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Beekeeping and Honey Production University of Kentucky CCD Home CCD Crop Profiles College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Beekeeping and Honey Production Introduction Apiculture, the study and keeping of bees, often begins as a hobby, later expanding into a small business. A beekeeping enterprise can provide marketable honey and serve as a source of pollinators for nearby cultivated crops. Market and Market Outlook once it has been separated from the comb. The honey market is currently very strong, Specialty products such as honey butter and especially for locally produced honey and whipped honey are made from extracted honey. specialty honey. A beekeeper producing a quality CHUNK HONEY is a combination of comb honey product can easily sell out before the next season’s and extracted honey bottled together. crop is ready. Honey produced from the nectar of certain trees, such as tulip tree, sourwood, and The U.S. imports a substantial amount of basswood, often brings a premium price. BEESWAX, a secondary product of bee activity. Market potential persists for quality, domestic Market options include farmers markets, beeswax. The beekeeping industry, which uses health food stores, roadside stands, agritourism beeswax to form wax foundation for the frames sites, and Kentucky-crafted stores or booths. in the hive, is one of the largest users of this by- Beekeepers producing large crops may consider product. There is also a high demand for pure selling honey in bulk to a honey packer. beeswax candles. Honey can be marketed in several forms. COMB ROYAL JELLY, a substance secreted by worker HONEY consists of chunks of honey-filled combs bees to feed the queen, and BEE POLLEN (more taken directly from the hive. Because it is the accurately, “bee-collected pollen”), are being easiest to produce and the cheapest to package promoted as dietary supplements. Royal jelly and market, comb honey is often recommended production can be expensive and labor-intensive for beginning beekeepers. While the price is with limited markets. However, collecting not as high as for other types, pollen is simple; with a little there is usually a ready market. knowledge about collection EXTRACTED HONEY, which is and marketing, bee-collected generally preferred by most pollen may bring a premium consumers, is the liquid portion price. Agriculture & Natural Resources • Family & Consumer Sciences • 4-H/Youth Development • Community & Economic Development Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Renting out hives to orchardists and farmers for Sources of honey pollination purposes can provide another source Honey color and flavor are determined by the of income. In addition, experienced beekeepers various plant species visited by the bees. It is could consider selling bees to other beekeepers. not economically practical to produce a crop These are sold as a small nucleus hive, or “nuc,” solely for honey production; however, cultivated that is easily transported and later expanded to plants grown for other purposes can provide an a full-size hive. Selling queens is another way important source of nectar. Common nectar experienced beekeepers may profit from their sources include agricultural crops, tree fruits, enterprise. The technique for rearing queens is small fruits, ornamentals, and wild flowers. One taught in workshops at Kentucky State University. hive will require several acres of flowering plants to provide it with sufficient nectar. Management The beekeeper will need to regularly open each hive to examine the condition of the brood, check food stores, look for signs of disease and pests, and to perform various hive maintenance tasks. The queen should be replaced every other spring or at the first signs of failure, regardless of age. While some inspections can be brief, it is important that the hive be examined in a timely manner throughout the year. Production Considerations Swarming, which greatly reduces hive strength, Site selection and obtaining bees is most often associated with overcrowding in the Ideally, hives should be located within 1 to 2 miles hive. It can be avoided with proper management of a succession of spring, summer, and fall nectar practices. sources. While previous guidelines indicated that hives need to be located in a shaded area, the Pest management latest information suggests that it is best to place The most common brood diseases in Kentucky are them in full sunlight to help combat the small chalk brood, American foulbrood, and European hive beetle. A source of water, such as a dripping foulbrood. Other diseases include Nosema and, hose, should be located nearby. Avoid locations occasionally, some viruses. The Varroa mite and near large rivers, highways, public areas, or on tracheal mite can result in serious bee losses in hilltops. Hives should be protected against cold the hive. The small hive beetle is a widespread winter winds. Hives located near cultivated pest in Kentucky. Recent successes in bee crops are potentially in danger of exposure breeding have provided strains of bees that are to insecticides. Obtaining the cooperation of mite-resistant and disease-resistant. Obtaining the grower and/or pesticide applicator will be bees and queens from a reputable source, essential to avoid bee losses. frequent inspections, and proper management helps prevent bee losses. Bees can be captured from a swarm, obtained from an established beekeeper, or purchased Skunks and mice are common in rural areas, but from a commercial bee supply company. Along can be excluded with screens or other barriers with the hive and hive parts, other necessary at the front of the hive. Bears, which are now equipment includes a smoker, hive tool, and common in eastern Kentucky, are kept away with protective gear for the beekeeper. electric fences. Harvesting and processing honey Economic Considerations Honey is considered ripe when the bees cap the Initial investments include the purchase of hives, honey. Supers, the chambers used to store surplus beekeeping equipment, bees, and queen. The honey in the hive, can be removed from the hive Kentucky Department of Agriculture suggests once they are completely capped over. The budgeting a startup cost of $500 for two hives, average yield in Kentucky is about 50 pounds of and $175 for each additional complete hive. honey per hive per year. The honey should be processed soon after harvesting and then stored Pressing or extracting equipment will represent in sealed containers in a warm, dry place or in a an additional investment for producers of chunk freezer until marketed. and extracted honey. The least expensive honey extractors with associated equipment Pieces of sealed and undamaged honeycomb cost about $500. However, extractors can be can be cut into neat pieces, packaged in plastic borrowed from other beekeepers and some local wrap or boxes, and sold as comb honey. Liquid beekeeping associations make them available honey may be separated from the combs using to members. A grant from the Kentucky professional extracting equipment. Small-scale Agricultural Development Board to Kentucky beekeepers, however, can do the job cheaply State University has allowed the construction of a by crushing the combs and letting the honey number of large-capacity honey extraction units. run slowly through strainers. Extracted honey These units have been established at selected is packaged in clear glass or plastic containers. County Extension offices around the state. Chunk honey is prepared by placing a portion of honeycomb in a jar and filling up the rest of the Producers wishing to purchase their own jar with the extracted liquid honey. extraction equipment and enter larger-scale honey production will need at least 40 hives to Beeswax is collected after all honey has been recoup the typical costs of extraction equipment removed from the combs. It should be cleaned, in 3 years or less. For producers wanting to invest melted down, and strained. It stores well at room in extraction equipment but wishing to keep temperature in the form of large chunks. fewer hives, a 10-hive production and extraction system would require an initial investment in the Labor requirements $4,000 range; a 50-hive system would require Labor needs for beekeeping and honey an investment approaching $6,000. There are production are quite variable. For example, the definite economies of scale and cost savings time spent establishing new hives will depend on realized by keeping more hives for the purpose materials used. In addition, considerable time can of extraction. Based on a price of $2 per pound, be spent simply driving between hive locations. extracted honey producers using this complete While it is difficult to estimate exact labor times system could realize returns to land, labor, and for caring for bees and harvesting, beginning management exceeding $100 per hive, provided honey producers should expect to spend at least hives are rented for pollination at an annual rate 28 hours per year managing 2 hives. Labor of at least $60 per hive. Recent retail honey prices time per hive should decline somewhat with up to $7 per pound in Kentucky could create experience and as more hives are added. significantly greater returns for well-managed honey operations. Honeycomb processing times will vary depending on the type of honey produced. Producers of comb honey will need at least one Producers should expect to spend about an hour year of production to
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