Bees are an extraordinary species. Their social bond and work ethics have been studied by social scientists for a long time. Bees play a big role in our environment as a conservationist species.
At the core of their social life are the massive colonies they build, which we call beehives. The number of active bees in a beehive depends on the season. Usually, the number is from 5000 to 40000. One beehive has one queen and the rest are worker bees, who work round the clock to serve her and the hive.
The most special ingredient of a beehive is the honey. Worker bees gather this honey from flowers and store them in the beehive. The whole colony feeds on this honey, it also serves as food for the growing members of the colony and for the queen.
Exploiting these unique habits of bees, humans have found a way to domesticate them and cultivate bees for honey and other purposes. As honey is a very nutritious food for us and said to provide strength in our bodies.
If these fascinating facts about bees and beehives haven't already converted you into a beekeeper, the next facts surely will!
Conservation reasons
Bees are a very important part of our vulnerable ecosystem. We may have read about pollination in high school. It is the process of transferring pollen from the male part of the plants to the female parts of a plant. Successful pollination results in natural fertilization in plants that begin the process of reproduction. This process ensures the sustainability of the plants.
As the trees are immovable, they cannot process pollinations by themselves. They require various mediums. The most common medium is air. When humans cultivate these plants, we use artificial pollination to ensure better crops.
Another natural medium is insects. Especially the honeybees. About 80% of the crop pollination is done by the honeybees. So, as it stands, cultivating bees ensures natural pollination in the area. Experts believe bees help pollinate crops within a 2-mile radius of a bee farm. This not only saves money from artificial pollination, but it also helps conserve the ecosystem around us, by pollinating all kinds of trees.
Bees themselves are a threatened species. Wild bee populations in the U.S.A. took a nosedive in the ’80s and the ’90s after a mite called varroa started invading the species. About 90% of the wild bees were said to be wiped out by the attack. About 60% of the farmed bees faced the same fate. This mite continues to threaten the bee population even today.
Another natural reason for such vulnerability of the species is the colony collapse disorder( C.C.D). C.C.D. is a mysterious phenomenon, where the worker bees leave their colony, leaving behind their queen and some bees to nurse the worker bees who are still immature. Such migration eventually causes the colony to collapse. This issue has worried the experts, fearing the conservation of the species.
So the cultivation of bees serves the purposes not only for the conservation of other species via pollination but also for the conservation of the bees themselves. While taking care of the bees, you have to look out for yourself. When the bee attacks, you should take enough precautions and be properly covered.
Honey production
Let’s focus on the main commercial attraction of bee cultivation. The direct reward from this profession is the honey you extract from honeybees.
Honey has spiritual level healing powers. Since ancient times, honey has been used as remedies in various cultures. It’s healing properties are well known to the researchers.
Besides healing properties, it also adds tests to various foods. It’s the sweet and gluey texture that is used to create various types of food. It is used mainly to prepare sweet appetizers.
Honey has been historically used to produce brews. It’s very strong chemical properties made it an ideal substance for producing beverages. You can make homemade drinks using honey too.
But, one thing to keep in mind is, cultivating bees only keeping the profit margin in mind is not recommended. While the financial investment may meet the revenue but, labor and time committed to the process may not get compensated.
Sustainability and economics of bee farming
A piece of very important information about bee production is- it is more stable than most other forms of farming. Sustainability is the ultimate goal of any agricultural farm. Bee farming allows you to do that.
Farmers can replace bee losses using special methods, which helps a sustainable supply of farming species. Many farming animals such as chicken, goat, or cow farming is susceptible to irrecoverable loss.
Economically, bee farming makes absolute sense. It’s starting cost is very low compared to other farming methods. Even if you want to start it as a hobby, it will cost you less than other forms of productive hobbies, like woodworking.
While we mentioned the cost of bee farming might be higher than the profit gained from it, that does not mean the profit is ignorable. Honey has a large demand and a shortage of supply. Seen almost as a luxury good, this will bring reasonable profit for the farmers who might choose to farm it.
Then there are these external benefits from bee farming. Bee farming means you will have to continuously learn about bees and their fascinating social life. If you are interested in science or social sciences, bee farming will keep you engaged.
You connect to the environment around you in a completely new way. Not as much for bee farming, but through your bees as they mix into the world around us. As bee farming depends on the weather, you will have to be well informed about it. You will have to have information about pollination cycles and farming seasons because they are directly related to your farming.
Bee farming is still seen mainly as a hobby rather than a profession. Bees play a direct role in sustaining our environment and it also brings profit, it should be seen as a conservationist or a commercial venture and incentivized accordingly. Those of us who are interested yet skeptical about going into bee farming, we hope this article should help you change your mind for the better.
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