Bees
I know that’s it’s silly that I am a landscape designer and I get squeamish around bees. So I took a bee keeping class to help me face my phobia and to learn something new.
With the issues of colony bee collapse and the problem of Chinese FDA banned honey making its way into our market (banned because they are feeding the bees junk that causes birth defects in humans), supporting local bee keepers has never been more important!
Besides, if you ever went into business of selling honey, it’s not a bad return. US honey can sell for $150-300 per gallon and the wax for another $10 per pound. Each hive can produce about 20-50 gallons of honey…guess that’s why they are called ‘busy bees.’
Many of my clients have expressed an interest in hosting their own hives but were not sure about the logistics. What if you like to ‘try before you buy’? Yes, there are “lease a hive” options.  I contacted Rock Round Honey and they do a bit of everything from hive maintenance and hive leasing to swarm removal. Located in San Francisco and Redwood City, they are happy to travel to most SF Bay area locations to help you get set up with your own hives.
Useful website:
Beekeeping classes: http://www.roundrockhoney.com/#beekeeping-school
Beekeeping supplies: http://www.mannlakeltd.com/
Hive Leasing/Maintenance: John McDonald 415-699-4444