# How to shift to commercial beekeeping?



## greenteaskat (Nov 17, 2021)

Hello fellow beekeepers,

I’ve been thinking for a while whether to embark on the venture of commercial beekeeping. Even though I’m skillful and experienced enough for it I’ve been seesawing all this time. I just can’t make up my mind and say “okay, I’m ready and I’m gonna do it!”

What’s stopping me from undertaking it? Well, first things first, I know very little about it. I don’t know what the minimum requirements to start are, nor do I know what and how much paperwork needs to be done. So, if any of you is familiar with all the steps necessary for the beginning of commercial beekeeping, please share them in the comments.

Before you ask why I want to set up such a business, there are two reasons for this. I’ve been into beekeeping for more than two decades. I feel as if I need something motivating or challenging, otherwise I will give away all my hives and quit.

The second reason is my brother’s addiction. This stout man in his 40s is addicted to online gambling, more precisely, slots. He has read here [_*spam/gambling link redacted by Moderator*_] that it’s possible to earn money this way and took to these stupid games. Of course he didn’t win a cent; the only thing he got is debt. Normally, it’s not my obligation to help him, he should bear the consequences of his mistakes. But he’s my brother and I simply have to find a way to help him get out of debt.

Anyway, let’s get back to my question. If you have any info on what the requirements for commercial beekeeping are, hit me up in the comments. I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!


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## Some Bloke (Oct 16, 2021)

Have you come across the book "Interviews with Beekeepers" by Steve Donohoe?

He interviewed bee farmers / breeders round the world. Much advice.

I am the opposite of a bee farmer and even I thought it interesting and useful.


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## G3farms (Jun 13, 2009)

you sound like a troll to me.


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

Your first post, and you are huckstering some online gambling site.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

greenteaskat said:


> I don’t know what the minimum requirements to start are, nor do I know what and how much paperwork needs to be done. So, if any of you is familiar with all the steps necessary for the beginning of commercial beekeeping, please share them in the comments.


I have not a clue either since I don't care to be commercial at the moment.

But at the very least you should be aware that the thing is very much *state-dependent (and even locality dependent).*



> I’ve been into beekeeping for more than two decades.


With so much experience, you kinda should know the basics. 

So at the very least you should be reporting your home state along with your question.
But at this rate you already can start looking at your own state requirements related to the commercial-level 1)bee product handling as well as 2)bee production handling.
At the very least you ought to decide what is it you want to be selling - products OR bees OR services (again, location dependency is very critical).


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## JustBees (Sep 7, 2021)

How to make a small fortune,

Start with a large one......

Your brother needs tough love not a Co-Dependant.

Here is some free advice and it may solve both problems.
Send your brother off to work for a commercial keeper.
He will earn money to pay his debt and learn about beekeeping commercially, then he can teach you......


Meanwhile keep calm and stay queenright


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Links in a first or second post are like waving a red flag - they get examined _carefully_. 

So when those links are to a gambling site - its a spammer. Goodbye ... 


While the rest of the post _might_ sound like a 'real' situation, I have seen similar threads where the spammer simply did a copy/paste from a _real_ thread from here or elsewhere, and then added their spam links.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> So when those links are to a gambling site - its a spammer. Goodbye ...


LOL
Good catch.
Wasted my time typing the obvious things to a spammer. Bah.
Good story though. LOL


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## JustBees (Sep 7, 2021)

How do you tell when a spammer is lying?


Same as a lawyer.......


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## lemmje (Feb 23, 2015)

JustBees said:


> How do you tell when a spammer is lying?
> 
> 
> Same as a lawyer.......


My dad used to say he grew up near a cemetery where a tombstone read: "Here's lies a lawyer and an honest man". He would say, "For the life of me I could not understand why they buried two people in the same grave!"

Now before anyone gets after me about lawyer jokes, last year I married a lawyer. She was a public defender for 16 years and now is a prosecutor on the Daybell case. She is the most principled and ethical person I know, and she enjoys lawyer jokes. 😁


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Just in case you are serious and got banned from beesource, here's a rundown on going commercial.

You need a sufficient flatbed truck (probably a 12 foot bed for a sideliner, at least a 16 foot bed for a commercial) and a forklift. You need property to park the bees on when they are not pollinating nor out on wildflower. You need access to a honey processing facility that can handle your commercial load. You need a minimum of 700 standard beehives & colonies or equivalent. Many a commercial beek' runs up to 2500 colonies without additional help. Not easy, but it's a jump to start keeping employees. You need a calendar and several note pads. You'll need a phone and a laptop. You need a credit rating, and a credit card. Take an accounting class.

When you are ready to pull the trigger, go file your fictitious business statement at your county government center, put a bunch of money into a business bank account. Use a DIFFERENT bank than your personal account, and make sure the checks are a different color than your personal checks. Get the check book with the logbook entry printed next to the check. If you forget to enter it into your journal, it's right there on the check record. Call the IRS and get you employer identification number. Start taking classes at the Small Business Administration's center nearest you. The SCORE counselors are fantastic help.

Check in with your county agricultural commissioner or bee inspector, and your state apiarist. They are very helpful.

A wood shop is nice, but not necessary. I'd get at least a table saw and a worm drive Skil saw if forgoing the shop. Put it on wheels to roll it out into the driveway to work. I'd have a small air compressor and a staple gun as well.

Good luck, and as they say in business, MAKE your luck.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

There is no way that first post is not spam.

The spammer has written his speel and now can post to any type of site by simply substituting a few words. It goes

_I’ve been thinking for a while whether to embark on the venture of *commercial beekeeping*. _Substitute_ *engineering, woodworking, plumbing, hospitality*, _or whatever_._

Nothing else in the post is specific to beekeeping it's a generic post that can be injected into any type of interest group forum.

As to the rather stout brother with an addiction problem, why do we even have to hear about that. Sheesh


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Lemmje said, "...and she enjoys Lawyer jokes."

A guy walks into a Country - Western saloon and shouts, "All attorneys are ***holes!"

The customers look at him and figure "Hey, way to go, your figured that out all by yourself!" and go back to drinking. 

All except the cowboy at the end of the bar, who slams down his beer, gets off his barstool, squares up to the newcomer, and says, "Hey, I heard what you just said. You should watch your mouth. I'm VERY, VERY offended by what you just said!"

So the newcomer asks him, "What?, Are YOU an attorney?"

The cowboy says, "NO! I'm an ***hole!"


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Oh, yes, and in Post #11 above, I left out, ...

..."Save all your receipts and pay your taxes ahead of time. Leave a clean, transparent paper trail. Build your sounding board of people experienced in various aspects of business. Take classes in business administration, business law, supervision and management, and Beginning- through Managerial- and Computer-accounting."


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## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

Come on and help the guy. just look up the thread " my first hive of a thousand " and let him be on his way.


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