This isn't a post to find out how to quit your job and get rich on bees, but to create interesting conversation and exchange ideas that might be of value to someone.
So the question is...How would you pursue beekeeping if you wanted to make a little side money from beekeeping. Let's assume that the goal is about $10,000 in profit each year (ignore taxes for this conversation). Typical income sources are selling honey, propalis, pollen, wax, candles, queens, nukes, hives, equipment etc. and performing services like swarm removal, pollination. I am sure that there are other sources of income. I am interested in knowing how you would approach this in terms of what revenue sources you would pursue, details of how you would do it (sell honey to stores, sell honey roadside, e-bay your candles etc.). How many hives would you plan to have, where would you keep them (on your farm, have many small or medium bee-yards in a lot of locations etc.). What things would you focus on, what would you do in a small or opportunistic way, what would you stay out of. Would you repack hive products from other people etc.
Mentioning anything that you think would be a key to success, where you would invest more heavily or not at all, what kind of bees would you use and how would you source your equipment would all be good too.
I think that it will be interesting to see how different people would consider approaching this with different business models, and who knows, maybe we will help someone along the way.
