Is it profitable to engage in beekeeping: how to register and open an apiary, how much you can earn

Beekeeping is a difficult business that requires special knowledge and a large area for hives. But in the search for alternative income and natural products, bee breeding stands out in a separate niche along with the cultivation of strawberries and mushrooms. How to organize an apiary so that you can do it in your free time, and whether it is profitable to engage in beekeeping for the sake of fresh honey on your own, we will find out in more detail.

How much can you earn on bees

Bee breeding is more profitable than it seems at first glance. In addition to honey, bees also produce other foods that are he althy and rare enough to gain a regular clientele.

What is it and how much do beekeepers earn from selling:

DescriptionPrice per kilogram, in rublesZabrus The top layer of honeycomb, consisting of beeswax and honey, has useful properties, is usually not sold due to its unpresentable appearance.

Product
		1000
Propolis	Famous in folk medicine antiseptic consists of tree resin, wax, pollen. In the hive, the substance replaces the putty for the bees, keeps the microclimate. Bee food, consisting of pollen and nectar. Obtained by breaking the honeycombs and usually serves as food for bees in winter, therefore it is only available on order.	4000-5000
Pollen	A rare product is mined with a pollen trap, harvested and dried. Contains amino acids, vitamins A, C and group B.	1500-2000
Wax	A natural substance used to create scented candles.It is rendered out of old frames.	1000
Royal Jelly	Worth expensive and spoils quickly. Too bitter to eat, but popular in cosmetics. Laboriously obtained from the cell in which the queen larva develops.	66000
		(1000 RUR for 15 grams)

The production of some products is a complex process, which is not always taken even by experienced beekeepers. Therefore, the main income for a novice beekeeper will be the sale of honey.

You can earn 500-600 rubles per kilogram of a product of different grades. Honey is linden, buckwheat, acacia, sweet clover, depending on the plant from which the bees collected pollen.

During the season, an average of 10 kilograms of honey is collected from a 12-frame hive, which brings an additional profit of 8000-9000 rubles. During the season in a warm climate and grass-rich terrain, the harvest reaches 60-80 kilograms, that is, over the summer you can earn 48,000 rubles.

How to register an apiary in Russia

To organize a bee business, an open plot of land is needed. Its size depends on the number of hives. For a couple of houses, a part of the summer cottage is enough. But those who want to start building a large farm from scratch should be aware of the following nuances:

• next to the apiary there should be a field or forest where bees can collect pollen from flowers;
• the consent of the neighbors is required to install hives, as bees are not pets and can be harmful to he alth;
• an apiary should not be set up next to cattle burial grounds and storage sites for toxic waste, near industrial enterprises, highways;
• bee products must undergo laboratory control, for sale it is required to obtain a permit from the sanitary service, and for an apiary - to issue a veterinary and sanitary passport.

If the neighbors are not against insects or the area is secluded, first install separate beehives or a carriage with several houses, and then contact the district authorities. How to register:

• apply for registration to the village council;
• fill out the passport for the apiary in the veterinary and sanitary service;
• the bee farm should be examined by a veterinarian and its characteristics entered in the passport.

The sanitary document is signed by the head physician of the veterinary service and the owner of the apiary. The bee farm must be checked annually and marked in the passport.

Procurement of related equipment

In beekeeping, "nomadic" breeding is practiced, that is, a carriage (trailer) with beehives is transported during the season to places where there are most flowering herbs. The trailer-carriage costs about 200 thousand rubles.

For beekeeping purposes, converted ZILs are also sold with a platform instead of a body, on which there is a place for temporary housing for a beekeeper. The truck costs 250 thousand rubles and is the most expensive purchase with a claim for large sales and profits.

To open a small stationary apiary, a beginner beekeeper will need:

• hive - 4-5 thousand rubles;
• frames - from 22 to 100 rubles apiece;
• additional module (shop) - from 600 to 3000 rubles depending on the number of frames;
• honey extractor (apparatus for pumping honey out of frames) - 12-19 thousand rubles;
• equipment - overalls 2100 rubles, protective mesh on the face 200 rubles, gloves with oversleeves 550 rubles;
• smoker (a tool for scaring away bees) - 400-1400 rubles;
• wax melter for melting wax from frames - 3-6 thousand rubles;
• knife for cutting honeycomb - 200 rubles.

Additionally, in breeding bees, a swarm may be required - a device for storing and transferring the grafted swarm to the hive. It is used to catch wild insects. But for a home apiary, it is better to buy a bee package in specialized stores and farms.

Insects bred in hives are more peaceful, especially the Carpathian, Carnika, Buckfast breeds. These bees are adapted to the climate of the middle zone. The cost of a bee package, sometimes together with a wooden beehive, is 8 thousand rubles.

Apiary location

The main requirement for a high yield is an area with an abundance of honey plants. You can identify it by the sweet aroma that is in the air in summer. Honey plants are also specially planted in the area next to the apiary. Plants rich in pollen and nectar:

• linden;
• white locust;
• maple;
• raspberries;
• barberry;
• hazel;
• Ivan-tea;
• melilot;
• phacelia.

The flowers of lavender, lemon balm, sage, buckwheat, hyssop and clover will also serve as a decoration of the garden and sources of pollen for bees.

An unsuitable place for an apiary would be a site next to a pond, even if honey plants are located on the shore.

If the bee farm is surrounded by residential buildings, a fence 2 meters high should be placed around the hives. A guardrail is also required for a carriage in the event of a stop in a populated area. Bees scatter over a long distance and can sting someone. The fence will make the insects fly higher.

Sales & Marketing

A beekeeper opens up a variety of ways to sell products - from retail sales "from hands" to friends and neighbors to organizing a full-scale business with advertising.

Methods of selling honey and bee products:

• through intermediaries;
• find buyers through acquaintances, friends and neighbors;
• create an online store website;
• promote on social media;
• rent a trading space in the market;
• participate in honey fairs.

The easiest way to sell honey is through the Internet and word of mouth. Photo reports on pages on social networks will show that the products are really natural. Also, customers will be attracted by additional products, such as scented beeswax candles, gift sets.

Under favorable weather conditions, high yields and successful sales, the cost of breeding bees pays off in one season with an average investment of 65 thousand rubles.

Taxation

Owners of registered private farms can keep bees and not pay taxes, as they collect honey for their own needs. Also, beekeepers do not pay taxes if they work on their own without employees, and the apiary is registered and has passed the inspection of the sanitary service.

The beekeeper can apply for an IP and pay taxes under a simplified scheme.

A beekeeper needs to obtain the status of an entrepreneur and pay a fee if the apiary area exceeds 50 acres, and honey is sold at retail at a trading place in the market or in a store.

The state provides subsidies to official beekeepers:

• compensation for a share of the cost of maintaining the apiary;
• for advertising sales, fairs and exhibitions;
• to buy bees;
• help in re-equipment and purchase of large equipment.

Services are provided to owners of apiaries with fifty or more beehives, so the registration of entrepreneurship has advantages.

Competition

The competitiveness of a bee breeding business varies by region. In Russia, apiaries are being built in all regions, even in the north. In total, the industry produces about 60 thousand tons of honey per year. Areas with the most apiaries:

• Rostov;
• Krasnodar Territory;
• Belgorod;
• Volgograd;
• Perm Territory;
• Orlovskaya;
• Saratovskaya;
• Nizhny Novgorod;
• Kemerovo;
• Tambovskaya.

Beekeeping is also developed in the autonomous republics and regions - Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Dagestan and Altai. In other regions, competition for the sale of honey is lower.

Possible risks

The problem of the extinction of bees arose in the middle of the twentieth century and worsened in the twenty-first. Insects are dying due to climate change on the planet, the use of chemicals in agriculture and the spread of disease.

Troubles faced by novice beekeepers:

• infection with varroa - the disease is caused by the varroa mite, a carrier of viruses dangerous to the he alth of bees;
• missed moment of swarming when the bees fly away;
• death of a bee family in a cold winter with insufficient insulation of hives;
• rainy summer and a short flowering period of the plant lead to crop failure.

Besides the problems with insect care for beginner beekeepers, there is a risk that the set-up costs will not pay off in the first year due to low honey sales. Apiaries need to be well guarded, fences should be put up, and entrepreneurs should insure their farms.

Experienced beekeepers advise not to take on the arrangement of the apiary just for the sake of profit. Interest in insects should be the main motivation.

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