Honey is one of the oldest foods known to humans. Honey comes from bees. Beekeeping business in Nigeria is on the rise as demand for honey is increasing. The attempt to domesticate bees has been on for a long now, well we may have arrived at a partial domestication that has made beekeeping possible. Don’t however be deceived by such partial domestication, bees are still as wild as they can get. Given that bees need nectar from flowers to make their honey, there seems an inseparable bond between honey bees and their natural habitat.
If you are a fan of the beekeeping business in Nigeria, know that it can be such a sweet venture. Beekeeping is a branch of livestock farming also known as apiculture. When you are a beekeeper then that makes you an apiarist. The bee keeping business in Nigeria although not very popular in all parts of the country has been practiced in the country since prehistoric times.
Apart from the financial gain from beekeeping, it is also good for the environment. Bees as pollinators are friends of our environment. Beekeeping is one of the businesses with a far greater impact than profit maximization. Still, regarding the beekeeping business in Nigeria, lots of profits can be made.
If you are considering getting into the bee-keeping business in Nigeria, you can follow the steps that we will discuss. Also if you do would prefer the honey business instead, that too is very lucrative and the business can be conducted easier.
Bee-keeping business requires an environment closer to the bee’s natural habitat. The ideal environment for bee-keeping business in Nigeria would be the villages. Note that in other countries, beekeeping can be done on a more controlled farm however in Nigeria, beekeeping mostly entails providing hive space for bees in the wild or a semi-wild environment.
Honey-Producing States in Nigeria
Several states in Nigeria produce high-volume and quality honey. These states have become very efficient in beekeeping. Some of these honey-producing states in Nigeria include the state of Benue, Nasarawa state, Kogi, Enugu, etc. Beekeeping requires patience, dedication, and passion for the business. Honey production in Nigeria mostly takes the form of subsistence farming.
It is also likely that large-scale production of honey may be complicated. In the Honey producing states in Nigeria, sometimes the majority of a whole community may be engaging in beekeeping. This makes it possible for some communities to produce large quantities of honey.
Some communities in Nsukka Enugu state produce large quantities of honey. However each farmer may produce a relatively small amount of honey but when honey sellers buy from different beekeepers, the volume of honey realized may improve.
How to start a Beekeeping Business in Nigeria
Starting a beekeeping business isn’t capital-intensive. Most times it isn’t also very demanding in terms of attention but you have to be patient. It takes a while before your beehive will produce a considerable quantity of honey. Now on how to start a beekeeping business in Nigeria. As said earlier, beekeeping is best done in the countryside. Possibly away from the people.
Bees can get aggressive when their hive is disturbed and they can deliver a painful sting. Such sting can be dangerous if one were to be attacked by a swarm of bees or if the attacks were to be around the eyes. Bees love their natural habitat where they could be close to flowering plants. This is why beekeeping businesses are more suitable in the rural areas.
Let’s assume that you have secured your target location in the rural areas. In most cases you will need a pot, an old plastic container, or a wooden container. It is important to ensure that your bees get a feel of their natural habitat. Your clay pot or empty container is going to serve as an artificial hive.
As done in the honey-producing communities in Nigeria, often these pots are placed on top of trees in the forest. Before placing your pot in the forest, there’s a need to introduce a honeycomb in the pot or your container, this will attract bees. In the wild, it is tougher to get bees to accept your clay pot as a new hive, this is much easier in communities where beekeeping is prevalent. It is easier to introduce the bees to their new artificial hive that way.
Once the bees accept your artificial hive and start building their new settlement in it, it is important to not disturb your artificial hive for about 3 months. You can still be checking to see how your bees are performing but disturbance may risk upsetting the bees. They are not fully domesticated yet and upsetting the bees may trigger an attack. People also ask how lucrative is beekeeping business in Nigeria.
How Lucrative is beekeeping business in Nigeria?
Because beekeeping business in Nigeria doesn’t require much capital to start, it means it can be profitable however beekeeping business is best done as a part-time business in Nigeria or even as a hubby. This is because large-scale beekeeping business in Nigeria may be complex to run. But to answer the question regarding how lucrative beekeeping business is in Nigeria, what we can say is that it is moderately lucrative. If your primary goal is making a huge amount of money, while this is possible, most beekeepers in Nigeria are subsistence farmers who do beekeeping together with other ventures.
Conclusion
If you live in a rural area and desire an adventurous business that will have you interacting with one of nature’s sweetest creatures, the beekeeping business may be for you. Apart from the financial reward from the beekeeping business, it is also an eco-friendly venture.
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