6 Ways to Make Money Through Beekeeping

Learn how to make a profit as a beekeeper with Blain’s Farm & Fleet.

Are you a beekeeper looking to make a profit? If so, you’re in luck! There are many different ways you can use your love of beekeeping to make some extra cash. In fact, some people make so much money from beekeeping that it becomes their full-time career!

Learn about the six different ways you can earn money as a beekeeper.

1. Sell Bee Products

The most popular way to make money through beekeeping is by selling products made by your bees. Honey is typically the first thing people think of when it comes to bee products. However, it’s not the only one. There are many products in addition to honey that you can sell to make a profit.

Honey

There’s no denying that selling honey is one of the biggest ways you can make money as a beekeeper. Honey production costs are low, so it’s a great thing to sell.

Honey is always in demand, and many people prefer to buy their honey from local beekeepers rather than the grocery store.

Depending on how much honey you have available to sell and how big of a business you plan to turn beekeeping into, you have a few different options. If you just want to make a little extra cash, just selling jars to your friends and family will do.

You could also bring jars with you to work and sell it to coworkers. If you go to church or are involved in any community groups or clubs, these are great places to sell some jars, too.

If you have more honey to sell, you could set up a table at local farmer’s markets. You could also try selling the product in bulk to small grocery stores or restaurants.

You also have the option to charge more for your honey if you sell it in different varieties. For example, you could sell it with part of the comb or offer different flavors, depending on the nectar sources you have.

Many people also prefer their local honey to be raw and organic. If yours is, make sure you advertise it as such. You can also charge more for these types of honey.

Beeswax

Beeswax is another popular bee product to sell. You can sell the wax as is, or you can make in into something else for an even bigger profit.

Some of the most popular beeswax products include candles, lip balms, soap, and other body care items.

If you want to get the biggest bang for your buck, try making beeswax candles. The only other materials you need are the string for the wick and a mold. Everything you need is quite affordable, but the candles can sell for a good amount of money.

Pollen

Many people may not realize it, but you can also sell pollen. In fact, pollen is worth more than honey is. People purchase pollen to use it as a health supplement.

Pollen is a bit trickier to sell than honey, though. You will need to get a special pollen trap to attach to the entrance of your hives. Remember that bees also need pollen to survive. You should only keep the traps up for a short period of time, as you will put your bees at risk if you take too much of it.

You will get much less pollen from your hive as you would honey.

Pollen also perishes quickly. You can sell it fresh, or you can dry it to make it last longer.

Propolis

Propolis is a sticky plant substance that bees use to disinfect and maintain their hives. People buy it for medicinal purposes, and it is even more valuable that honey and pollen.

Similar to pollen, you will need to install special propolis traps in order to collect it from the hives. You won’t get very much, but it will still sell for a good amount.

2. Sell Bees

You can also sell some of your bees for a profit. One of the most common ways to do this is in a nucleus colony, also known as a “nuc.” A nuc consists of a special nuc box filled with honeycombs, bees, and a queen.

You can also sell separate bee packages or queen bees. And if you have many bees, you can sell an entire established beehive.

You want to make sure the bees you’re selling have strong genetics. If you sell poor quality bees, people won’t want to buy from you in the future.

3. Beekeeping Classes

If you’ve been beekeeping for awhile, you can use your experience and knowledge to help teach others. You can offer classes to people who’d like to become beekeepers themselves. You could also write a blog, book, or create a podcast to teach people about beekeeping.

Some bee farms also offer tours for the general public who are just curious about bees. If you like getting involved in your community, setting up tours of your apiary may be a good option for you.

4. Pollination Services

Many farms are in need of pollination services to help their crops flourish and grow. To help, you can offer pollination services by renting your beehives out to farmers.

This option is best for beekeepers with a lot of hives. Most farms looking for pollination services are large and will need quite a few bees.

You’ll also need a way to transport your bees and their hives to the new location.

5. Bee Removal Services

You can also use your experience of handling bees to help others. Many homeowners and businesses will pay people to remove large bee swarms from unwanted areas.

Some beekeepers choose to offer this service because they enjoy handling bees. You just need to make sure you have all the proper equipment to safely remove and transport the bees.

You can choose to relocate the bees to a safer place, or you can even keep them!

6. Apiary Maintenance

You can also offer to care for other people’s hives in exchange for money. You can raise the bees on your own farm. Or you can go to other people’s hives and regularly tend to them.

Many farmers use this service. They have bees to help pollinate their plants. But they don’t have the time to care for them.

So they will pay a beekeeper to do so. This is a great way for beekeepers to earn some extra cash while doing what they love.

For more beekeeping tips and how-tos, visit our Beekeeping Blog.