It may be good to be the king, but it is better to be the bee king. Imagine having a whole army of flying creatures ready to do your bidding. They can even kill some of your enemies, or anyone who is allergic and who just happens to be in the wrong place.
Aside from that benefit of being not only king, but also a god to these little creatures, you may also take what they produce. Consider it the tax that these subjects must pay to be allowed to exist or as the sacrifice that they must offer to their deity. They will be allowed to keep just enough of what they produce in order to barely survive. You will be just like the IRS to them.
And what can the bees produce for you, besides their wonderful company? First, your own ample supply of honey. Say good-bye to the overpriced grocery store honey. That was a big part of my budget. You can also bottle the honey and give it as gifts to friends. This saves you money in gift buying. Subject to those annoying local and state health regulations, you may also sell your honey to people. Talk to local health food stores. Many people believe that eating local honey will help them with allergies. This is probably bunk and borderline witch-doctorism. But who cares? People like bee’s wax as well. You could make candles or lipbalm or whatever with it. People (usually women) especially love bee’s wax candles for some reason. If you are good with the bees you could start a bee removal service. If someone has a hive that they want to get rid of, they can pay you to take it out. Then you also get free bees. You can also raise and sell Queen bees. There are other possible ways to make money with bees out there too, if you think about it.
How to get started? Find some books on the subject. For something this involved you want to consult other more detailed sources as well.
In general, before you get started, you want to consider whether anyone in your house is allergic to bees, including yourself. You will get stung on occasion and you certainly don’t want to die trying to make a few bucks. Also, of course, as usual, look and see what sort of laws you have to deal with in your area. Chances are some busybody was elected by the idiots in your community and she is busy trying to make your life as complicated as possible. See if you need a permit to raise bees or if it is even allowed. You probably don’t want to try to raise bees if you are not allowed, unless you have a lot of land. Even then I still advise you, as always, to follow the law.
After that, you can get started. Use a basic hive. A Langstroth beehive is a good choice, but not the only one. You can buy one online or build one. You will need to build a hive stand to keep the hive about 18 – 24 inches off the ground. Cinder blocks and fence posts should do the trick.
Make sure that you purchase appropriate gear for yourself. Again look online or consult your local beekeeping store for other choices.
Get started with this process in the winter, so you are ready to go come spring. That is when you want to get the bees into their new homes. You will need to buy bees first. There are different kinds to get. Italian bees are probably the best choice, in terms of ease, productivity, and price, but that doesn’t mean that other kinds are bad. Ask around. See where you can get the best deal on good bees. You can buy them online or from a local beekeeper. Getting the bees into the hive is a somewhat complicated process that requires some care. Although anyone with average intelligence should be able to handle it.
You will need to feed the bees during the spring. If it is a new hive, do not harvest the honey yet.
During the summer you can start the harvesting process. The bees will essentially take care of themselves. The fall is peak harvesting time, but make sure that you leave just barely enough honey for them to survive the winter. This may involve some trial and error over the years.
In the winter, cover-up your hive with a blanket or something. Cover the bottom of the hive as well, using staples or something else to hold your cover in place. Make sure that the entrance is clear though so they can come and go. Again, this is only a basic outline. If you decide to take up this work you will want to do additional research.
In regards to hive removal, put the word out in the community that you are a bee removal expert. People will pay you to remove bees in or around their homes. Have extra hives around the house ready to go so you can take in those new bees and get them working for you.
Once you get everything down, this job will allow you to sit back, relax, drink most of the time. And that is what your goal is.
