A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees. Honey bees produce commodities such as honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly, while some beekeepers also raise queens and bees to sell to other farmers and to satisfy scientific curiosity. Beekeepers also use honey bees to provide pollination services to fruit and vegetable growers. Many people keep bees as a hobby. Others do it for income either as a sideline to other work or as a commercial operator. These factors affect the number of colonies maintained by the beekeeper.


Get Involved

Join the Oregon Master Beekeepers! Get involved as an Apprentice or climb the ranks to become a Master Beekeeper. 




Dialogue with pesticide applicators


honey bee health

Video: Nosema Analysis in Honey Bees OSU (Jun 2016)
Video: Dissecting Honey Bees for Tracheal Mites OSU (Jun 2016)




Residential Beekeeping

Website: Oregon's Residential Beekeeping Guidelines


learn more about oregon bees