Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Funding for such enterprises can come from a variety of sources, and a friend of
mine received his start-up funds from the Prince of Wales's Trust. He was not an
experienced beekeeper but had been a hobbyist. The fund's discipline and support
gave him an excellent start from which he has made a successful career as a commercial
beekeeper. So look around at all the funding possibilities in your area, especially those
organizations that deal with rural industries.
Scientific careers
A career in beekeeping doesn't necessarily mean being a beekeeper. The world of science
is open to those who are suitably qualified, and the number of research possibilities is
endless. We know comparatively little about the bees we use compared with, say, cattle
or sheep, and the whole idea of insects as social animals can teach us a great deal.
I completed a postgraduate diploma in apiculture at Cardiff and really would have
liked to have gone on to a Masters and a PhD, but I was then in my early forties and no
one was going to sponsor me at that age. Had I been younger I would no doubt have
been accepted onto a programme under some sort of sponsorship. I researched drone
congregation areas, which is a very little known and studied area of bee research. It
always amazes me that we still don't really know the parameters of these areas or how
exactly queens and drones find their way to them, or how exactly their boundaries are
defined. I would have loved to have carried on, but having to make a living got in the
way. However, this should not stop you, and there are thousands of questions about
bees and their products that would provide valid and useful research opportunities.
Entry to research is usually through a bachelors degree in science and then moving on
to postgraduate study. A talk with your university adviser and a basic Internet search
should show which research institutes are open to supervising this type of research, and
don't forget the government laboratories that generally require scientists at this level.
I first took honours from London in the geological sciences, but it was 20 years later
that I used this degree to obtain a place on a postgraduate research programme. If you
are heading in this direction, your reading list should include at least
The American Bee
Journal
,
Apis UK
,
The Journal of Apicultural Research
and
Apidologie
. So my advice is if
you can, go for it, and the earlier the better. We need you.
