Ten boxes of bees. How much money do you make a year? A sweet trap for home-grown businesses
"hey, zhang, how much do you make a year for beekeeping in your home?" on the other side of the phone, the voice of a friend is curious。
I laughed and watched the humming and dancing bees in the yard and thought, "that's a hard question to answer。
Beekeeper, it sounds like a romantic and easy job. - the mountain water show, honey, wait for the money。
It's not that simple。
Last year i quit my job in the city and got 10 boxes of bees back home that i wanted to be rich with, and it almost took me to the head。
Beekeeping isn't zero. It's more than i thought
At first, i thought beekeepers were just making bees boxes, putting in a bunch of bees, waiting for honey。
But in practical terms, it just makes me look stupid。
Beeboxes and tools: 10 standard beehives, one of which is lumber, will cost more than 200, plus nesting frames, nesting, and 3,000 less。
These tools, such as honey cutters, honey shakers and bee-proofing suits, cost another 2,000。
Bees: buying bees is more technical。
A box of two spleen bees. Cheap 500 600, expensive thousands。
I bought 10 boxes and spent more than 8,000。
Experienced bee farmers say it's actually possible to trap wild bees, but the newbies are not skilled, and the herds may run out of business。
Feeding and medicine: do you think bees can live by honey alone
Naughty
You have to feed sugar when you have enough honey。
Last winter i spent more than 1,000 on sugar。
And with the anti-mites, it's hundreds of pieces。
Production depends on the food, technology determines life and death
The most painful thing about beekeeping is the instability of production。
Last year, my 10 boxes of bees received an average of 15 pounds of honey. That's a good score。
But the old lee of the village next door, the same bee breed, is better than me。
And the drought of the previous year cut off his yield and almost lost his fortune。
"a beekeeper is not a chicken, the weather is bad, the bees don't even come out." li smokes, and he's so desperate。
Indeed, honey extraction efficiency has declined in successive rainy days; high temperatures and droughts, with few flowers and no natural yield。
Selling honey is the real problem
How do you sell the honey? That's the best test。
Local markets: in our fair, we sell honey for 15-30 pounds and sell all 10 boxes of honey, and earn 45,000, less costs and barely return。
Online: i tried to hang up on the electrician platform for 150 pounds, but i didn't know it was bought
But the problem is — packaging, freight, platform extraction, profit being eaten in half。
Added to the consumer's doubts about the high price of honey, sales were unstable。
Old lee gave me a trick: "you have to tell stories, pure natural, added, deep mountain honey, and the city eats it." but to be honest, i'm a dumb-mouthed salesman, and i can only end up with someone i know and build up customers。
What's it worth to beekeeping back home
After a year, i wrote down 10 boxes of bees, sold more than 8,000 honey, deducted costs and earned about 3,000 net。
If the technology is better, production is higher, or honey is sold more expensive, income is indeed doubled。
But the only thing is -- you have to be experienced, you have to sell, you have to look at god。
So, if someone asks me, "can we make money back home with the bees?" and my answer is, "be able to make money, but don't expect to be rich."。
The beekeeping is a thinly flowing job for people who are patient and willing to study。
If you're just trying to make money out of it, you might as well change your way。
Of course, if you really love the cause and are willing to accumulate slowly, the beekeeping brings not only income, but also a sense of a return to nature。
At the very least, it is better to look at the busy bodies of bees every day and listen to the wind in the mountains than to squeeze the subway in the city。
