Analysis of the Current State of the Beekeeping Industry in Alabama

Abstract

In this thesis, I investigated the following research questions, “What are characteristics of Alabama beekeepers?” “What are revenue sources for beekeepers in Alabama?” and “What are barriers to expansion of beekeeping operations?” To investigate these questions, we used a survey that asked various operations and revenue questions to Alabama beekeepers. We collected 150 responses. Out of the 150, 62%, or 93 beekeepers classified as hobbyists, meaning they manage 25 hives or less. 32% or 48 out of 150 were sideliner beekeepers, managing anywhere between 26 and 299 hives. The remaining 6% were commercial beekeepers, running 300 plus operations. The results reveal that 80% of the survey participated in honey sales, making it the most popular revenue source by far. The second largest source of income was nuc sales, which 24.3% of the survey participated in. 18 beekeepers out of the 150 (12.3%) use their hives for pollination services, and 20 (13.7) partake in queen sales. The smallest source of revenue was packaged bee sales, which only 7 (4.6%) beekeepers participated in. Although it would require more financial and cost data to know whether beekeeping is feasible in Alabama or not, the results from this research point towards improving feasibility.