Content
- 1 The state of industrial beekeeping today
- 2 Professional beekeeping: prospects for industry development
- 3 Goals and objectives of industrial beekeeping
- 4 What are the advantages of professional beekeeping
- 5 Conditions for organizing an industrial apiary
- 6 Equipment for industrial apiary
- 7 Location and dimensions of the industrial apiary
- 8 Working staff
- 9 Possible risks
- 10 Conclusion
In addition to amateur bee breeding, there is also the technology of industrial beekeeping. Thanks to production technologies, it becomes possible to obtain much more finished products from one apiary, without requiring a lot of labor to work.
Despite the fact that this type of business in Russia is not fully developed professionally, beginning entrepreneurs have prospects to occupy their niche and enter the world market. Professional domestic beekeeping in large-scale production will make it possible to supply finished products not only within the country, but also far beyond its borders.
The state of industrial beekeeping today
Today, there is industrial beekeeping in Russia, but, unfortunately, it is not export-oriented. The target audience is still the domestic market.Despite the fact that Russia has all the conditions for professional bee breeding and obtaining high-quality finished products, this system is rather poorly developed. At the moment, the available reserves are used poorly and not fully. That is why other countries easily surpass Russia in the production of honey on an industrial scale.
Professional beekeeping: prospects for industry development
If you professionally maintain an apiary, then there is every chance to enter the world market. Every year, about 50,000 tons of honey are extracted in Russia, as a result of which the country surpasses even Austria in the amount of products received.
If we focus on the domestic market, then honey is very popular and in demand. If you organize everything professionally and make the apiary really large-scale, then you can easily export products. In this case, it is important to do everything correctly: register as an individual entrepreneur or LLC, and approach doing business as responsibly and professionally as possible.
Goals and objectives of industrial beekeeping
Every production, regardless of scale, has goals and objectives, professional beekeeping in this case is no exception. The main goal of any beekeeper is to obtain and further sell honey and related products.
To conduct a full-fledged activity, you will need to equip the apiary according to all the rules, purchase bees, thanks to which it will be possible to produce products in large quantities and sell them after the end of the honey harvest.
The main tasks in this case are:
- apiary technical support;
- selection of bees;
- further maintenance of bee colonies in conditions suitable for them;
- searching for channels for selling finished products.
What are the advantages of professional beekeeping
Professional production has a number of advantages, including:
- obtaining additional income if you combine several types of activities at the same time, since beekeeping is a seasonal business;
- independent production of honey allows you to reduce the cost of finished products;
- during the honey harvest period, you can enter into an agreement to lease agricultural land, as a result of which the bees will not only collect nectar, but also pollinate plants;
- if you adhere to a certain technology, you can make almost all work automated;
- if necessary, you can increase the size of the apiary using your own bees.
If you approach the matter responsibly, you will have the opportunity to earn a good income.
Conditions for organizing an industrial apiary
When planning to engage in professional entrepreneurial activity and open your own apiary in large-scale production, it is important to understand that this business is seasonal. This is due to the fact that the maximum honey collection is carried out by bees from April to August.
As a rule, many jobs are automated, but it is recommended to hire employees for auxiliary and mechanical activities. If all processes in the apiary are mechanical, then farming will require a minimum of people.
In order for the professional activity of maintaining an apiary to function normally, you will need:
- install equipment that will be used to pump out honey and process secondary raw materials, for example, wax;
- a suitable bee species must be selected for a particular region;
- it is important to change the queen bee in a timely manner;
- contact reliable suppliers who will provide feed and materials necessary for work;
- High-quality care for bees will allow you to obtain high-quality products.
In order for this type of business to be not only professional, but also legal, it is worth going through the registration process as an individual entrepreneur or LLC.
Equipment for industrial apiary
When it comes to large-scale production, industrial beekeeping equipment should resemble a conveyor type of operation. In this case, it is not recommended to use amateur technologies. As professional equipment for setting up an apiary on an industrial scale, you will need mechanisms that allow:
- increase frames and hardware;
- print honeycomb frames;
- collect pollen, bee bread, propolis, royal jelly;
- pump out honey;
- process wax;
- produce wax.
For other types of work, as a rule, employees are hired. In most cases, 1 person can service about 1000 hives.
Location and dimensions of the industrial apiary
If you plan to operate in the field of industrial production, then you need to be prepared for the fact that there should be from 300 to 5000 hives in the apiary. Many professional beekeepers claim that a large farm requires at least 500 bee colonies; this is the only way to get a good level of income. At the same time, there are organizations that serve up to 15,000 bee colonies simultaneously.
If we talk about the advantages of this type of activity, production on an industrial scale allows you to expand gradually, using your own resources. If you make layering in a timely manner, you can achieve several goals at once:
- make the existing bee colony stronger;
- significantly increase the number of individuals.
If necessary, you can independently engage in selection work, thereby expanding the apiary. When making beekeeping a professional activity, it is worth taking care in advance about the conditions for keeping bees and choosing the area where the hives will be located.
On the territory of Russia there are a large number of regions in which products differ in taste, which is facilitated by the climate and growing plants. The most popular areas are Altai, Perm, Bashkiria, and Krasnodar.
Working staff
It is important to understand that in order to make a profit, it is necessary that the labor costs pay off in full. To do this, it is recommended to adhere to a certain scheme, as a result of which the cost of the finished product will be several times lower than the planned income. It is best for the apiary to be maintained by machines rather than people.
If you still plan to hire employees, then you need to calculate in advance the required number of people who will be busy servicing the apiary. As a rule, 1000 hives can be serviced by 1 person, but provided that all processes are fully automated. At the same time, there are large-scale productions where 4 people are involved in servicing 600 hives.
For work, it is best to hire professionals who understand how honey collection occurs, by what principle bees live and other nuances. For the work to be coordinated, everyone must be responsible for something specific. For example, a person engaged only in transportation must be able to drive a vehicle and navigate the area. The construction team must understand how to properly build hives and utility rooms.
Possible risks
Many beekeepers tend to wonder whether it is profitable to keep their own apiary, what are the prospects for the development of professional beekeeping on an industrial scale, and whether there is a risk. As practice shows, maintaining your own apiaries is a fairly profitable activity.
It is important to take into account that in conducting any activity there are pitfalls and risks that do not depend on the beekeeper, but at the same time can reduce all efforts to develop the business to zero:
- natural disasters;
- there was a fire in the apiary;
- theft has occurred;
- the bee family left the hive and flew away.
The rest of the benefits of running a professional beekeeping business depend on the beekeeper himself. As a rule, the first step is to find distribution channels and supply high-quality products for sale, otherwise honey will not be popular with consumers and there will be no profit.
Conclusion
Industrial beekeeping technology and further development completely depend on the human factor.Undoubtedly, weather conditions can affect the quality and quantity of collected raw materials, but if the work is organized correctly, the final result of large-scale work can exceed all expectations. If you plan to engage in this type of activity professionally, then you should approach the matter responsibly, while arranging and maintaining a large-scale apiary will require a lot of effort, time and money.
