regulations of local councils or governments could be different in particular areas. Marketing strategies also need to be taken into consideration by any beekeeper who wishes to promote and sell their honey products. The big questions are: "What demographic should I be targeting?" or "How can I get people to buy my honey instead of from their local grocery store?". Beekeeping is certainly a great hobby. But when the transition from hobby to business takes place, the decisions that will need to be made will be decisions to ensure not just a small side income for the beekeeper, but prosperity.