> Moses Quinby of New York State was the first commercial beekeeper in the United States as his sole means of livelihood was producing and selling honey. Other beekeepers in Quinby’s neighborhood used his methods and began to produce honey on a commercial scale. As the use of movable comb hives, comb foundation, and improved honey extractors became more widespread, commercial beekeeping spread into other States.  Poor roads and the use of horse-drawn vehicles restricted the size of the area in which a beekeeper could operate and the number of colonies that could be managed profitably. After World War I, however, with better highways and increased use of motor vehicles and more efficient methods of colony management and honey handling, commercial beekeepers throughout the United States were able to expand the size of their businesses. By 1957 Anderson (1969) estimated that 1,200 professional beekeepers operated 1,440,000 colonies in the United States. -- EVERETT OERTEL

> According to Troy Fore, executive director of the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF), the number of keepers who produce more than 6,000 pounds of honey annually has declined from 2,054 in 2005, the year before keepers started experiencing colony collapse, to 1,820 last year [2008]. Fore said ABF membership this year is down to about 1,100.

> There are an estimated 115,000 – 125,000 beekeepers in the United States. [2011 Industry Survey, Bee Culture Magazine] The vast majority are hobbyists with less than 25 hives. 

Sideliners are the 99%!

PLB

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