home Success stories How much do beekeepers earn? Should beekeeping be considered a profitable business?

How much do beekeepers earn? Should beekeeping be considered a profitable business?

Beekeeping can be turned into great business, which 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 competently create a business plan for a beekeeping farm.

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 pack and sell honey yourself.

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 disadvantages Things you should know about before you start beekeeping:

Firstly, this high level competition in the sales market. But this drawback can be overcome by selling a quality product and advertising it well.
Secondly, prices for honey are now quite high, so at first it will be very difficult to form a large client base. However, it is a matter of time.

Like any other business, beekeeping has its own nuances and underwater rocks . So, the following points should be understood:

Bee diseases, signs and methods of treatment, prevention

Where to begin?

From the very beginning you need to think, where will the bees live, how many hives are needed And where to set up an apiary. First of all, it should be noted that if you decide to keep a beekeeping farm yourself, then you will have to live next to the apiary. This need is due to the fact that during the summer you will need to check the hives every day.

It should be noted that around the apiary it is best plant a green fence. When choosing a location, you need to pay special attention to ensuring that there are as many honey plants as possible. Bees produce the most valuable and healthy varieties of honey from acacia, linden, mint and buckwheat.

The nature of honey plants determines the type of bees.

The most common bee colonies:

Central Russian view

They are very aggressive and have a tendency 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 foreign bees near 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 become ill with such common diseases as nosematosis and European foulbrood.

Basic methods of bee breeding

Honey production - how bees make honey

It has become very popular now year-round maintenance. But this method involves caring for bees throughout the year.

How to write a beekeeping business plan?

If you decide to start an apiary as a serious business, and not an ordinary 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 think about the organizational stage. It consists of the direct purchase of hives, bees and equipment for beekeeping. In addition, you need to take into account additional costs for equipment, as well as special clothing.

At the first stages of work, you can take care of the apiary yourself, but as you expand, you will have to resolve the issue with hiring staff.

Then follows study the market, where it will be possible to sell the goods. 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 one of the industries.

During the sales process, it is very important to take into account and monitor all financial indicators . This is necessary in order to understand which type of honey is the most profitable, or simply to track sales dynamics. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that beekeeping is seasonal business.

In the end you have to think everything through possible risks so that no force majeure situation takes you by surprise.

The main risks include:

Beekeeping in Kuban, Chuvashia and Buryatia

Thus, having rough business plan, it will be much easier for you to open your own private apiary.

How to sell honey correctly?

The main advantage of honey trading is that the product itself can can be stored for a long time. If you didn’t manage to sell the whole game right away, it’s not so bad.

In addition, profit can be made not only from honey, but also from bee products. Namely from propolis, pollen, royal jelly.

Do you need to register beekeeping as a business?

If you are planning to build official business, then it will be necessary legalize your type of activity. And here special license to engage in beekeeping, no need to receive.

To establish trade, you will need to obtain quality certificates. They are needed if you cooperate with enterprises. But in any case, you need to obtain a veterinary passport. To make your business official, you should choose a taxation system. The most convenient option is a single tax.

Is the apiary safe for a 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 do, you need to make sure that you are not allergic to bee stings.

However, there is also an opposite point of view. Some beekeepers say that a bee sting can be beneficial. This is explained by the fact that bee venom contains many useful components.

In conclusion, it should be noted that beekeeping as a business is quite profitable. But for this you need to love nature and bees, and also completely devote yourself to what you love. It is possible to make good money from beekeeping, but for this you need to invest a lot of effort and work and never forget about the possible risks.

The dream of many people is to do what they love, which will bring in a decent profit. Beekeeping as a business can be a fairly decent source of income, while it is also a very exciting activity.

Beekeeping as a business can be a pretty decent source of income

As a rule, keeping bees at first is just a hobby, which later often becomes so successful that its profitability becomes greater than the income from the main job. Often at this stage, the beekeeper begins to think about turning his favorite activity into a business.

However, not everything is so simple here, because you not only need to be able to handle insects and extract them, but also have an entrepreneurial spirit, and not everyone has this. If there is a lot of bee products, but the beekeeper cannot properly sell his products, then he should not hope that he will receive a decent profit.

But if you approach this issue seriously and draw up a clear business plan, beekeeping can be turned into a successful and profitable business. It’s better to start with the 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 on your own will be enough. summer cottage or just the local area. This will be quite enough to gain experience, find a 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 Another thing is that you can develop a business gradually, which will allow you to invest in small shares, which will be completely unnoticeable for the family budget.

In Russia, beekeeping is quite well developed. However, 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 conduct business correctly and not worry about fines and sales of products.

Beekeeping as a business (video)

First steps

Statistics show that Russian market bee products can support 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 enthusiast has every chance of becoming successful in this business.

But here it is necessary to take into account that beekeeping is unevenly developed in Russia. Therefore, to begin with, 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 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 you don’t already have them. For those who already have a small apiary, starting a bee business will be much easier.

After finding out all the details, you can start looking for a place for a future apiary. Even those who already have beehives on their property or in their summer cottage will have to find extra bed, since the production of honey and bee products on an industrial scale requires a large apiary.

As a rule, keeping bees at first is just a hobby, which later often becomes so successful that its profitability becomes greater than the income from the main job

If we consider the most beekeeping 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 by drawing 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 will be at the bottom of the slope. This will allow loaded bees to return home downhill, which will increase their speed and save energy.

The choice of location for the hives plays a very important role important role in beekeeping. The insects should be warm enough, but at the same time not hot. If the apiary is located in southern regions, it is best to place bee houses 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 forests or near farms. This way, the likelihood that insects will get lost or be destroyed will be significantly reduced.

The optimal place for breeding bees is a sunflower or clover field. In addition, the proximity to acacia and linden plantings has a good effect. This honey is very tasty, which guarantees its quick sale at a high price.

Experts say that the best results are obtained by those apiaries that change their location several times during the season. If you do everything correctly, you can increase the amount of honey and bee products by up to 50%. But before installing hives in a particular area, it is necessary to coordinate everything with farmers working nearby or forestry representatives. Bees will also benefit by pollinating plants, so for farm they are beneficial no less than for the beekeeper.

Choosing a location for hives plays a very important role in beekeeping

Paperwork

If you produce honey for yourself, that is, keep a small amount 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 individual entrepreneur. In addition, some other documents may be needed to sell bee products.

To open an individual entrepreneur, you should contact the nearest branch of the Tax Service, where special forms are filled out, state fees are paid and a copy of the applicant’s passport is provided. After a few days, you can pick up the finished individual entrepreneur registration certificate.

Every entrepreneur is required to pay taxes on their profits. There are several taxation systems for this, but for the beekeeper the best option would be UTII, that is, the Single Tax. This is a fixed amount that does not depend on profit. If the product turnover is large enough, the benefits from using such a system will immediately become noticeable. We must not forget that the entrepreneur will have to pay not only taxes to the Federal Tax Service, but also contributions to Pension Fund.

In addition to registering an individual entrepreneur, it is necessary to draw up paperwork for the apiary itself. Here we're talking about on the production and trade of food products, therefore it is necessary to treat this issue carefully so as not to encounter numerous problems and fines later. First of all, you should contact local branch Veterinary service, whose employees check bees for diseases. If nothing is found, the beekeeper is issued a document that allows the extraction and sale of honey and bee products. Without this certificate, you cannot engage in the bee business under any circumstances.

Beekeeping as a business for a novice beekeeper (video)

Apiary equipment

Even though a beekeeper has a small beekeeping farm and some experience working with bees or not, organizing a business will require a lot of work. Of course, starting your own business when the first steps have already been taken will be much 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 receive good profit, requires certain investments. Of course, if everything is done correctly, this money will pay off quickly. Therefore, before starting work, you need to calculate everything correctly, get enough information about bees, how to breed them correctly, etc.

Not only hives, but also bee colonies play a very important role. You should not try to get insects brought from afar. Some beekeepers are able to work with them, but this requires sufficient experience. It will be much easier to take local breeds at first. As a rule, they give excellent profits because they are in a familiar environment.

As for equipment, you can purchase it from special beekeeping companies or make it yourself. The latter 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 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 residence must be suitable not only for collecting honey, but also for wintering. If bee colonies are cold and sick, then there will be no profit from them. Therefore, it is necessary 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 purchasing bee colonies in early May.

As for the breed, forest Central European, as well as gray Caucasian bees are recommended for most Russian regions. They not only tolerate winters well, but are also extremely resistant to disease. In great demand Beekeepers use Carpathian and yellow Ukrainian bee colonies. Among the foreign ones, the Italian breed can be distinguished. These insects are characterized by high resistance to diseases and rapid orientation in space, which helps them find best places for collecting honey.

In order to organize small business Honey, which will generate a certain income, can be used to work for about 50 families. 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 attractiveness of this type of business is that good profitability does not require large investments. However, beekeeping is quite complex 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 this can you think about becoming a professional beekeeper and making a business out of it.

To start, a beekeeper will need a plot of land, about 50 hives and a bee colony. This will allow you to open a small apiary, which will pay for itself in the first year, so the profitability of beekeeping will be more than good.

If you calculate the approximate costs for a startup, it will come out to about 500 thousand rubles. Wherein most of the amount will be spent on bee colonies, and the rest of the money will be spent on purchasing houses for bees, processing documents and renting land if the businessman does not have it. The costs of maintaining the apiary are minimal. More often than not, this becomes family business, so hire workers and pay them wages you won't have to. You will have to spend about 7 thousand on veterinary drugs, and another 3 thousand will be spent on feeding insects. It is quite possible that you will also need to transport the apiary, which will cost about 10 thousand rubles. for moving. Don't forget about the costs of taxes and insurance premiums.

As for the question of whether it is profitable to engage in beekeeping, then with an initial expenditure of 500 thousand rubles. and annual expenses of about 30 thousand, the apiary 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 hives. Thus, the business will grow, but with significantly lower expenses, since there will be no need to purchase 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 retail price, then the initial investment will immediately pay off. Plus, you can sell extra bee colonies, wax, propolis, bee bread and pollen. With proper breeding, from the second year you can receive a net profit of up to 1 million rubles. per season. But we must remember that such figures are real only with an established sales market and truly high-quality products. The first time may not be easy, but when the beekeeper “makes a name for himself,” he can count on maximum income.

Creating your own business requires answering two main questions - payback and the availability of a regular income. From this position, beekeeping is seen as a positive example of business.

However, certain conditions must be met to allow own earnings stable.

Pros and cons of beekeeping as a business

Taking up beekeeping as a business has its own specific advantages, which remain obvious and cannot change over time.

The following advantages can be mentioned:

The technology for producing honey cannot become unified, which does not allow production to be put on an industrial basis.
Feel the pressure major players you won't have to on the market.
Capital investment is related only to the volume of planned income, the size of the apiary and other factors.
The specific volume of funds required will still be less compared to other types of business.
The sale of honey does not require contractual obligations with sales representatives.
Buyers traditionally prefer to buy honey from private individuals, even if organized at special venues - fairs, markets.
Additional investments for packaging, payment of hired labor, advertising activities will be required only when the size of the apiary and the volume of production increases.

Thus, from the position of starting your own business, beekeeping is a promising area.

But it must be taken into account that in order to successfully conduct this business, many conditions must be met.

The science of bee breeding is truly endless and requires painstaking constant work.

Profitability of beekeeping business and product sales

It is impossible to clearly determine the profitability of a business from keeping bees and selling products. High profitability is ensured by many factors that are discovered only when doing business.

Experienced beekeepers note the following main points that individually influence the success of a honey production business:

Bee farm size.
As practice shows, a stable income, which allows for autonomous farming, is provided by a plot with at least 80 installed hives.
This will ensure uniform income throughout the year and increase production profitability.
Bee health.
The productivity of bees is directly related to their health.
The determining factors are the choice of location for the installation of hives, the purchase of the houses themselves for bee colonies, the wintering of bees, and the implementation of preventive measures.

Despite all the complexity, experienced beekeepers note the ease of caring for bee colonies if they have 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.
Without the ability to sell products in the absence of trading place, they sell honey locally, often at a reduced 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.
Business success is also related to modern approaches to his charge.
A current trend is to create your own online store.
This will attract regular customers, produce honey to 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 by developing a business strategy. The business plan will help determine the development of the bee farm and the cost structure.

A large enterprise will require hired labor. An experienced beekeeper will allow you to confidently step into business if you lack beekeeping skills.

The need for hired force arises when the apiary size is from 70 families.

Developing a plan won't be difficult. A ready-made option can always be selected online, taking into account the size and location of the site, possible capital investments, and directions for selling finished products.

In future activities, you should strictly adhere to the action plan and stages of enterprise development.

An assessment of the possible volumes of production can be made from the amount of 40 kg of honey per year, and also take into account auxiliary products– wax, propolis.

Required financial investments It will be difficult to predict accurately. The main investments are the costs of land acquisition and bee farm equipment.

The advantage of this choice will be a favorable environmental situation, but transportation costs will increase slightly.

The costs of material equipment can only be approximated.

Be prepared for the following costs:

Plan labor costs for the apiary at 50 hours a week. It would be good if these responsibilities could be divided among several people.

Without experience, you should not start with a capital investment of 15 thousand conventional units. Limit yourself to a dozen hives in order to gain experience in running a business.

The bee farm can be expanded later.

Certification of beekeeping products

Honey certification is a rather complex process and allows you to confirm the quality of the product. The condition is mandatory when entering the market with finished products.

If you have a certificate of the right to occupy current view activities, the first step will be to apply for a medical certificate. This condition has been mandatory since 2010 since the formation of the Customs Union.

Obtaining a voluntary certificate is not mandatory, but it allows you to confirm the high level of products. In this case, the competitiveness of your company’s product 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 if there are no holes or scatters in the frame. This is directly related to the health of bees.

When choosing brood, pay attention to the following items:

The amount of brood in the hive.
A healthy family in the spring has at least 7 frames in the hive for the conditions of central Russia.
Condition of the bottom of the hive.
If you find white-gray lumps at the bottom of the bee house, you should know that ascopherosis has settled in the bee colony.
The activity of bees, regular long flights, and the condition of the wings indicate excellent health of the bees.

It is best to purchase bees during the daytime. This will allow you to evaluate the bees based on the above factors and prepare the bee colony for the move.

Methods of collecting honey, apiary

When planning to create an apiary, the choice of the type of honey is also important. It is 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 out honey is carried out in order to increase the collection.

When selecting honey, we are guided by the following principles:

The honeycombs filled with honey, which comprise a third of the cells clogged with wax, are removed.
In this case, we can talk about the maturity of sweet products.
Unripe honey with high humidity begins to ferment and quickly sours after extraction.
If brood has begun in the comb, then such a comb is not removed, otherwise the honey will only be contaminated with larvae.
To select honey, only store-bought honeycombs are used.
Older combs will produce honey of a darker color, which will subsequently crystallize more quickly.
When removing a honeycomb, you must immediately install a new one or one free of honey in the vacant space.
The best time to select honeycombs is considered evening hours, since the cells will be filled as quickly as possible.

Regular brushing with brushes can be used to remove bees from the store, although this is a labor-intensive method and is very disturbing to the bees.

In practice, modern methods of removing working women are used:

Bee remover.
The device is a nozzle for ensuring one-way movement of bees, which allows you to clean the honeycomb in 24 hours.
Bee blower.
The devices use a powerful air stream with a capacity of up to 1800 l/min. With high speed flow. This method is used for large apiaries.
Special chemicals - repellents.
Benzaldehyde and propionic anhydride have proven themselves to be most effective.

The selection of honeycombs from the hive during honey collection is carried out in full. Only towards the end of the season do they ensure that the bees have a sufficient amount of honey for the winter.

For a small apiary (10-15 hives) 1 - 2 people are enough service personnel. In this case, they get by with the help of family members.

If the apiary is increased to 100 hives, a proportional increase in the number of workers will be required.

You should take special care of the seller when retail sales honey The head of the household usually deals financial matters, material support.

Transportation of products and equipment can be combined.

Is there a prospect

Experienced beekeepers indicate the profitability of their own business at the level of 15 - 25%. The likelihood that you will not make a big profit at the initial stage is high.

But, if you have special equipment, gain 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 colonies. In this case, there is no need to be afraid of competition.

If you take care of your markets, in various ways bringing products to the buyer, then beekeeping will become your main occupation.

It's so nice to combine business and hobby!

You can learn where to start beekeeping from the video.

In contact with

2017-12-06 Igor Novitsky

IN agriculture There are plenty of unusual and original areas of specialization. But the most special thing is still beekeeping, since it is focused on breeding unusual animals (insects) and obtaining absolutely irreplaceable and unique products - honey and natural wax. Although there are truly large “industrial” apiaries in Russia, this industry remains mainly the domain of small and medium-sized farmers. And all because an 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 a German eats 4.5 kg. That is, potentially 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 more voluminous 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 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 reach each other. The only connecting thread was resellers who bought honey for next to nothing from beekeepers and sold it at exorbitant prices in stores in large cities. Thus, working in an apiary was often just a hobby without much hope of good profit, and consumers, in turn, were forced to buy very expensive honey in retail networks or abandon 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 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 information technologies and private courier services significantly 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 delivery of the purchased product is possible anywhere in the country for very little money.

The main problem of the industry remains product quality control. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous producers who make low-quality honey from apiaries, using well-known methods of increasing production volumes at the expense of product quality.

Where to create a new apiary?

The entire territory of Russia is suitable for beekeeping except the regions of the Far North. 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 Maykop type) is adapted to the conditions of the middle zone and lowland regions of southern Russia.

As for the location of the apiary with hives 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 places of honey collection - abundantly flowering meadows and, most importantly, fields with flowering cultivated plants. The straight line distance between the hives and the honey collection site should not exceed 2 km.

On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the death of bees is the use of insecticides in the fields by farmers. That is, if you do not agree with the owner of the field so that he promptly warns the beekeeper about the upcoming processing of the field, you can easily lose the entire bee family. If you have a large plot (several hectares or more) of wild land, you can sow honey-bearing herbs on it with different flowering periods and then the question of a honey harvest will disappear by itself.

Also, when placing an apiary, you should take into account the landscape of the area. The best option, if the hives are located below the honey collection sites or at least at the same level. This way, the 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, hives need to be hidden in the shade so that the bees do not literally get baked. But in cooler parts of the country, where the sun is not so merciless, it is permissible for the hives to be in the sun part of the day. Then the insects will not freeze at night.

It is very undesirable for a bee apiary to be located near large bodies of water, since there is a high probability of death of bees thrown into the water by gusts of wind. Also, you should not place hives near large livestock farms, coniferous forests and 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 place the hives near a linden or acacia grove.

Finally, it is important to note that some beekeepers move their hives several times during the season, achieving an increase in honey yield of one and a half to two times. However, not everyone agrees with this approach, since it can disorient the bees and provoke the colony to leave the apiary.

If you seriously intend to engage in beekeeping on a more or less significant scale, and even more so, if you want to have a real opportunity to coordinate with farmers the schedule for treating nearby fields with pesticides, you will have to register your apiary according to all the rules.

First of all, you need to register the subject entrepreneurial activity V tax service. For beekeepers, the optimal format is IP (individual entrepreneurship) - 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 of submitting documents to the local council (they will tell you what exactly is required). At the same time, do not forget to apply for taxation for your company according to a simplified scheme.

But the matter does not end with the registration of individual entrepreneurs. The apiary itself must be registered with separately. True, this is done after the hives have been installed and populated with bee families, and not at the tax office, but at the nearest veterinary service department.

After submitting the application and other documents, specialists from this organization should come to you, who will 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 accompanying documents). If the inspectors do not have any complaints or comments (and if you yourself have not screwed up in something, there will be no comments), then you will be given an apiary passport, which gives legal right set up hives in the area and sell honey.

What equipment do you need to buy for an apiary?

From the very beginning, we would like to warn you once again that bee colonies should only be purchased from specialized breeding farms (nurseries). Firstly, they definitely won’t slip in sick insects or another breed altogether. Secondly, the nursery will provide all the accompanying documentation for them along with the bees, without which it will not be possible to legally register an apiary. Finally, thirdly, in the nursery you will certainly be advised on how best to care for the bees, and, if necessary, they will provide direct assistance in arranging the apiary and combating bee diseases (but, of course, not for free).

The optimal time to buy insects is April-May. If you are creating an apiary for profit, and not just as a hobby, then you should immediately acquire a large number of bees. For the whole idea to make 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 good salary, you will need a large apiary with 150 populated hives or more. True, if you are completely new to beekeeping, then it is better, of course, not to rush and first master at least 10-15 hives.

Now let's talk about what concerns necessary equipment for an apiary. Theoretically, you can make them yourself, fortunately, there are plenty of drawings with standard hives on the Internet. However, this method is only suitable for a small personal apiary with a dozen hives. It is not suitable for a serious enterprise, since you will be making 50, much less 150, hives yourself for several months.

Fortunately, today it is easy to find any hives on sale to suit your tastes and needs. It is best to start with classic vertical designs with multi-frames. Such a wooden hive is quite capable of working properly for 20-30 years without high maintenance costs.

However, the costs, unfortunately, do not end with bees and their homes alone. You will also need auxiliary equipment - a smoker to suppress insects, overalls, a honey extractor and something else. Some of this can be done yourself, but first it’s better to get high-quality new equipment.

There are diametrically opposed opinions regarding how profitable apiary and beekeeping in general are. Some are sure that the honey market in Russia is literally overcrowded, so selling products at an adequate price is problematic, 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 selling 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 customer base, and 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 moderate, unless you intend to buy an apiary that is already in operation, rather than creating one yourself;
low current costs for maintaining an already operating apiary;
the products produced do not deteriorate, so they can be transported and sold without problems even at the other end of the country.

For clarity, let's look at the estimated profitability indicators for a small apiary for 50 bee families (hives). The biggest expense is, of course, the start-up cost. The purchase 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 costs of maintaining and maintaining an apiary are even more impressive in terms of their small volume. Only one person can take care of this number of bees. And if you have a stationary and not a nomadic apiary, then you will need to work far from every day and by no means for 8 hours. Even if for some reason you yourself do not want or cannot do this work yourself, then rural areas you can always find a person who will pay 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 expenses will not exceed 30 thousand per year.

To purchase medical supplies To combat bee diseases, you will have to pay no more than 10 thousand rubles per year. Another about 35-40 thousand rubles. will go to pay taxes. Thus, in a year you will have to spend about 80 thousand rubles on maintaining the apiary, provided that you hire a hired labor. If you plan to do all the work yourself, then the costs will not exceed 50 thousand.

Now profit. During the season, an average of about 25-30 kg of honey is obtained from one hive. Under favorable 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 subtract 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 get a considerable amount of wax, bee bread, propolis and pollen, which can bring another 100 thousand rubles in profit per year.

A hobby that develops into a business is how beekeeping can be described. You can try and predict future profits by setting up a cozy apiary on your summer cottage. According to estimates by the chairmen of the National Union of Beekeepers, honey sales in the Russian Federation account for up to 1 million tons per year. This does not take into account secondary products from the apiary and possible export sales. Beekeeping for beginners is a business that will allow everyone to organize a high level of income.

In 2013, only 134 thousand tons were produced, this proves that the honey business is not yet filled to capacity and it is possible to squeeze into this rut. We will tell you in our article how to organize work so that bees generate income.

How to start an apiary business?

First, we collect all the data on bee breeding in your area. A lot of necessary information you can get it from your local beekeeping unions. Where to buy everything you need when you are starting from scratch? Businessmen involved in Russia and Belarus note the high profitability of beekeeping as a business. The main thing is to take into account all the features of choosing equipment and bee families.

Hives, equipment, bee colonies - where is it and at what cost is it better to buy, what is the pricing for honey. Anyone can find a suitable hive for 10 families. All this will help you calculate the required amount to start. First you need to draw up an apiary plan for 10 hives.

Geographically, the most profitable for such a business are Bashkortostan, Kaluga, Orenburg regions and Altai. But still, such income can be organized anywhere in the Russian Federation, except for the northern side. I select the dimensions of the place according to the calculation: 32–40 sq. m - for one hive and the farm it is better to surround it with a fence 2 meters high.

In the southern regions, the apiary is located in the shade, in the northern regions - in the sun so that the bees do not freeze. It will be a plus if next to the apiary there are crops of clover, stock, buckwheat and sunflower. The beekeeper must coordinate the location of the apiary with local farmers and farmers, as well as with foresters. A lease agreement is usually not needed. An apiary can include up to one hundred families.

You should immediately think about how many hives are needed and where the apiary will be located. You need to understand that if you decide to farm on your own, then you will need to live next to it, because, for example, in the summer you will have to check the hives every day. There is a sample template for professional beekeeping.
It is best to plant a fence of trees along the perimeter of the apiary. When choosing a location, there should be as many honey plants as possible nearby: acacia, buckwheat, linden, mint.

Is it profitable to engage in beekeeping?

During the season, you can collect two hundred kg of honey from one hive! But this can be done by experienced and professional beekeepers! In Ukraine, this business will also help you get good income. The average range is 20-70 kg of honey per season. So consider the magnitude of the profits!

Equipment and inventory

Apiary business plan. Before buying bees, we decide on the breeds. It is better to choose one that has been bred in your region for a long time. The equipment is worth purchasing from local organization beekeeping at exhibitions and sales. Beekeeping planning example should include not only clear budget planning, but also the choice of bees.

How to choose bees

Main signs when choosing bees:
Egg production by the queen;
How many worker bees are there in a family?
Resistance to cold;
Disease resistance;
Resourcefulness in finding honey plants;
Ability to work.

Families purchase them from late April to late spring. In the Russian Federation, the following are considered the best: the Central European forest dark breed and the gray Caucasian one. These breeds are resistant to winter and rarely get sick. Today, the Italian yellow breed is becoming popular. It is excellent at searching for honey plants and is disease resistant. Carpathian, steppe Ukrainian and yellow Caucasian breeds are also widespread. To get a decent profit, you need to purchase at least 150 bee colonies.

Purchasing housing for bees and other equipment

Hives come in horizontal and vertical forms. The profitability of the apiary will allow you to quickly replenish all spent financial resources. The best option There will be vertical models from several cases with frames 435x300 mm. The service life of hives varies from forty years. Also for business you will need:

Overalls and mesh for face protection;
A box for frames, foundation and brood that can be carried;
Cages for keeping mature queen cells;
Containers for feeding in spring and autumn;
Honey extractor;
Stand for printing honeycombs;
Wax melter;
A special sieve for straining honey.

What documents are needed to open

To start an apiary business in the Russian Federation, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur. To register an individual entrepreneur, you should contact the local Council: have with you an application form P21001, an application to use the simplified taxation system in form F26.2-1, confirmation of payment of the state fee - eight hundred rubles, a photocopy of your passport. Every month you will need to pay 1444.04 rubles. to the Pension Fund and 1727.30 rubles. – insurance.

A bee business requires personal design of an already constructed apiary. Upon request, the State Veterinary Service examines and checks bee passports issued by veterinarians and conducts research for nosematosis. As a result, an apiary passport is issued, which is mandatory for selling honey.

Drawing up a business plan

If you want to make a significant profit from your apiary, then you will need a high-quality beekeeping business plan. First, you need to decide on your goal: to open a private apiary and sell honey. Then you need to think about how to organize everything. You need to purchase everything you need for beekeeping. You also need to not forget about the costs of work clothes and equipment.
At the beginning of farming, you can do it yourself, but in the future you will not be able to do without assistants.

Next, we find the honey sales flow. It should be noted that honey is needed not only for food, but also for production purposes. Therefore, in the future you can work on this sales stream. During sales, you need to track financial statements in order to determine what type of honey is being used most in demand and calculate profit. It should be kept in mind that the honey business is seasonal. And finally, all possible risks should be considered so that there are no unforeseen situations.

Possible risks and losses:

Bad weather conditions. Prolonged rains or dry weather can have a detrimental effect on your farm. The only way to combat this situation is by moving the hive.
Costs incurred for transporting the apiary.
Lack of honey plants. Many people sow the honey plants they need themselves. But there is also an option to discuss the terms of cooperation with the nearest farm.

Advantages and disadvantages of beekeeping

Beekeeping as a business brings many not only pleasure, but also money. Naturally, you must have start-up capital and only then can you begin. To become the owner of an apiary you do not have to live outside the city. Businessmen nowadays make do with a small suburban plot to run such a farm. The benefits of beekeeping include:

small starting investment. To get started own business, You just need to start a dozen bee colonies, buy equipment for repairing hives and sugar for feeding. On average, you need about three thousand dollars to get started, but they will pay off in the first year, of course, if all points of the business plan are met;
availability. Today, buying bees is not difficult. The main thing in this business is interest and the desire to earn money. It is necessary to read and know as much as possible about beekeeping. It is possible to attend seminars on bee breeding and communicate with professionals in this field. When the theory is mastered, you will need to move on to practice. At first you will undoubtedly need help, but later you will begin to cope on your own. It is imperative to monitor the weather to determine the profitability of the season and ensure optimal conditions families of bees.

The disadvantages of business include the fact that its independent organization is impossible. It is necessary to monitor the normal condition of the hives, repair them if necessary, pump out honey and sell it to generate income. Such a business is suitable for anyone, but you need to invest money and effort into it.

Such a farm will definitely generate income if it is treated rationally and with love. Only in this case can good results be achieved. Otherwise it will be a waste of time and money.