Upscaling from Hobbyist to Sideliner Beekeeping - The Bees (319)

Are you thinking about growing your beekeeping operation from hobbyist to sideliner? In this first episode of our February Upscaling Your Beekeeping series, Jeff and Becky sit down with two experienced beekeepers and educators, Meghan Milbrath and Ana Heck, to explore what it takes to successfully expand your apiary.

Meghan, an assistant professor at Michigan State University and a seasoned beekeeper, shares her experiences running her own beekeeping business while balancing research and extension work. Ana, an apiculture extension educator with MSU, brings her insights into managing a growing bee operation while supporting pollinators beyond the apiary.

They discuss how to know when you're ready to upscale and you're looking for a way to turn beekeeping into a sustainable side business. Meghan and Ana share their thoughts on the financial and time commitments of growing an apiary, highlighting the balance between beekeeping, work, and family life. They also explore the best ways to increase colony numbers, including whether to split your own bees or buy new ones, and why strong management skills are key to sustainable growth.

The conversation also dives into different paths for an expanding beekeeping business. Should you focus on honey production, queen rearing, nuc sales, or pollination services? Each choice comes with its own challenges and advantages. Efficiency is another key factor. How do seasoned beekeepers manage large numbers of colonies quickly and effectively? Meghan and Ana offer insights into hive inspections, explaining how experienced beekeepers can determine colony health in under a minute.

Whether you're considering expanding to 50 hives or 200, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you make informed decisions. Don't miss it!

Listen Today!

Websites we recommend:

• The Demaree Method of Swarm Control: https://thewalrusandthehoneybee.com/demaree/
  
• Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org
• The National Honey Board: https://honey.com

• Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com
• 2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast: https://2millionblossoms.com

Copyright © 2025 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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Betterbee is the presenting sponsor of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global offers a variety of standard and custom patties. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode!

Thanks to Bee Smart Designs as a sponsor of this podcast! Bee Smart Designs is the creator of innovative, modular and interchangeable hive systems made in the USA using recycled and American sourced materials. Bee Smart Designs - Simply better beekeeping for the modern beekeeper.

Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about their line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com

Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry.

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Be Strong by Young Presidents; Epilogue by Musicalman; Faraday by BeGun; Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus; A Fresh New Start by Pete Morse; Wedding Day by Boomer; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; Red Jack Blues by Daniel Hart; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott.

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Copyright © 2025 by Growing Planet Media, LLC