Beekeeping is not only a useful and exciting hobby, but also a real profitable business. In this regard, it is not surprising that industrial beekeeping technologies are constantly evolving.

Industrial beekeeping technology

The advantages of industrial beekeeping over small apiaries are obvious. Having a rich forage base, large business apiaries will receive a large amount of honey and other beekeeping products. Such farms have at their disposal expensive high-performance equipment and all kinds of mechanisms to provide ideal care for honey insects.

As practice shows, industrial beekeeping technology can significantly reduce the cost of industrial construction and the purchase of equipment in terms of the bee family. This distinguishes large farms from small apiaries.

Industrial beekeeping

The profitability of apiaries and their productivity largely depend on the selection and breeding work carried out with insects. Large beekeeping farms have every opportunity to perform it at a higher quality level, which undoubtedly affects the result towards improvement. They can also create special services. For example, zootechnical or marketing. Often in industrial factories there are various subsidiary industries: bee fodder shops, carpentry workshops, etc.

Is it beneficial to keep bees

Log beekeeping

Many novice beekeepers are wondering if it is profitable to engage in beekeeping. Practice shows that this is a fairly profitable business. But in order for the revenue to be decent, it is necessary to have at least a hundred families.

Do not forget about the probable risks that do not depend on the beekeeper, which can reduce all efforts to care for bees to zero:

  • too hot or, on the contrary, too cold summer;
  • theft;
  • fires;
  • natural disasters.

Otherwise, the answer to the question of whether it is profitable to keep bees depends mainly on the beekeeper himself and on how competently and carefully he cares for the insects.

Business profitability

According to experts, the profitability indicator of beekeeping on average varies between 20% and 25%. The costs of the necessary equipment, including hives, smokehouses, protective suits and the bee colonies themselves, usually pay off within one season. In some cases, it even turns out to make a small profit.

Beekeeping for beginners

Each beekeeper usually organizes the sale of the product at his own discretion. Someone sells honey to friends, someone at fairs. But the most profitable option (and the most convenient) is to establish close cooperation with honey retailers.

Important! Beekeeping products have a long shelf life, therefore, losses from non-operational sales do not happen.

If we proceed from the cost of one liter of honey, equal to 500 rubles, then the profit layout looks like this: about 35 liters of honey are collected from the nest on average per season. This is about 20,000 rubles. Thus, with the installation of only 10 hives, you can get 200,000 per season.

Federal Beekeeping Act

Growing potatoes in bags: technology

In Russia, there is a single federal law on beekeeping (in the draft), as well as regional laws that regulate the activities of beekeepers and the bee business in different regions of the Russian Federation. It cannot be said that the legislation differs significantly, depending on the subject of the Russian Federation, but some differences still take place.

The developed edition of the Federal Law legitimizes the basic concepts that are directly related to beekeeping, and defines the basic principles of regulating beekeeping.

New beekeeping law passed

After reviewing the bill, it becomes clear that the state has set itself a goal - to seriously engage in a promising industry. This can be understood from the following provisions of the Federal Law:

  • On an annual basis, in the process of forming the budget, certain funds will be allocated, including for the development and support of beekeeping.
  • Requirements for apiary owners will be greatly tightened, especially in terms of veterinary and sanitary control of farms.
  • Registration of the apiary will be carried out with the obligatory reference to the place of its deployment.
  • An assessment of the state of the economy will need to be carried out annually, involving a specially trained specialist.
  • Bee farms will be required to provide a sign with contact information and registration number. The markings must be present on every hive.

On a note. As for the quality of the products, it will be checked in accordance with the established standards, and the purchase and sale of honey will be monitored.

Every beekeeper should know and understand that his highly specialized activity includes two main directions:

  • getting a useful product from insects;
  • pollination of plants.

The law is aimed, first of all, at regulating the activities of breeding bees, their use and protection. It clearly states that everyone has the right to engage in beekeeping as a private entrepreneur. You can keep an unlimited number of families, but only subject to observance of veterinary and sanitary standards and current rules. The law specifies the places in which it is allowed to install hives (in private plots or at a clearly regulated distance from institutions, roads, etc.).

The law is aimed primarily at regulating bee breeding activities

Even if beekeeping is an ordinary hobby and not a business process, it is strongly recommended to familiarize yourself with the current legislation in the most urgent manner. After all, as you know, ignorance of the law does not absolve from responsibility.

Business apiary

According to the calculations made by the chairmen of the National Union of Beekeepers of Russia, at least a million tons of honey go on sale every season. This does not take into account the secondary products of the apiary and the sale of goods for export.

Honey invariably finds its consumer, which means that an industrial apiary is a fairly profitable business that allows you to reach a high level of profitability.

Remember! A certain start-up capital is required to organize a business. The owner of the apiary does not have to live outside the city to run a bee farm. It will be enough to purchase or lease land.

The following significant points can be attributed to the advantage of arranging a business apiary:

  • small start-up investments (to start a business, you will need to buy a dozen bee colonies, beekeeper inventory, protective clothing and bee feeding; according to the most approximate calculations, this will require about $ 3,000, and they will most likely pay off if you strictly adhere to the business plan);
  • high profitability;
  • lack of a unified technology for honey production;
  • the ability to combine with other ways of earning;
  • acceptable cost of equipment;
  • the relative ease of work in the apiary;
  • the ability to do without staff;
  • availability (buying bees will not be the slightest difficulty, in this case the most important thing is the desire to work).

It is recommended that you attend a couple of bee breeding workshops and talk to professionals in the field. It will not be superfluous to get acquainted with the specialized literature. After the theory is mastered, you can safely start practice.

Industrial apiary

Of course, at first, the help of more advanced colleagues will be required, but with experience, an understanding of all processes will come. The most important thing is not to forget to carefully monitor the weather conditions. This will not only effectively determine the profitability of the season, but also provide the insects with better conditions.

It is imperative to monitor the condition of the hives and, if necessary, repair them.

Interesting. Geographically, the most favorable places for industrial beekeeping are Altai, Kaluga and Orenburg regions and Bashkortostan. Of course, this does not mean at all that in other regions the apiary will not be profitable.

Bee farming will definitely generate income. In order to achieve excellent results, you will have to work hard and treat with love such an occupation as beekeeping.

The beekeeping business attracts more and more people every year. After all, this is not only a way to make money, but also pleasure. To a greater extent, this activity is suitable for those entrepreneurs who live in rural areas or suburbs.

What absolutely no novice beekeeper is faced with is the problem of finding sales channels. Quality honey is a valuable product that is always in high demand. The product from a small apiary can be sold through friends and acquaintances. With large production volumes, markets, retail stores and all kinds of thematic sites on the Internet will come to the rescue.