Can You Get Rich Keeping Bees? Wang Qi's Beekeeping Journey to Prosperity
"Cock-a-doodle-doo..." The loud crowing of a rooster broke the early morning quiet of Chuanxin Village in Wangjia Town. Looking into the distance, rapeseed flowers covered the hills and fields, green leaves rippling like waves and golden blossoms surging like tide - this is nature's finest gift to beekeepers. On March 20, Wang Qi had already packed the honey extractor, uncapping knife, honey filter and other tools needed for honey production into his car, and hurried off to the bee yard to collect honey.
"There are lots of rapeseed flowers this time of year, and it's the period of the highest honey output. We work from early morning until 12 noon every day, then bottle the honey and ship it to customers," Wang Qi told the reporter as he spun the honey extractor.
Returning Home from Working Away, Building a Business on the Back of "Rapeseed Flowers"
"Boss Wang, weigh me two jin of honey and set it aside. I'm going to the town to buy a few things and I'll come back for it." Around 11 in the morning, Zhou Shuiqing, a villager from Baihe Village in Wangjia Town, started shouting from far away. Wang Qi, who was sorting honey, answered loudly: "Don't worry! I'll weigh it out full for you, guaranteed quality and quantity."
Wang Qi, 27 years old this year, is from Chuanxin Village in Wangjia Town. After graduating from junior high school he went out to work, and with neither a diploma nor any technical skills, he endured every hardship of migrant labor. In recent years, when Wang Qi heard his parents mention that the Wangjia Town government was vigorously developing the rapeseed flower industry, the idea of returning home to start a business took root in his mind. Why not use the rapeseed flower industry to develop beekeeping? Wang Qi acted on his idea at once, quit his job in another place right away, and at the beginning of 2009 returned to his hometown to buy beekeeping tools and begin preparations for keeping bees.
The reason Wang Qi wanted to keep bees, besides the unique natural advantage of his hometown's rapeseed flower industry, was another important factor: his family had a tradition of beekeeping going back generations, and his father Wang Wancheng had already been keeping some bees. But when his father heard that his son had quit his job and come home to become a professional beekeeper, he did not approve. He thought of his own beekeeping as merely a side business - it brought in some income, but not much. Later, after Wang Qi patiently persuaded him, and town government staff also vigorously promoted and encouraged young migrant workers to return home and start businesses, promising policy and technical support and assistance, Wang Wancheng finally made up his mind: to pass on his beekeeping experience and support his son's business venture.
Today, the beekeeping operation of Wang Qi and his father is growing larger and larger, and business is getting better and better. "I keep 300 bee hives in total across 7 rooftops and a stretch of hillside. One hive can produce about 15 jin of honey, and one jin sells for 60 yuan. Over a year that adds up to more than 250,000 yuan in income." Wang Qi, beaming, calculated his economic accounts for the reporter.
As his income kept rising, Wang Qi's family not only built a small Western-style house, but last year also bought a car.
Internet Plus Solves the Sales Problem
"I need to get this batch of honey shipped out by express right away. If I ship it late, it will hurt my reputation. Nowadays you compete not only on product quality but even more on service - whoever offers better service can hold on to customers tightly." Wang Qi said this while skillfully bottling and packing the honey.
The beekeeping scale has grown and output has increased, but how can all this honey be sold quickly and turned into cash? If he opened a storefront to sell it, there would be the problem of a small sales area and reaching few people.
Wang Qi, still in the startup phase, was not afraid of difficulties and promoted his honey everywhere. Although he saw some results, the effect was limited. Wang Qi thought of the "e-commerce" model, so he bought a computer, registered a Taobao account online, and listed his family's honey in an online store. Unexpectedly, the "e-commerce" model worked quickly, and the sales range of Wang Qi's honey suddenly expanded to the whole country - selling was basically no longer a problem. In addition, Wang Qi also vigorously promoted his family's honey through WeChat Moments on his phone, publicizing the honey production site through pictures, videos and other means, so that people could learn about his family's honey and its credibility would increase.
Today, Wang Qi sells honey through physical storefronts, a Taobao store, WeChat business, and friend referrals, solving the earlier problem of having honey that could not be sold and could only be "stockpiled." He said confidently: "My family's honey is good, and I have many sales channels too. I'm not worried at all that it won't sell."
Expanding Scale, Extending the "Honeymoon" Period
"Boss Wang, reciting your lessons again?" That day, villager Wang Zhiquan, passing through Chuanxin Village, teased Wang Qi again.
"I'm studying techniques. You wouldn't understand," Wang Qi answered with a chuckle. Keeping more than 300 hives means routine maintenance work is very important. The biggest natural enemies of bees are wax moths, cockroaches, termites and giant hornets. When these problems come up, you have to rely on your own study, draw on others' experience, and above all apply what you learn from books, so you can keep the bees better.
"I still want to expand the scale of beekeeping. Not only do I want to keep bees myself, I also want to join with nearby villagers to keep bees together and set up a beekeeping cooperative..." Speaking of his future plans, Wang Qi talked on eloquently to the reporter.