COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT
Center for Crop Diversification Crop Profile
Beekeeping and Honey Production
Cheryl Kaiser1 and Matt Ernst2
Introduction
Apiculture, the study and keeping of bees, often
begins as a hobby, later expanding into a small
business. A beekeeping enterprise can provide
marketable honey and serve as a source of
pollinators for nearby cultivated crops.
Market and Market Outlook
The honey market is currently very strong,
especially for locally produced honey and
specialty honey. A beekeeper producing a quality
product can easily sell out before the next seasons
crop is ready. Honey produced from the nectar from the comb. Specialty products such as
of certain trees, such as tulip tree, sourwood, and honey butter and whipped honey are made from
basswood, often brings a premium price. extracted honey. Chunk honey is a combination
of comb honey and extracted honey bottled
Market options include farmers markets, together.
health food stores, roadside stands, agritourism
sites, and Kentucky-crafted stores or booths. The U.S. imports a substantial amount of
Beekeepers producing large crops may consider beeswax, a secondary product of bee activity.
selling honey in bulk to a honey packer. Market potential persists for quality, domestic
beeswax. The beekeeping industry, which uses
Honey can be marketed in several forms. Comb beeswax to form wax foundation for the frames
honey consists of chunks of honey-filled combs in the hive, is one of the largest users of this by-
taken directly from the hive. Because it is the product. There is also a high demand for pure
easiest to produce and the cheapest to package beeswax candles.
and market, comb honey is often recommended
for beginning beekeepers. While the price is not Royal jelly, a substance secreted by worker bees
as high as for other types, there is to feed the queen, and bee pollen
usually a ready market. Extracted (more accurately, bee-collected
honey, which is generally preferred pollen), are being promoted as
by most consumers, is the liquid dietary supplements. Royal jelly
portion once it has been separated production can be expensive and
1
Cheryl Kaiser is a former Extension Associate with the Center for Crop Diversification.
2
Matt Ernst is an independent contractor with the Department of Agricultural Economics.
Agriculture & Natural Resources Family & Consumer Sciences 4-H/Youth Development Community & Economic Development
labor-intensive with limited markets. However, from an established beekeeper, or purchased
collecting pollen is simple; with a little knowledge from a commercial bee supply company. Along
about collection and marketing, bee-collected with the hive and hive parts, other necessary
pollen may bring a premium price. equipment includes a smoker, hive tool, and
protective gear for the beekeeper.
Renting out hives to orchardists and farmers for
pollination purposes can provide another source Sources of honey
of income. In addition, experienced beekeepers Honey color and flavor are determined by the
could consider selling bees to other beekeepers. various plant species visited by the bees. It is
These are sold as a small nucleus hive, or nuc, not economically practical to produce a crop
that is easily transported and later expanded to solely for honey production; however, cultivated
a full-size hive. Selling queens is another way plants grown for other purposes can provide an
experienced beekeepers may profit from their important source of nectar. Common nectar
enterprise. The technique for rearing queens is sources include agricultural crops, tree fruits,
taught in workshops at Kentucky State University. small fruits, ornamentals, and wild flowers. One
hive will require several acres of flowering plants
to provide it with sufficient nectar.
Management
The beekeeper will need to regularly open each
hive to examine the condition of the brood,
check food stores, look for signs of disease and
pests, and to perform various hive maintenance
tasks. The queen should be replaced every other
spring or at the first signs of failure, regardless of
age. While some inspections can be brief, it is
important that the hive be examined in a timely
manner throughout the year.
Production Considerations
Site selection and obtaining bees Swarming, which greatly reduces hive strength,
Ideally, hives should be located within 1 to 2 miles is most often associated with overcrowding in the
of a succession of spring, summer, and fall nectar hive. It can be avoided with proper management
sources. While previous guidelines indicated practices.
that hives need to be located in a shaded area, the
latest information suggests that it is best to place Pest management
them in full sunlight to help combat the small The most common brood diseases in Kentucky are
hive beetle. A source of water, such as a dripping chalk brood, American foulbrood, and European
hose, should be located nearby. Avoid locations foulbrood. Other diseases include Nosema and,
near large rivers, highways, public areas, or on occasionally, some viruses. The Varroa mite and
hilltops. Hives should be protected against cold tracheal mite can result in serious bee losses in
winter winds. Hives located near cultivated the hive. The small hive beetle is a widespread
crops are potentially in danger of exposure pest in Kentucky. Recent successes in bee
to insecticides. Obtaining the cooperation of breeding have provided strains of bees that are
the grower and/or pesticide applicator will be mite-resistant and disease-resistant. Obtaining
essential to avoid bee losses. bees and queens from a reputable source,
frequent inspections, and proper management
Bees can be captured from a swarm, obtained helps prevent bee losses.
Skunks and mice are common in rural areas, but Honeycomb processing times will vary
can be excluded with screens or other barriers depending on the type of honey produced.
at the front of the hive. Bears, which are now Producers should expect to spend about an hour
common in eastern Kentucky, are kept away with per hive processing comb honey. Additional time
electric fences. will be required for further processing.
Harvesting and processing honey Economic Considerations
Honey is considered ripe when the bees cap the Initial investments include the purchase of hives,
honey. Supers, the chambers used to store surplus beekeeping equipment, bees, and queen. The
honey in the hive, can be removed from the hive Kentucky Department of Agriculture suggests
once they are completely capped over. The budgeting a startup cost of $500 for two hives,
average yield in Kentucky is about 50 pounds of and $175 for each additional complete hive.
honey per hive per year. The honey should be
processed soon after harvesting and then stored Pressing or extracting equipment will represent
in sealed containers in a warm, dry place or in a an additional investment for producers of chunk
freezer until marketed. and extracted honey. The least expensive
honey extractors with associated equipment
Pieces of sealed and undamaged honeycomb
cost about $500. However, extractors can be
can be cut into neat pieces, packaged in plastic
borrowed from other beekeepers and some local
wrap or boxes, and sold as comb honey. Liquid
beekeeping associations make them available
honey may be separated from the combs using
to members. A grant from the Kentucky
professional extracting equipment. Small-scale
Agricultural Development Board to Kentucky
beekeepers, however, can do the job cheaply
State University has allowed the construction of a
by crushing the combs and letting the honey
number of large-capacity honey extraction units.
run slowly through strainers. Extracted honey
is packaged in clear glass or plastic containers. These units have been established at selected
Chunk honey is prepared by placing a portion of County Extension offices around the state.
honeycomb in a jar and filling up the rest of the
jar with the extracted liquid honey. Producers wishing to purchase their own
extraction equipment and enter larger-scale
Beeswax is collected after all honey has been honey production will need at least 40 hives to
removed from the combs. It should be cleaned, recoup the typical costs of extraction equipment
melted down, and strained. It stores well at room in 3 years or less. For producers wanting to invest
temperature in the form of large chunks. in extraction equipment but wishing to keep
fewer hives, a 10-hive production and extraction
Labor requirements system would require an initial investment in the
Labor needs for beekeeping and honey $4,000 range; a 50-hive system would require
production are quite variable. For example, the an investment approaching $6,000. There are
time spent establishing new hives will depend on definite economies of scale and cost savings
materials used. In addition, considerable time can realized by keeping more hives for the purpose
be spent simply driving between hive locations. of extraction. Based on a price of $2 per pound,
While it is difficult to estimate exact labor times extracted honey producers using this complete
for caring for bees and harvesting, beginning system could realize returns to land, labor, and
honey producers should expect to spend at least management exceeding $100 per hive, provided
28 hours per year managing 2 hives. Labor hives are rented for pollination at an annual rate
time per hive should decline somewhat with of at least $60 per hive. Recent retail honey prices
experience and as more hives are added. up to $7 per pound in Kentucky could create
significantly greater returns for well-managed Kentucky Beekeeping A Guide for
honey operations. Beginners (Kentucky State University, 2010)
4.9 MB file
Producers of comb honey will need at least one [Link]
year of production to cover the cost of hive OSV_BEE_BeekeepingGuide.pdf
materials. This will be realized in the second year Kentucky State Beekeepers Association http://
of keeping hives since the first year is devoted [Link]
to building up hives for winter survival and Agricultural Alternatives: Beekeeping
producing a honey crop on the following years (Pennsylvania State Extension, 2012)
nectar flow. At a price of about $2 per pound [Link]
of comb honey, a 10-hive comb honey system American Beekeeping Federation (Georgia)
can yield returns to land, labor, and management [Link]
exceeding $50 per hive for honey production and Beekeeping Enterprise Budget (Iowa State
returns exceeding $125 per hive when hives are University Leopold Center, 2010) 1.3 MB file
also rented out for pollination. Direct marketing [Link]
of honey and related products can substantially files/pubs-and-papers/2010-03-alternative-
increase price per pound and profitability per [Link]
hive. Beeswax (Virginia Tech, 2001)
[Link]
Beekeepers selling honey in bulk to a honey resources/[Link]
packer can avoid the cost of bottling and Honey (Virginia Tech, 2001)
marketing the honey in jars, but will obtain [Link]
only $2 to $2.50 per pound for 55-gallon drums [Link]
of honey. If local markets are available for Honey Bee Program (University of Georgia)
bulk honey, savings on packaging and direct [Link]
marketing costs can make bulk production Honey Bees and Beekeeping (University of
attractive. There may be a local market for Georgia, 2010)
selling honey to other producers who have [Link]
established accounts and need more honey. [Link]?pk_id=6165
Income Opportunities in Special Forest
Selected Resources Products Chapter 10: Honey (USDA, 1997)
Beginning Beekeeping for Kentuckians [Link]
(University of Kentucky, 1996) agib666/[Link]
[Link] Producing Pollen (University of Florida, 2003)
[Link] [Link]
Honey Bee Program and Kentucky State 2011/producing%[Link]
Apiarist (KDA)
[Link]
Kentucky Beekeepers Calendar (The
Kentucky Bee Company)
[Link]
calendar-of-events/
Reviewed by Sean Burgess, Kentucky Department of Agriculture (Revised 2013) February 2013
Photos: David Cappaert, Michigan State University (bee on flower) & Carl Dennis, Auburn University
(bees on comb), courtesy of [Link]; and Stephen Patton, UK Ag Communications (honey jars)
For additional information, contact your local County Extension agent
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
