Ecological Beekeeping

Humankind and bees have coexisted for thousands of years in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. In so doing we have been caretakers of an animal critical to the pollination of many species of plant we rely on for food and oxygen. But in recent centuries the rise of industry and the use of chemicals has caused their number to dwindle, which has catastrophic results for ourselves.

Because of this, keeping bees isn’t just about the bounty we harvest from their hives in honey or wax, but also about protecting this important species and allow their health to improve and their number to increase. To further this cause we have decided to focus on natural, organic beekeeping, which entails the following:

Land Use

  • A well kept piece of land containing pasture and woods, where we will grow herbs and fruit trees.
  • Placing a large enough distance between the bees and any nearby agriculture, especially if the farmers are not ecologically certified.
  • Acquire proper certification in forestry and organic beekeeping from a local beekeeping organization

Bee Hives

  • Made primarily from natural materials, reducing the use of metals (such as nails) and avoiding plastics (such as using a Polystyrene hive).
  • Buying organic wax and organically bred, local bees to start with.
  • Our goal is to build our hives with wood from our own forest, using organic wood glue and traditional woodworking techniques.

Colony Health

  • Using natural remedies and pest control, rather than chemicals. 
  • Grow hops in the area to protect against Varroa mite.
  •  Ensure a sufficient supply of honey for winter to minimize the need for feeding the colonies.

Distribution

  • Ecological honey needs to be noted as such, including what pollen it contains and where it comes from.
  • Honey will be distributed in glass containers with metal caps, which can be reused and recycled.
  • Competent documentation of the location, type and state of colonies and harvested honey. Each batch is numbered and dated.

Products and Benefits

Aside from the ecological benefits of helping out the bees, officially the world’s most important form of life, there’s a lot of good, honest produce to be gained in the process. Down below we list the most important products and services we may produce as an organic beekeeper:

Ecological Honey

The primary benefit of beekeeping is the ability to harvest the surplus of honey that a hive generates. When we conform to the standards of ecological beekeeping, the resulting honey counts as organic.

Organic honey can be sold as-is, or can be used in the production of organic mead.

Wax and Propolis

Wax and propolis are by-products of beekeeping, and come from the frames where the honey was taken from. 

Wax can be used for all manner of products, including candles and leather wax. Propolis can be made into a high-quality wood varnish.

Pollination Services

Rather than keeping the bees in one place, a beekeeper can offer pollination services to farmers who need it, by relocating the bee hives periodically. 

This is roughly the equivalent of renting out the colonies, and while they will produce less honey and are less likely to count as organic, these services easily pay for themselves.

Beekeeping Equipment

With a forest there will always be an amount of lumber that is taken as part of keeping the forest healthy and in shape. This wood can be cured and made into planks, which can be used to make high-quality and decorative bee hives and accessories for bee hives.

Economical Overview

This section explains our growth plan, costs and investments to make, and our sources of income and support

Growth Plan

Year one is going to be about setup. This means getting our education in beekeeping, saving up and finding sources of support to help us get started.

We’ll be starting with four beehives, but we will be investing part of our annual savings as well as the profits of those hives to expand. We expect (without any support) to reach 50+ hives in 3 years and 100+ in 5 years. Of course, we want to do better than that!

With enough support we can purchase a small gård with sufficient meadow space to set up a second beegarden with a farmhouse and get started in earnest.

Costs and Investments

We will be building as much of our beehives ourselves as we can, to keep the costs low. Even so, we will need to invest in equipment, frames and wax, as well as buying the actual colonies to start with.

Investments will be in more hives and colonies, as well as in better education in specific revenue-generating topics such as queen rearing and pollination.

The plot we would need to purchase would also be used for our living space, and we already generate sufficient salary to upkeep it even if the business itself does not yet generate revenue, reducing risk.

Sources of Income

Our primary income is from the honey and wax generated by our beehives, with a smaller portion coming from propolis. Each of these resources also has various associated products (wax candles, propolis wax, mead) which can increase revenue.

Queen rearing, selling of new colonies and pollination services provide stable income at crucial parts of the year when new honey is not yet available.

We will have holiday cottages for rent in the meadow, to combine hospitality with our smallsteading.

Supporting Funds

The plan we have is generated to be successful even if we have no other supporting funds than a standard mortgage, but it obviously would take much longer to become profitable. 

With agricultural support for starters we can buy a plot suited for us which is also large enough to benefit from regular agricultural support. This allows us to invest further and quicker into our business.

Additionally, we will be holding crowdfunding actions to fund specific improvements, and our Patreon will allow people to see behind the scenes with a subscription.