BEEKEEPING, LIKE OTHER FIELDS OF AGRICULTURE, REQUIRES A MIXTURE OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE.
Bees and beekeeping have received increased attention in the past decade, but a critical component has been missing from dialogues: the next generation of beekeeping. Farm succession, entrepreneurship, and barriers to entering the industry are highlighted in many agricultural sectors, yet this information has not been applied to beekeeping. Not only must new beekeepers learn about managing bees, they must also consider entrepreneurship, marketing, using social media, and accessing resources.
My position as a program lead for a tech transfer team allows me to conduct research and extension for honey bees. I also have the privilege of observing beekeepers and seeing what works and what could be improved upon. This article summarizes my observations for the next generation of beekeepers and highlights the opportunities and challenges for new beekeepers entering this industry, with a particular focus on the industry landscape, education, experience, entrepreneurship, opportunities, challenges, self-assessment, and assistance.
Understanding the Industry Landscape
Across North American agriculture, farmers are growing older, and most of them work off-farm to supplement farm income (Melhim et al. 2010, Statistics Canada 2016, USDA 2017). Beekeeping is sensitive to these trends. However, consumer perception and demand for apiculture products—including honey, pollination services, queen honey bees, and value-added products—continue to increase. So, what’s missing? The next generation of beekeepers. How we welcome newcomers and ensure that they have the education and experience to succeed must be integrated into our beekeeping conversations.
What Kind of Education Is Required to Work in Apiculture?
Beekeeping, like other fields of agriculture, requires a mixture of education and experience. A recent Canadian survey found that nearly 20% of farmers have a university degree, and overall education levels continue to increase (Statistics Canada 2016). So where do newcomers access educational opportunities for beekeeping?
First, it’s key to understand that there are many different paths to take in apiculture (Fig. 1), and we need to share these opportunities with new entrants to the industry. This could mean inviting them to field days or conferences, hosting special “newbee”-focused events during bee meetings, or setting up a special mentoring program within bee associations. For example, I arrange speaker panels and highlight industry champions from different backgrounds in my teachings, which showcases the many moving parts that are involved in pushing this industry forward.
There are many careers in the apiculture sector.
Next, new beekeepers need to research opportunities available to them. Some may be able to enroll in local university or college courses focused on beekeeping or turn to online teachings. Fortunately, there are a number of excellent online courses available from reputable colleges and universities across Canada and the U.S. Gaining apiculture education also depends on individual learning styles. Beekeeping is an art and a science, and hands-on learning may be best suited to new beekeepers, who should seek courses that include both classroom and bee-yard learning opportunities. Another avenue is attending workshops hosted by associations, clubs, or tech transfer teams. Workshops tend to be shorter than full courses, are more affordable, and focus on specific topics. They can also provide continued learning and networking after a new beekeeper takes an initial beekeeping course.
Keys to Success: Experience and Mentorship
For those thinking about becoming beekeepers, I recommend finding a mentor, in addition to exploring opportunities for education and experience. Having a mentor is key to future success, but it can be difficult to find a suitable teacher. To find a mentor, I suggest:
Joining a bee club or association to network with local beekeepers.
Connecting with government apiculturists or tech transfer teams to find potential mentors in your area.
Seeking beekeeping employment. Beekeepers are busy, but if they understand that newcomers are willing to put in the time and hard work to learn more about bees, they will share valuable experience and mentorship.
A recent article in American Bee Journal discussed the importance of mentorship programs. We often focus on the criteria for a good mentee, but we also often neglect to discuss what makes a good mentor (Gabritsch 2019; Table 1). Each mentor will have different methods, systems, and decision-making points, but the purpose of mentorship is for mentees to absorb this information and adapt it to their own practice (or not). There is something to be learned from every mentor and beekeeping operation. Even if mentees do not foresee themselves implementing a particular practice in their own operations, it’s important to be respectful and learn where mentors are coming from and why they use such a practice. You’ll notice that there are many shared characteristics for both how to be a good mentee and how to be a good mentor (Gabritsch 2019).
Characteristics of good beekeeping mentees and mentors (adapted from Gabritsch 2019).
| How to Be a Good Mentee | How to Be a Good Mentor |
|---|---|
| Show up ready to learn and work | Be patient |
| Do your homework, take notes | Be knowledgeable |
| Ask questions | Be professional |
| Be willing to learn | Have a desire to teach |
| Be open-minded and respectful | |
| Be accessible and flexible | |
| Be honest in successes and mistakes | |
| The mentor-mentee relationship should be a two-way street; feedback should go back and forth between both parties | |
| How to Be a Good Mentee | How to Be a Good Mentor |
|---|---|
| Show up ready to learn and work | Be patient |
| Do your homework, take notes | Be knowledgeable |
| Ask questions | Be professional |
| Be willing to learn | Have a desire to teach |
| Be open-minded and respectful | |
| Be accessible and flexible | |
| Be honest in successes and mistakes | |
| The mentor-mentee relationship should be a two-way street; feedback should go back and forth between both parties | |
Characteristics of good beekeeping mentees and mentors (adapted from Gabritsch 2019).
| How to Be a Good Mentee | How to Be a Good Mentor |
|---|---|
| Show up ready to learn and work | Be patient |
| Do your homework, take notes | Be knowledgeable |
| Ask questions | Be professional |
| Be willing to learn | Have a desire to teach |
| Be open-minded and respectful | |
| Be accessible and flexible | |
| Be honest in successes and mistakes | |
| The mentor-mentee relationship should be a two-way street; feedback should go back and forth between both parties | |
| How to Be a Good Mentee | How to Be a Good Mentor |
|---|---|
| Show up ready to learn and work | Be patient |
| Do your homework, take notes | Be knowledgeable |
| Ask questions | Be professional |
| Be willing to learn | Have a desire to teach |
| Be open-minded and respectful | |
| Be accessible and flexible | |
| Be honest in successes and mistakes | |
| The mentor-mentee relationship should be a two-way street; feedback should go back and forth between both parties | |
Entrepreneurship
Finding the right fit after training is completed can be an overwhelming experience for new beekeepers. Consider the following options:
Do you want to start your own business, or purchase an existing business?
Do you want to gain experience through employment before jumping into your own business (e.g., work for another person/company)?
Figuring out the answers to these questions can help determine the right direction.
Challenges and Benefits of Entrepreneurship
Starting a successful business requires that a brand, or essentially a reputation, needs to be established. New beekeepers will be starting from scratch in terms of building new customers and markets, as well as sourcing bee yards and equipment. Financially, it may be easier to start building a new business slowly, rather than buying an existing business outright. Beginning a business offers an opportunity to start fresh and create new ways of doing things. An existing business already has a brand and a customer base, as well as equipment and bee yards, but when an existing business is purchased (or when farm succession takes place), significant financial input is required. Farm succession and purchasing a business also necessitate answering some tough questions:
Will the existing owners leave the farm property and/or day-to-day tasks?
Do existing owners wish to remain as employees for a transition period?
Will the business name change?
Will client contracts (e.g., pollination) and market access also transition with ownership?
Whether starting a business or purchasing an existing one, new beekeepers often succeed when they have an entrepreneurial spirit. It is broadly believed that entrepreneurial spirit is an inherent trait—you either have it or you don’t—but the good news is that entrepreneurship can be learned. Key characteristics associated with entrepreneurs are passion, resiliency, motivation, optimism, flexibility, persistence, vision, and self-belief (Rampton 2014, Revzin and Revzin 2018). Entrepreneurship can be compared to any other field in which skills are taught and mentees learn through hands-on experience (Cremades 2018, Revzin and Revzin 2018). Entrepreneurship has also been described as both an art and a science (Dutta 2017)—just as we view beekeeping.
Communication can be challenging for any business. Even though beekeeping is sometimes viewed as a solitary activity, considerable communication occurs between beekeepers and their suppliers, buyers, and consumers, as well as with farmers for whom beekeepers are providing pollination, banks and accountants, employees, coworkers, family members, landowners (for bee yards), and inspectors or other government personnel. Whether you choose to start a new business or purchase an existing one, make sure communication is included in your plans.
Opportunities and Challenges for New Beekeepers
It can be difficult to separate opportunities from challenges, as opportunity often arises from obstacles. There are challenges within apiculture that new beekeepers are well suited to tackle, including the aging beekeeper demographic, fluctuating markets, new regulations and labelling requirements, bee health, sourcing queen bees, and climate change. There is an increased consumer demand for local honey in many regions, which is an opportunity for beekeepers to connect with consumers through direct marketing. In Canada (and likely elsewhere), there is a demand for local queens—an opportunity for new beekeepers to rear queens for sale (Fig. 2). Consider the limitations and demands in your region and determine how you may be able to fill these gaps.
Left: A honey bee pollinates wild (lowbush) blueberry flowers in Nova Scotia. Right: Robyn McCallum holding a grafting frame with capped queen cells. Both pollination and queen production are opportunities for new beekeepers.
Self-Assessment
Being honest with yourself can be a tough skill to acquire, but it is an essential one in any field. There is no single recipe for beekeeping success, but I’ve found that successful beekeepers tend to be forward-thinking about their business, eager to fill an industry gap, are flexible in changing circumstances and markets, and are able to play to their strengths. A good knowledge of your strengths and of industry gaps can help you determine which direction to explore for your own operation (Fig. 3).
Potential revenue streams to consider in beekeeping.
Conducting SWOT Analyses
New beekeepers should consider the pollination requirements surrounding them, the demand for bees as nucleus colonies, packages, or queens, and the market appetite for value-added products. Conducting a SWOT analysis is key—identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats helps to successfully develop your bee business. When I conduct SWOT analyses with beekeeper groups, I often get similar responses. Strengths include energy, a desire to work outside, and a passion for bees. Weaknesses include lack of experience and education, inability to find mentorship, and underdeveloped business skills. Another weakness typically identified is limited access to capital or funding sources to start or purchase a new business. Before moving on to opportunities and threats, I encourage participants to create a plan to strengthen these weaknesses, which could include taking a course, finding a mentor, and getting involved in the industry. Opportunities often focus on market demand for honey, proximity to crops to pollinate, or other local demands (e.g., nucleus colonies, queens). Threats frequently include access to bee yards (beekeepers often do not own the land on which they place colonies), changing policy and trade for honey markets, accessing funding, and finding a suitable labour force. I then encourage new beekeepers to plan how they will act on these opportunities and threats. Responses usually include connecting with retiring beekeepers and/or farmers who require pollination services, investigating potential markets, and linking with associations and government representatives to learn more about industry needs and available programs. Some “new-bees” commit to speaking with established beekeepers to learn more about employment opportunities.
SWOT analyses (Fig. 4), like business plans, are only as useful as you make them. Create a plan of action to capitalize on the strengths and opportunities identified, improve the weaknesses listed, and mitigate any threats found.
Sample SWOT analysis for new beekeepers.
How to Find Help
Finding help for entering into beekeeping will not be as simple as reading one book or finding a mentor; new beekeepers must be willing to research and network before jumping in. Groups such as 4-H, Young Farmers, or entrepreneurship clubs are good for building networks. Subscribing to newsletters, magazines, or journals will help individuals stay up to date with emerging trends and products, learning opportunities, and research. Beginner books that I recommend include The Beekeeper’s Handbook by D. Sammataro and A. Avitabile, The Biology of the Honey Bee by M. Winston, and The Hive and the Honey Bee, edited by J. Graham. Additionally, there are valuable and accurate beekeeping videos available online, including through The University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre (http://www.uoguelph.ca/honeybee/videos.shtml). Whichever re- source you choose, make sure it’s relevant to your region; North American beekeeping varies vastly among geographic locations. Another way to access help is through apps. BeeKeepClub recently released a list of their top ten beekeeping apps: https://beekeepclub.com/best-beekeeping-apps/. This list was designed to meet different needs for new and existing beekeepers.
I see firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing beekeepers, but I am excited about where the next generation of beekeepers fits in and moves the apiculture sector forward. There is no doubt that they will bring new ideas, new visions, and new conversations to the table—if we give them the opportunity to join our industry and the tools to succeed.
Acknowledgments
This article was originally developed for the 46th Apimondia conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as a workshop sponsored by the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA).
