The commercial beekeeping fraternity in general is slowly ageing and those commercial beekeepers that are lucky enough to have family that can take over the business are unfortunately in the minority. In the next 10 years or so older beekeepers will come to retirement some by choice others due to ill health, but as this happens if younger people are not there to take on these hives and businesses they will be lost. My hope is that amateur beekeepers may fall in love with beekeeping and will move on from doing beekeeping casually to doing it full time.
There are many opportunities in the industry and i believe we have yet to really reach the amazing potential that the industry can have. We need to learn to add value to all products produced in this country instead of giving them away and having other benefit from the wonderful primary products we harvest and grow.
