The Business of Beekeeping

Beekeeping is serious business. Aside from the potential dangers and safety issues, there’s a growing concern.

“There’s a bee shortage that many people are attributing to global warming and other environmental changes,” said Philip Klein, a beekeeper and owner of A Bee Farms, a company that specializes in bee removal and relocation.

The bee business

The Agoura-based business is not like any other pest control company, according to Klein. “We don’t kill bees like they do,” he said. “We just remove them and bring them to local farms.”

The ongoing bee shortage, which presumably started around 2006, has raised public consciousness and even Klein is surprised how much his clients are aware. “When they call and schedule an appointment, they want to make sure the bees will be in good hands,” he said.

Since he started working for his brother-in-law, Klein has amassed a long list of “recipients” who will put the bees to good use, such as avocado and citrus growers.

He ventured on his own and launched A Bee Farms in 2009, armed with a few basic supplies such as white overalls, a veil for face protection, gloves and a contraption called a smoker.

“It’s not a capital-intensive business,” said Klein, who runs the one-man operation, 24/7, answering emergency calls at all hours.

He learned everything he could about beekeeping from his brother-in-law and from doing fieldwork and research. “I didn’t have money for advertising, so I did everything myself from phone book listings to mailers,” said Klein, who has a marketing background.

His sister offered to help him with social media marketing and pretty soon, his business’ Facebook page was up and running.

Distinguishing bees

A Bee Farms’ geographic reach is far and wide, from Ventura all the way to the East San Fernando Valley area, sometimes as far as Long Beach.

“I’ll go where the need is,” said the long-time Agoura resident. “I may just charge more, depending on the distance and if there are structural repairs that need to be done.”

A regular bee removal job in a residential or commercial area ranges from $95 to $125, according to Klein. “It might cost more if there’s honey, because the structure has to be opened,” he said.

Not all bees are removed and relocated. Some of Klein’s clients opt to keep them on their properties so they can pollinate and produce honey for their personal use. Klein has been known to help in maintaining the hives and harvesting the honey for his clients.

Not many people know that killer bees also produce honey.“They’re honey bees too, but just more aggressive and territorial,” he said.

One has to get close enough to distinguish killer bees from other breeds, such as the European bees, which are more common in the area. “I consider myself a therapist, too, because I calm people down when they panic around the bees,” said Klein.

An educational endeavor

Typically, business slows down around the start of fall, but Klein intends to keep busy by doing community outreach and educational presentations to schools.

“I just want to educate people about them,” said Klein.  “Let’s try to do our best to have the bees continue their journey and not contribute to their shortage,” he said.