Throughout history, beekeeping has developed and thrived.
In the United States alone, more than 200,000 people keep honeybee hives. Around 90 percent of them do it as a hobby, but for the rest it is a business.
Hobby or job, beekeeping is year-round work. Beekeepers have to order bees, tend hives, and take out honey. They must also protect bees from disease and make sure there’s food—both near the hive and also stored for after the flower-growing season. Those are just some of the things beekeepers do to keep hives going. In winter in cold climates, hives must be wrapped in paper to keep them warm. New equipment has to be ordered and put together, and plans for the coming year must be made. Busy as a bee? It’s probably just as accurate to say, “Busy as a beekeeper.”