Beekeeper

A beekeeper is a person who keeps one or more beehives and manages honey bee colonies. Beekeeping can aim at honey production, crop pollination, queen breeding, or research, and ranges from hobbyist to large commercial operations.

A typical colony contains a queen, many workers, and drones. Bees collect nectar and pollen, produce honey and wax, and pollinate flowering plants. Beekeepers use hive designs such as Langstroth, Top-bar, or Warre; hives are managed to prevent swarming, maintain colony strength, and optimize honey production.

Key equipment includes protective clothing, a smoker to calm bees, a hive tool, and a bee brush. Hives consist of boxes, frames with removable foundation. Regular inspections monitor brood, queen presence, and pests; feeding or medication may be used as needed. Harvesting honey involves extracting capped frames and processing the product for storage.

Beekeeping faces health and environmental challenges such as Varroa destructor mites, Nosema, bacterial diseases like foulbrood, pesticide exposure, and habitat loss. Management uses regular colony inspections, essential queen replacement, splitting or combining hives, and integrated pest management with approved chemical or nonchemical treatments.

Beekeeping supports biodiversity and crop yields through pollination, while also producing honey, beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly for sale. It is often organized through clubs or associations that provide training and networking. Some regions require licensing or reporting of movements for disease control.