The dream of many people is to do what they love, which will bring a decent profit. Beekeeping as a business can be a pretty decent source of income, despite the fact that it is also a very exciting activity.
Beekeeping as a business can be a pretty decent source of income.
As a rule, breeding bees at first is just a hobby, which in the future often becomes so successful that its profitability becomes more than the income from the main job. Often at this stage, the beekeeper begins to think about how to make his favorite pastime a business.
However, not everything is so simple here, because you need not only to be able to handle insects and extract, but also to have an entrepreneurial streak, and not everyone has this. If there will be a lot of bee products, but the beekeeper will not be able to properly sell his products, then he should not hope that he will receive a decent profit.
But if you approach this issue with all seriousness and draw up a clear business plan, beekeeping can be turned into a successful and profitable business. It is better to start with a minimum, as you need to try your hand. It will be very disappointing if large investments do not pay off as a result. For the first time, a small apiary in your summer cottage or just a house adjoining territory will suffice. This will be quite enough to gain experience, find a sales market and assess future prospects. If everything goes well, you can further develop your business.
a beekeeper at work Beekeeping does not require serious expenses. A big plus is that you can develop a business gradually, which will allow you to invest in small shares that will be completely invisible to the family budget.
On the territory of Russia, beekeeping is well developed. Nevertheless, the profitability of the apiary is quite high, since there is always a demand for honey and bee products. If you are serious about beekeeping, you can even work with foreign partners, since Russian honey is highly valued abroad.
But first you need to arrange everything correctly, prepare and think through the nuances. This will allow you to do business correctly and not worry about fines and product sales.
Beekeeping as a business (video)
First steps
Statistics say that the Russian market of bee products can withstand up to 1 million tons of goods per year. However, data from past years show that a fifth of it is occupied, so every beekeeping lover has every chance of becoming successful in this business.
But here it must be taken into account that beekeeping is unevenly developed in Russia. Therefore, for starters, it is worth clarifying information regarding the employment of this niche in your region. Almost everywhere there are beekeeping unions, where you can get all the necessary information and consult on important issues. In addition, you need to clarify the prices for equipment, find out where to buy the best bee colonies, if there are none. For those who already deal with a small apiary, it will be much easier to start a business with bees.
After finding out all the details, you can start looking for a place for a future apiary. Even those who already have hives in the local area or in their summer cottage will have to find an additional place, since the production of honey and bee products on an industrial scale requires a large apiary.
As a rule, breeding bees at first is just a hobby, which in the future often becomes so successful that its profitability becomes more than the income from the main job. If we consider the most bee-keeping regions, it turns out that apiaries are quite widespread in Bashkortostan, Altai Territory, Kaluga and Orenburg regions. There are a lot of beekeeping farms here, so it will be quite difficult to squeeze into a niche. Most likely, you will have to establish sales contacts in other areas.
Beekeepers note that, having drawn up a competent business plan, beekeeping can be organized in any region of Russia. The only exception is the Far North. Therefore, you can choose a site anywhere. The main thing is that it meets all the requirements of a quality apiary. As a rule, 30 m2 of land is taken per hive. The best place to create an apiary would be a low slope. This will allow loaded bees to return home downhill, which will increase their speed and save energy.
The choice of location for the location of the hives plays a very important role in beekeeping. Insects should be warm enough, but at the same time not hot. If the apiary will be located in the southern regions, it is best to put houses for bees in the shade. Closer to the north, the hives must be exposed to the sun so that the bee colonies do not freeze. Experienced beekeeping owners strongly do not recommend making an apiary near the forest and near farms. So the likelihood that insects will get lost or be destroyed will be significantly reduced.
The best place for breeding bees is a sunflower or clover field. In addition, the proximity to plantings of acacia and linden has a good effect. Such honey comes out very tasty, which guarantees its quick sale at a high price.
Experts say that the best results are given by those apiaries that change their location several times during the season. If everything is done correctly, you can increase the amount of honey and bee products up to 50%. But before installing hives in a particular area, it is necessary to coordinate everything with the farmers working nearby, or representatives of the forestry. Bees will also benefit by pollinating plants, so they are no less beneficial for the farm than for the beekeeper.
The choice of location for the location of the hives plays a very important role in beekeeping. Paperwork
If you are engaged in the production of honey for yourself, that is, to keep a small number of hives, then no documents are needed for this. However, if this is bee breeding as a business, that is, it is planned to make a profit, the owner must be registered as an individual entrepreneur. In addition, some other documents may be required for the sale of bee products.
To open an individual entrepreneur, you should contact the nearest branch of the Tax Service, where special forms are filled out, a state duty is paid and a copy of the applicant's passport is provided. After a few days, you can pick up the finished IP registration certificate.
Every entrepreneur is required to pay taxes on their profits. There are several taxation systems for this, but for a beekeeper, UTII, that is, the Single Tax, would be the best option. This is a fixed amount that does not depend on profit. If the turnover of products is large enough, then the benefits of using such a system will immediately become noticeable. We should not forget that the entrepreneur will have to pay not only taxes to the Federal Tax Service, but also contributions to the Pension Fund.
In addition to registering an individual entrepreneur, it is necessary to draw up papers for the apiary itself. Here we are talking about the production and trade of food, so you need to take this issue carefully so that you do not face numerous problems and fines later. First of all, you should contact the local branch of the Veterinary Service, whose employees check the bees for the presence of diseases. If nothing is found, then the beekeeper is issued a document that allows the extraction and sale of honey and bee products. Without this certificate, it is impossible to engage in bee business in any case.
Beekeeping as a business for a beginner beekeeper (video)
apiary equipment
Even though the beekeeper has a small beekeeping farm and some experience with bees or not, it will take a lot of work to organize a business. Of course, starting a business when the first steps have already been taken will be many times easier, but this does not mean that everything will be simple. An apiary that will produce enough honey and bee products so that the beekeeper can make a good profit requires some investment. Of course, if everything is done correctly, then this money will pay off quickly. Therefore, before starting work, you need to calculate everything correctly, get enough information about the bees, how to properly breed them and.
A very important role is played not only by hives, but also by bee colonies. Do not try to start insects brought from afar. Some beekeepers work with them, but this requires sufficient experience. It will be much easier to take local breeds for the first time. As a rule, they give excellent profits, as they are in a familiar environment.
As for the equipment, it can be purchased from special beekeeping companies or made by hand. The last case is suitable for those who plan to use a small number of hives to create a small business. If we are talking about impressive profits, then here the apiary should not be small. It will be very difficult to make several dozen hives on your own, so most businessmen still purchase equipment from professional craftsmen.
Bees and houses for their living should be suitable not only for collecting honey, but also for wintering. If the bee colonies freeze and get sick, then there will be no profit from them. Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that the hives are of high quality. Equipment can be purchased at any time, but with insects, things are more complicated. Experts do not recommend rushing, but acquiring bee colonies in early May.
As for the breed, for most Russian regions they recommend forest Central European, as well as gray Caucasian bees. They not only endure winters well, but are also as resistant to disease as possible. Carpathian and yellow Ukrainian bee colonies are in great demand among beekeepers. Of the foreign ones, the Italian breed can be distinguished. These insects are highly resistant to diseases and quickly orient themselves in space, which helps them find the best places to collect honey.
In order to organize a small business on honey, which will bring a certain income, about 50 families can be used for work. However, to obtain tangible profits, serious investments and at least 150 bee colonies are needed to collect honey and prepare bee products.
Business plan for a beekeeper
The attraction of this type of business is that a good return does not require large investments. However, beekeeping is a rather complicated business and requires certain knowledge. Therefore, first you need to find out more information about this business, gain some experience and draw up a business plan for breeding bees. Only after that you can think about becoming a professional beekeeper and make a business out of it.
To start, the beekeeper will need a piece of land, about 50 hives and bee colonies. This will allow you to open a small apiary, which will pay off in the first year, so the profitability of beekeeping will be more than good.
If we calculate the approximate costs for a startup, then about 500 thousand rubles will come out. At the same time, most of the amount will be spent on bee colonies, and the rest of the money will be spent on purchasing houses for bees, paperwork and renting land if the businessman does not have it. Maintenance costs for the apiary are minimal. Most often, it becomes a family business, so you don’t have to hire workers and pay them wages. About 7 thousand will have to be spent on veterinary drugs, and another 3 will be spent on feeding insects. It is quite possible that transportation of the apiary will also be needed, which will amount to about 10 thousand rubles. for the move. Do not forget about the cost of taxes and insurance premiums.
As for the question as to whether it is profitable to engage in beekeeping, then with an initial expenditure of 500 thousand rubles. and an annual cost of about 30 thousand apiaries will bring excellent profits in the first year. It is worth noting that during the first season there will be twice as many bees. For new families, you need to purchase beehives. Thus, the business will grow, but at a significantly lower cost, since there will be no need to buy insects.
Initially, you can expect that the family will bring from 30 to 50 kg of honey per season. If only this product is sold at a retail price, then the initial investment will immediately pay off. Plus, you can sell extra bee colonies, wax, propolis, perga and pollen. With proper breeding from the second year, you can get a net profit of up to 1 million rubles. for the season. But we must remember that such figures are real only with an established sales market and really high-quality products. The first time may not be easy, but when the beekeeper "makes a name for himself", he will be able to count on the maximum income.
Beekeeping can be turned into a great business that does not require huge investments. However, in order for this business to start generating the desired income, you need not only to know how to properly behave with bees, but also to correctly create a beekeeping business plan.
To run such a business, it is not at all necessary to hire workers, unless, of course, we are talking about large apiaries. In addition, you can also independently pack and sell honey.
Before you start beekeeping, it is very important to find out all the pros and cons that such a farm has.
There are also a few cons, which you should know before you start breeding bees:
- First, it is a high level of competition in the sales market. But this disadvantage can be overcome by selling a quality product and advertising it well.
- Secondly, honey prices are now quite high, so at first it will be very difficult to form a large customer base. However, this is a matter of time.
Like any other business, beekeeping has its own nuances and underwater rocks. Thus, the following points should be understood:
Diseases of bees, signs and methods of treatment, prevention
Where to begin?
From the very beginning, you need to think where the bees will live, how many hives do you need And where to build an apiary. First of all, it should be noted that if you decide to keep a beekeeping farm on your own, then you will have to live next to the apiary. This need is due to the fact that in the summer you will need to check the hives every day.
It should be noted that around the apiary is best plant a green fence. When choosing a place, you need to pay special attention to the fact that there are as many honey plants as possible. The most valuable and useful varieties of honey are produced by bees from acacia, linden, mint and buckwheat.
The nature of honey plants determines the type of bees.
The most common bee families:
- Central Russian view
They are very aggressive and tend to swarm. Central Russian bees collect pollen mainly from linden and buckwheat.
- Gray Caucasian bees
Forbs and clover are their main honey plants. The main disadvantage of such bees is that they are very difficult to tolerate cold. Their aggressiveness is low, but they do not allow outsider bees to their hives.
- Ukrainian steppe bees
This species interacts well with buckwheat, sunflowers and linden. Their main advantage is that they tolerate winter very well and very rarely get sick with such common diseases as nosematosis and European foulbrood.
Basic bee breeding methods
Honey production - how bees make honey
It has become very popular now year-round maintenance. But this method involves caring for the bees throughout the year.
How to write a beekeeping business plan?
If you decide to engage in apiary as a serious business, and not just a hobby, you will need quality business plan.
First of all, you need define your goal- opening a private apiary and selling honey. And then you can already think about the organizational stage. It consists in the direct purchase of hives, bees and equipment for beekeeping. In addition, you need to take into account the additional costs for inventory, as well as for special clothing.
At the first stages of work, you can deal with the apiary on your own, but as you expand, you will have to resolve the issue with recruitment.
Then follows explore the market where the goods can be sold. It should be noted that in addition to home consumption, honey is also needed in production. Therefore, in the future it will be possible to establish contact with some of the industries.
In the sales process, it is very important to consider and monitor all financial performance. This is necessary in order to understand which type of honey is the most profitable, or simply to track the dynamics of sales. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that bee breeding is seasonal business.
In the end, you need to think through all the possible risks so that not a single force majeure situation takes you by surprise.
The main risks include:
Beekeeping in the Kuban, Chuvashia and Buryatia
Thus, having a rough business plan, it will be much easier for you to open your own private apiary.
How to properly sell honey?
The main advantage of the honey trade is that the product itself can keep long enough. If you didn’t manage to convert the whole game right away, it’s not so scary.
In addition, profit can be made not only from honey, but also from bee products. Namely, from propolis, pollen, royal jelly.
Do I need to register beekeeping as a business?
If you are planning to build official business, then it will be necessary legalize your occupation. And here special license to engage in beekeeping, do not need to receive.
To establish a trade, you will need to obtain quality certificates. They are needed if you will cooperate with enterprises. But in any case, you need to issue a veterinary passport. For your business to be official, you should choose a taxation system. The most convenient option is a single tax.
Is the apiary safe for the beekeeper?
There are several different points of view on this question. First of all, it should be noted that a bee sting contains a certain amount poison - histamine. This substance can provoke severe allergic reactions, which may be accompanied by swelling and inflammation. Before, you need to make sure that there is no allergy to bee stings.
However, there is also an opposite point of view. Some beekeepers say that bee sting can be beneficial. This is due to the fact that bee venom in its composition has many useful components.
In the end, it should be noted that beekeeping as a business is quite profitable. But for this you need to love nature and bees, as well as completely surrender to your favorite business. It is possible to make good money on beekeeping, but for this you need to invest a lot of effort and work and never forget about the possible risks.
In agriculture, there are plenty of unusual and original areas of specialization. But the most special is still beekeeping, as it is focused on breeding unusual animals (insects) and obtaining absolutely irreplaceable and unique products - honey and natural wax. Although there are really large "industrial" apiaries in Russia, this industry remains the lot of small and medium-sized farmers. And all because the apiary is more often a profitable hobby than "just a business."
However, 100 thousand tons of honey produced in Russia is far from the limit. If the average Russian eats about 0.65 kg of honey per year, then the German eats 4.5 kg. That is, potentially the domestic market can take almost seven times more than today. And this is only domestic demand. But there are still foreign markets, which are much larger and often more solvent.
The main obstacle to the development of Russian beekeeping for a long time was the underdevelopment of the trade infrastructure and the complete indifference to the industry on the part of the state. This led to the fact that the honey producer and the buyer could not contact each other. The only connecting thread was dealers who bought honey for a pittance from beekeepers and sold it at exorbitant prices in stores in large cities. Thus, work in the apiary was often just a hobby without much hope of a good profit, and consumers, in turn, were forced to buy very expensive honey in retail chains or refuse it altogether.
In the last decade and a half, the situation has begun to change for the better, although it is still far from ideal. Firstly, in many regions, the National Union of Beekeepers, with the assistance of local authorities, managed to organize regular honey fairs in large cities. So the manufacturer and the buyer were finally able to meet without intermediaries. As a result, beekeepers began to earn better money, and their products became more accessible to consumers.
Secondly, the rapid development of information technology and private courier services have greatly simplified the sale of products from the apiary. Now the producer and consumer of honey can easily find each other on the Internet without any intermediaries, and the delivery of the purchased goods is possible anywhere in the country for very little money.
The main problem of the industry is product quality control. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous producers who make low-quality honey from the apiary, using well-known methods to increase production volumes at the expense of product quality.
Where to create a new apiary?
The whole territory of Russia, except for the regions of the Far North, is suitable for beekeeping. However, for each climatic zone, you should choose the most suitable breed of insects for it. For example, the Central Russian bee is most productive in Bashkiria, Altai and the Vologda region. The Caucasian bee, as you might guess, feels good in the southern mountainous regions. The Carpathian bee (especially the Maikop type) is adapted to the conditions of the middle belt and plain regions of southern Russia.
As for the location of the apiary with beehives directly on the ground, everything is somewhat more complicated here. On the one hand, it seems obvious that it should be as close as possible to the places of honey collection - abundantly flowering meadows and, most importantly, to fields with flowering cultivated plants. The distance in a straight line between the hives and the place of honey collection should not exceed 2 km.
On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the death of bees is the use of insecticides by farmers in the fields. That is, if you do not agree with the owner of the field that he warns the beekeeper in a timely manner about the upcoming processing of the field, you can easily lose the entire bee colony. If you have a large area (several hectares or more) of wild land, you can sow honey herbs on it with different flowering periods, and then the issue of a honey harvest will disappear by itself.
Also, when placing an apiary, the landscape of the area should be taken into account. The best option is if the hives are below the honey collection sites, or at least at the same level. So bees loaded with honey won't have to fly back up the mountain.
In the southern regions, where the summer sun mercilessly burns all living things, the hives must be hidden in the shade so that the bees do not literally bake. But in the cooler parts of the country, where the sun is not so merciless, it is allowed that the hives be in the sun part of the day. Then the insects will not freeze at night.
It is highly undesirable for a bee apiary to be located near large bodies of water, since there is a high probability of the death of bees thrown into the water by gusts of wind. Also, do not place beehives next to large livestock farms, coniferous arrays and crops of cereal crops.
It is optimal if there is a large field of buckwheat, sunflower or clover next to the apiary. No less successful would be the decision to put the hives not far from the linden or acacia grove.
Finally, it is important to note that some beekeepers rearrange their hives several times during the season, achieving an increase in honey yield by one and a half to two times. However, not everyone agrees with this approach, since it can disorientate the bees and provoke the colony to leave the apiary.
If you seriously intend to engage in beekeeping on a more or less solid scale, and even more so, if you want to have a real opportunity to coordinate with farmers the schedule for processing nearby fields with pesticides, you will have to register an apiary in accordance with all the rules.
First of all, you need to register a business entity in the tax service. For beekeepers, the format of individual entrepreneurship (individual entrepreneurship) is optimal - a minimum of bureaucracy and taxes, but all rights and opportunities are preserved. To register an individual entrepreneur, it is enough to go through a simple procedure for submitting documents to the local council (they will tell you exactly what is required). At the same time, do not forget to arrange taxation for your company according to a simplified scheme.
But the business does not end with the registration of IP. The apiary itself must be registered separately. True, this is done after the hives are installed and inhabited by bee colonies, and not in the tax office, but in the nearest veterinary service.
After submitting an application and other documents from this organization, specialists should leave for you to inspect the hives and get acquainted with the veterinary certificates for the bees you purchased (therefore, you need to buy them only in breeding farms with all related documents). If the inspectors do not have any claims and comments (and if you yourself did not cheat in something, there will be no comments), then you will be given an apiary passport, which gives you the legal right to put hives on the ground and sell honey.
What equipment do you need to buy for the apiary?
From the very beginning, we want to warn you again that you need to buy bee colonies only in specialized breeding farms (nurseries). Firstly, they definitely won’t slip sick insects or a different breed in general. Secondly, in the nursery, along with the bees, they will also provide all the accompanying documentation for them, without which it will not be possible to legally arrange an apiary. Finally, thirdly, in the nursery you will certainly be advised on how best to take care of the bees, and if necessary, they will also provide direct assistance in arranging the apiary and combating bee diseases (but, of course, not for free).
The best time to buy insects is April-May. If you create an apiary for profit, and not just as a hobby, then you should immediately acquire a large number of bees. In order for the whole idea to have at least some financial sense, it is recommended to buy 40-50 families at once. Well, in order to get a really tangible profit that can replace you with a good salary, you will need a large apiary for 150 populated hives and more. True, if you are completely new to beekeeping, then it is better, of course, not to rush and to start mastering at least 10-15 hives.
Now let's talk about the necessary equipment for the apiary. Theoretically, you can make them yourself, fortunately, there are a lot of drawings with typical hives on the Internet. However, this method is only suitable for a small personal apiary with a dozen beehives. It is not suitable for a serious enterprise, since you will be doing 50, and even more so 150 hives on your own for several months.
Fortunately, today it is easy to find any hives for your taste and needs on sale. It is best to start with classic vertical designs with multi-frame frames. Such a wooden hive is quite capable of working properly for 20-30 years without high maintenance costs.
However, expenses, unfortunately, do not end with bees and their dwellings alone. You will also need additional equipment - a smoker to pacify insects, overalls, a honey extractor and something else. Some of this can be made independently, but for a start it is better to get all the same high-quality new equipment.
There are diametrically opposed opinions about how profitable an apiary and beekeeping in general is. Some are sure that the honey market in Russia is literally full, so it is problematic to sell products at an adequate price, while others cite retail prices for honey in large cities as an argument for the profitability of this activity. As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
An ordinary beekeeper may indeed have difficulties with the sale of his products. Especially if he is not a member of the National Union of Beekeepers and has poor Internet skills (which is typical for most middle-aged and older rural residents). But if you take a serious approach to organizing a honey business, then you need to work in all areas - not only to improve the quality and volume of products, but also to develop a client base, constantly look for new ways to sell products.
If we compare beekeeping with other types of business, we can note several very important advantages:
- start-up costs are relatively modest, unless you intend to buy an apiary that is already in operation, instead of creating one yourself;
- low operating costs for the maintenance of an already operating apiary;
- the manufactured products do not deteriorate, so it can be transported and sold without problems even at the other end of the country.
For clarity, let's look at the approximate profitability indicators for a small apiary for 50 bee colonies (hives). The biggest expenses are, of course, starting costs. The acquisition of bees, hives and auxiliary equipment will require about half a million rubles. For most other types of business, such a starting amount will be completely insufficient.
The cost of maintaining and maintaining an apiary is even more impressive in terms of their small volume. Only one person is quite capable of taking care of the indicated number of bees. And if you have a stationary, and not a nomadic apiary, then you will need to work far from daily and by no means for 8 hours. Even if for some reason you yourself do not want or cannot do this work yourself, then in the countryside you can always find a person who, for 4-5 thousand rubles. per month will look after the apiary and perform the necessary maintenance. And taking into account the fact that in winter there is no need for the services of a hired beekeeper, the gross costs will not exceed 30 thousand per year.
No more than 10 thousand rubles will have to be spent on the purchase of medical preparations to combat bee diseases per year. Another about 35-40 thousand rubles. goes to pay taxes. Thus, about 80 thousand rubles will have to be spent on maintaining the apiary in a year, provided that you attract hired labor. If you plan to do all the work yourself, then the costs will not exceed 50 thousand rubles.
Now profit. For a season, from one hive, an average of about 25-30 kg of honey is obtained. With a favorable set of circumstances - 40-50. With an average retail price of about 200-250 rubles. per kg, one hive will bring from 5 to 7.5 thousand rubles. Well, the income from 50 hives will be about 250-375 thousand rubles. We take away 80 thousand rubles of current expenses and get 170-295 thousand rubles of net profit. And that's just honey. But from the apiary they also receive a considerable amount of wax, bee bread, propolis and pollen, which can bring about another 100 thousand rubles of profit per year.
Creating your own business requires an answer to two main questions - payback and the availability of a steady income. From this position, beekeeping is seen as a positive example of a business.
However, certain conditions must be met in order to make your own earnings stable.
Pros and cons of beekeeping as a business
There are certain benefits to doing beekeeping as a business that remain obvious and will not change over time.
You can name the following advantages:
- The technology for obtaining honey cannot become unified, which does not allow putting production on an industrial basis.
There is no need to experience pressure from large players in the market. - Capital investment is connected only with the volume of planned income, the size of the apiary and other factors.
The specific volume of required funds will still be less in comparison with other types of business. - The sale of honey does not require contractual obligations with sales representatives.
Buyers traditionally prefer to buy honey from individuals, albeit organized at special sites - fairs, markets. - Additional investments for packaging, wages, advertising activities will be required only with an increase in the size of the apiary and the volume of products produced.
Thus, from the standpoint of starting your own business, beekeeping is a promising direction.
But it must be borne in mind that for the successful conduct of this business, many conditions must be met.
The science of breeding bees is truly endless and requires painstaking constant work.
Profitability of the beekeeping business and sales of products
It is definitely impossible to determine the profitability of a business from keeping bees and selling products. High profitability is provided by many factors that are found only when doing business.
Experienced beekeepers note the following main points that individually affect the success of a honey production business:
- The size of the bee farm.
As practice shows, a stable income, which allows you to farm autonomously, provides a plot with installed hives of at least 80.This will ensure a uniform income throughout the year, and will increase the profitability of production.
- Bee health.
The productivity of bees is directly related to their health.The determining factors are the choice of a place for the installation of hives, the purchase of houses for bee colonies themselves, the wintering of bees, and the implementation of preventive measures.
For all the complexity, experienced beekeepers note the ease of caring for bee colonies with the necessary experience and knowledge.
- The profitability of the bee business is directly related to the cost of the final product.
The main competitors, oddly enough, are beekeepers who have 2-5 hives.Not being able to sell their products in the absence of a trading place, they sell honey "on the ground" often at a lower price.
In this case, a kind of association of beekeepers can help, where the price, the presence of regular customers, and the sale of products through a permanent trading place will be regulated. - The success of a business is also associated with modern approaches to its conduct.
The current direction is to create your own online store.This will attract regular customers, produce honey on order, and popularize beekeeping products.
Additional advertising on Internet sites will provide a large volume of product sales.
Learn about bee breeding as a business from the video.
Business plan and start-up capital
All the benefits of running a honey production business will only be available when developing a business strategy. The business plan will allow you to determine the development of the bee farm, the cost structure.
A large enterprise will require the involvement of hired forces. An experienced beekeeper will allow you to confidently step into the business in the absence of skills in beekeeping.
The need for hired labor arises when the size of the apiary is from 70 families.
Developing a plan is not difficult. A ready-made option can always be selected online, taking into account the size and location of the site, possible capital investments, directions for the sale of finished products.
In further activities, one should strictly adhere to the action plan, the stages of development of the enterprise.
An assessment of the possible volumes of manufactured products can be made from the amount of 40 kg of honey per year, and also take into account auxiliary products - wax, propolis.
It will be difficult to accurately predict the necessary financial investments. The main investments are the costs of allocating land and equipping a bee farm.
The advantage of this choice will be a favorable environmental situation, but transport costs will increase slightly.
The cost of material equipment can only be estimated.
Be prepared for the following costs:
Plan labor costs for the apiary at the rate of 50 hours per week. It is good if these duties can be divided among several people.
Without experience, one should not start with a capital investment of 15 thousand conventional units. Limit yourself to a dozen hives in order to gain business experience.
Later, the bee farm can be increased.
Certification of bee products
Certification of honey is a rather complicated process, and allows you to confirm the quality of products. The condition is mandatory when entering the market with finished products.
If there is a certificate for the right to engage in an actual type of activity, the first step will be to apply for a certificate for honey. This condition has been mandatory since 2010 since the formation of the Customs Union.
Obtaining a voluntary certificate is not mandatory, but allows you to confirm the high level of products. In this case, the competitiveness of your company's goods will increase significantly.
Which bees to choose
Choosing a future bee colony is not easy. When examining brood, the frame should be solid.
A strong family is possible only in the absence of holes, scatter in the frame. This is directly related to the health of the bees.
When choosing a brood, pay attention to the following positions:
- The amount of brood in the hive.
A healthy family for the spring has at least 7 frames in the hive for the conditions of central Russia. - The state of the bottom of the hive.
If you find white-gray lumps at the bottom of the bee house, know that ascopherosis has settled in the bee family. - The activity of the bees, regular long flights, the condition of the wings indicates the excellent health of the bees.
Buying bees is best done during the daytime. This will allow you to evaluate the bees according to these factors, to prepare the bee colony for the move.
Ways to collect honey, apiary
When planning the creation of an apiary, the choice of the type of honey also matters. It's no secret that there is "expensive" and less valuable honey.
You can decide on the type of honey based on the advice of experienced specialists, as well as taking into account the area where the apiary is planned to be located.
The selection of honeycombs for pumping honey is carried out in order to increase the collection.
When selecting honey, they are guided by the following principles:
- Remove honeycombs filled with honey, which account for a third of the cells clogged with wax.
In this case, we can talk about the maturity of sweet products.High humidity immature honey begins to ferment and turns sour quickly after extraction.
- If brood has begun in the combs, then such a comb is not removed, otherwise the honey will only be polluted with larvae.
- For the selection of honey, only store honeycombs are used.
Older combs will produce darker colored honey, which will crystallize faster later on. - When extracting the honeycomb to the vacant place, you must immediately install a new one or one free of honey.
The best time for selection of cells is considered to be the evening hours, since the filling of the cells will be carried out as quickly as possible.
To remove the bees from the magazine, you can use the usual shaking with brushes, although this is a laborious method, and greatly disturbs the bees.
In practice, modern methods of removing workers are used:
- Bee remover.
The device is a nozzle for ensuring one-way movement of bees, which allows you to clean the comb in 24 hours. - Bee blower.
The devices use a powerful jet of air with a capacity of up to 1800 l / min. with high flow rate. This method is used for large apiaries. - Special chemicals - repellents.
Benzaldehyde and propionic anhydride proved to be the most effective.
The selection of combs from the hive during honey collection is carried out in full. It is only at the end of the season that the bees have enough honey for wintering.
For a small apiary (10-15 beehives), 1-2 staff members are enough. In this case, they manage with the help of family members.
In the case of an increase in the apiary to 100 hives, a proportional increase in the number of workers will be required.
Separately, you should take care of the seller in the retail sale of honey. The head of the economy usually deals with financial issues, material support.
Transportation of products and equipment can be combined.
Is there a prospect
Experienced beekeepers point to the profitability of their own business at the level of 15 - 25%. The probability that at the initial stage there will be no big profit is high.
But, with the availability of special equipment, obtaining special knowledge and experience, the chances of success increase significantly.
Before starting a business, study the market structure of your region. Often the size of bee farms does not exceed 8 - 10 families. In this case, you should not be afraid of competition.
If you take care of sales markets, various ways of bringing products to the buyer, then beekeeping will become your main occupation.
It's so nice to combine business and hobby!
How to start beekeeping can be found in the video.
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Is it possible to live from the apiary? A question that worries many beginner beekeepers. Let's try to analyze this issue, which is called "in numbers". Let's start by determining how many people will take care of the apiary. Let's say it will be one person, maximum two (as is most often the case). That is an ordinary rural family.
How much money do you need to start this business
According to practice, one person can maintain about 100 bee colonies, it is difficult, but possible. To build such an apiary, you will need to invest:
- Purchase of bee colonies - 3 thousand / piece, for 100 families - 300 thousand rubles;
- Hives - 500 rubles / piece, for 100 pieces - 50 thousand rubles;
- Trailer - 15 thousand rubles;
- Other inventory: honey extractor (used), chisel, masks, smoker, dry land, flasks, etc. - 10 thousand rubles.
TOTAL starting capital: 375 thousand rubles.
How much can you earn in the apiary
From such an apiary in one season in the conditions of the middle zone, you can get up to 50 kg of honey from one bee colony. Accordingly, from 100 bee colonies - 5000 kg (5t). The wholesale price of honey as of 2013 is on average 150 rubles/kg.
Total for the season you can get: 5000 kg * 150 rubles / kg. = 750,000 rubles. Subtract fixed costs from this amount, and these are fuels and lubricants, foundation, frames, etc. - about 50,000 rubles per season. Net we get about 700 thousand rubles, and this is without taking into account additional income, such as the sale of royal jelly, wax, propolis, and so on. Start-up costs can be recouped already in the first season of work, while also earning!
In terms of a month, the beekeeper receives a salary - 700,000/12 = 58,300 rubles per month. Which is very good for the average Russian family.
Hence the conclusion - it is profitable to deal with honey, it is really profitable. Although this is a troublesome business, associated with a certain risk (as in any business).
The main difficulties that lie in wait for beginner beekeepers:
1. Search for channels for the sale of honey. Before investing in a business, you should clearly understand to whom and how you will sell honey. With 10 - 15 hives, honey can still be sold to friends and acquaintances. But with large volumes of production, you will have to look for other ways to sell, including through wholesale buyers, retail stores, etc.
2. Compliance with the strict technology of keeping bees: correctly selected frames, regular inspection of the condition of the hives, bee diseases, overwintering and many other issues that fall on the shoulders of the owner of the apiary.
Step-by-step plan for opening an apiary
Preparations for opening your own apiary-related business should begin in January. This will allow by the middle of spring to solve all the preparatory issues and in the future directly deal with the apiary. The stage of theoretical preparation should be given two months (January-February). In February, a novice beekeeper can already work on the purchase of equipment (houses for bees). The next month should be devoted to the selection of bee colonies - the core of the newly formed business. As soon as the weather permits (mainly in the last ten days of April), it is possible to organize the removal of the hives to the place of collection of the first pollen. At the same time, you can start an advertising campaign.
What equipment to choose for apiary
Which OKVED to indicate when registering a business
When registering a new enterprise, you must specify the OKVED code 01.25.1.
What documents are needed to open
Given the fact that a beekeeping entrepreneur has to deal with quite live and even stinging bees, it would not hurt him to collect the necessary documentation. This includes a special passport, which is issued by the veterinary service, the actual coordination of business activities with this structure. The apiary must be registered with the regional administration. Since an apiary can be registered as an individual entrepreneur or LLC, it is necessary to take care of a set of a standard package of documents, which includes:
- application for the opening of individual entrepreneurship (in the form);
- a copy of the identity card;
- receipt of payment of state duty;
- a copy of the document certifying registration with the tax office.
Which taxation system to choose for business registration
Working in agriculture allows gardeners, agronomists, livestock breeders and beekeepers to enjoy special tax privileges. This is possible if the apiary is formalized as a peasant farm. Then the tax authorities will provide favorable conditions for the operation of the economy. However, you can use the simplified taxation system (STS).
Do I need permission to start a business
Permission to open an apiary can be agreed with the farmers on whose fields the pollen will be collected. Separate documents will be required when the sale of honey begins. In particular, you should take care in advance to obtain a certificate of compliance with the quality of existing standards.
Apiary management technology
The beekeeping profit can be received only when the entrepreneur-beekeeper is as honest as possible with the buyer. This means that it is unacceptable to add various synthetic impurities to honey that adversely affect health, raise product prices, sell some sugar syrup instead of honey, and so on. How honest the beekeeper is, how many potential buyers of honey he has.