Chris Foster of Hidden Valley Honey tends bees.
Beekeeping is on the rise as a business venture, and new beekeepers often are stung by hidden costs.
Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute is offering a workshop titled The Business of Beekeeping from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Western Nevada College’s Carson City campus, 2201 W. College Parkway.
Industry experts — including Troy Bunch of Bunch Apiaries and Marie Gibson of Gibson, Gale & Associates — will talk about the basics of how to establish and manage healthy hives and have a profitable business. The session covers business planning, equipment needs, how to establish and manage hives, disease and pest management, harvesting and extracting honey, and more.
Troy Bunch of began raising bees as a hobby in 1976. He manages more than a thousand hives with earnings from pollination fees and honey sales. He has been a full time beekeeper for almost 20 years. Bunch advises beekeepers and presents at conferences. He has also served as a board member of the California State Beekeepers Association and the American Beekeeping Federation.
Joining Bunch will be business management consultant Marie Gibson of Gibson, Gale & Associates. Gibson has more than 25 years of business experience, and degrees in business administration and agricultural economics. She will guide participants through the basics of business planning as Bunch teaches the business of beekeeping.
The workshop costs $25 for anyone registering by Oct. 31, and $35 for anyone registering in November. Registration is required at http://www.wnc.edu/ce/sci/.
The WNC Specialty Crop Institute is an innovative program that teaches alternative farming methods to local growers. Funding is provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. For more information, contact Ann Louhela at 775-423-7565, ext. 2260 or ann.louhela@wnc.edu.