What do beekeepers do

If you like the idea of harvesting your own honey, and farming on a small scale, then chances are you'll enjoy being a beekeeper. A beekeeper is, in essence, a manager of bees. He or she maintains and monitors the hives, and once the honey is ready to be harvested, will remove and process it for human consumption.

A beekeeper will also provide services to vegetable and fruit farmers for pollination purposes and raise queen bees to sell to other farmers. A beekeeper needs to maintain healthy bees, prepare colonies for production, inspect colonies for any sign of disease and replace the queen bee when necessary. Beekeepers also need to follow food safety guidelines when harvesting and processing the honey. Springtime is when the beekeeper must get the bees ready for the coming honey-producing months, whether it's working with existing colonies, or with new bees that will be going into empty hives.

It is during this period that the beekeeper will medicate the bees in order to ensure that they are free of parasites and that the queen is healthy and capable of producing eggs. This popular national event is held each January and boasts a regular attendance of over beekeeping enthusiasts. The conference features a variety of educational sessions for novices and professionals, a trade show, and the American Honey Show. Many colleges and universities offer short course seminars on beekeeping for novices or master courses for professionals.

Two such programs can be found at Cornell University and the University of Florida. Cornell University offers beekeeping workshops at the apprentice, journeyman, and master levels.

There are also a variety of insect-related internships that could be of use. While a degree is not required to work in this profession, many beekeepers have an undergraduate degree in animal science or a biological field. It is also possible to pursue a graduate-level degree related to beekeeping. Income for a beekeeper can vary widely based on experience, education, and type of employment i.

There's also the opportunity for part-time or hobbyist beekeepers to make money, generally tending to their bees on nights and weekends while primarily holding a job in another field. Additional income may be earned if a beekeeper produces and markets honey or beeswax products. Another earning option is selling starter or replacement bees to other beekeeping operations.

The number of beekeepers is expected to show continued growth over the next decade, as more and more backyard beekeepers are expected to enter the field or increase the size of their operations. While the industry must continue to deal with threats such as Africanized bees, mites, and Colony Collapse Disorder CCD , interest in beekeeping and byproducts such as honey and wax should remain strong.

Which degree you study depends on your intended career path as a beekeeper. If you're looking to approach from a conservation point of view, relevant degrees will include a Fish and Wildlife Management degree or Environmental Biology for breeding programs, monitoring and ecology.

Botany may be useful in some cases, so long as the student focuses on the relationship between pollinators and relevant plants. The latter is likely to work in research, monitoring and conservation management whereas the latter is likely to work in harvesting the produce from beehives and in offering pollination services.

Postgraduate degrees are not required for employees who intend to work in beekeeping. However, if you wish to pursue a career in biological research but spend time mostly on farms observing bees on a daily basis, you should try postgraduate courses in such subjects as data science , combining it with agricultural sciences and GIS. Few doctorates are available and not necessary for this practical type of job. Beekeeping is an enormous industry, area of research and vital part of the US' agricultural economy.

The following organizations provide support and information for students of and people working in this area. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September Horticulture Technicians work in places where plants are grown, or for organizations with plants that need special care, ensuring they are in good health.

What Does a Horticulture Technician Do? Agricultural Inspectors examine all equipment and facilities involved in the agricultural food production process, as well as the agricultural products that are waiting to be sold to the public.

They ensure that everything about this process is up-to-code and safe Have you ever dreamed about traveling through the wilderness, finding and protecting endangered animals? Becoming a wildlife biologist may seem like a steep hill to climb.

It has four levels, each lasting one year, with and the Master class requiring two years to complete, for a total of five years. What does a Biochemist do? What does a Biofuels Manager do? What does a Biological Technician do? What does a Biologist do? What does a Biomass Power Plant Manager do? What does a Biophysicist do? Bees are the only insect that produces food consumed by man. They are an essential part of pollinating plants which helps provide healthy food for the world.

Beekeeping is a seasonally driven profession. Summertime is the busiest time for beekeepers. The workload significantly decreases in the winter, where there is little to do but occasionally check the bee hives for damage and ensuring that the hive entrances are clear of snow.

When natural food sources are not available to the bees and flowers are not in bloom, the beekeeper will need to feed the bees sugar water. The proportion of water to sugar depends on your climate and the season.