The keeping of bees was once a hobby, but today has expanded into something that the keeper has to truly enjoy, in order to keep up with the amount of time they'll have to put into that slice of the billion dollar food industry. The beekeeping industry has come a long way from it being a simple hobby to where it's going on tables across the world. In today's market, it is essential for the novice beekeeper - one who has not been raised among a family of keepers - to make sure they receive tutelage in the study of bees and their biology from an expert. Because there are no flowers around in the winter months, bees actually regurgitate their food and store it for survival, a process which gives us honey.
Among insects, bees have some of the most advanced means of surviving winter. Farming allows beekeepers something to earn a livelihood at during the cold months, when bees are not in high honey production. You might think this is an inexpensive hobby where you simply place boxes out for the bees to come to, but that is an oversimplification that misses the expenses involved in training.
You have to train yourself to be knowledgeable in the area of entomology because you have to know what insects will be compatible around bees because some insects will feed on bees, yellow jackets, hornets, and wasps which are primarily mites and are one of the most annoying insects because they're so relatively tiny that you need a microscope to see them up close. Beekeepers need to get their training and expertise through science, so that they can give a good habitat for their bees, manage them effectively, and prevent pests from taking over hives. Beekeeping stretches back generations in some families, and that generally makes people dedicated and serious about the activity, which is important in any type of beekeeper training.
Lots of people learn the skill through great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents, and believe it to be a way of life that's taught to children. Honey may have started out as a simple chore to do on the farm, but it eventually became something that was as marketable as produce, dairy and meat.
For a recommended guide to successful beekeeping visit: how to raise bees.
