To Bee or Not to Bee

I will be concluding this Ag Business series next weekend. I think I’ve covered just about every topic for consideration. If I haven’t touched on an Ag topic that you wanted to hear about, let me know.

One other start-up Ag business one might want to consider is beekeeping. This is not for someone who gets ill being around insects. There are start-up costs and quite a learning curve before you can actually feel comfortable with your knowledge and proficiency.

One thing you would need to start with is a class on beekeeping. There are several offered around the state. See the events page at www.orsba.org. This is the Oregon State Beekeepers Association web site. It offers a lot of resources for beekeepers of every level. Next get a good book on the subject. And spend the next year reading and studying the craft. See if you can job shadow a beekeeper.

There is money in beekeeping, but the balancing act one must do to make a profit often unnerves beekeepers. The mistake that many make is they grow their business too quickly, and when there is a bad year it can financially devastate the keeper.

There is money to be made if you don’t mind transporting your bees to California where the almond producers will pay over $150 per hive for pollination. Don’t expect those prices for other crops when that season is over. Things like pumpkins or cherries bring in only about $35 per hive. If you can start in California, come back and work several other crops in Oregon each colony can yield about $300 in pollination fees alone.

There is also money in honey production, though commercial beekeepers that make their money on pollination see honey as a by-product. They sell off their honey to big distributors often for less than two-dollars a pound. Beekeepers who value their honey will bottle it and market it them selves. Good raw honey can fetch between six and eight dollars a pound. A well established colony will yield between 150 and250 pounds of honey in Oregon.

There are other hive products that one can sell or use in products in their cottage industry. Bees wax can be made into candles, but it can also be used in making hand creams and lip balm and furniture wax. Propolis can be made into a tintiture for cuts and scrapes. Bee pollen is another item beekeepers collect and sell.

Someone who is focused can turn a profit in beekeeping after about five years. It does take time to learn the craft, grow your holdings responsibly, and have the bees draw foundation into honey comb that can be used year after year.

Money and profit aside, there is just something special in watching bees come and go on a warm summer day. The smell of the hive is remarkably good as well.