Utilizing Engineering Skills In Beekeeping - A Proposal

1. Scheduling how would you describe your scheduling system?
2. What suburbs are the hives in? (the areas of your current business)
3. What is the biggest challenge you face in day to day operation?
4. Describe the process of how you place hives onto roofs? (known percentage are in roofs, yards etc?)
5. What improvements would Urban Hum like to implement?
6. Assuming you wanted to expand the company – what are the 3 largest things that may stop you?
7. If your clients could do something for you or the company, what would be most beneficial?
8. Can you describe your previous efforts to have partnerships with other providers, to expand your business?
9. Are there any legal restrictions specific to your industry and how do they effect Urban Hum?
10. How is Urban Hum marketing itself, by seeking new clients? How do potential clients hear about Urban Hum?

Scheduling system

The application of engineering work cannot be ignored in the current world ways of doing things. There are many areas that need engineering skills and expertise but many people fail to fully understand this particular concept. The aim of this paper is to fully analyze how engineering skills and knowledge can be fully utilized in bee keeping so as to generate huge wealth. This report with provide solutions to the underlying questions about bee keeping by applying engineering skills and techniques.

In this proposal, the scheduling system will lay done ideas on what bee keeping involve and all that is need to start such a project. The first thing to understand in the scheduling process of bee keeping is to determine whether the career path of bee keeping is a good venture for you. Therefore, for this man who want to become a beekeeper should check whether the following descriptions fit his nature of work and interests. Typically, to become a prominent beekeeper, then one need to enjoy working with outdoors as well as open hands. This also involve enjoying variety of work involving bee maintenance, working with bees and initiating proper marketing materials.  Therefore, the scheduling system need a person who likes self-employment in daily life operations.

Another important aspect in the scheduling system in beekeeping is to fully gain thorough knowledge of the various habits of bees and their yearly cycle. One need not fear them. The best way to become a great beekeeper is to become self-taught as well as to gain relevant skills in this sector (Wiscombe, 2011). This information is available in seminars, workshops and close interaction with those people who have successfully kept bees in the past.

The main area where the bee hives are mostly located is the upcountry. Rural areas are the best suburbs for beekeeping. Generally, the hives are located in the forest where the hives are likely to attract bees. This implies that, a lot of hives can attract bees at a higher rate because of several factors. One of this important factor is weather conditions. Most of the rural areas have appropriate temperature that mostly make beekeeping possible. The temperatures offered by the tropical forests in the rural area favor the yearly cycle of bees (Waring, 2014). This implies, during the year, the supply of bee products will be satisfying. Another suitable area to place the hives is near the homestead in the rural areas. This is important for the beekeeper to monitor their performance and other related maintenance. Beekeeping for commercial purposes require high monitoring and maintenance as well as ensuring security of the bees and the hives.

Areas of the current business of beekeeping

Beekeeping face a lot of challenges before the beekeeper harvest the products. However, the biggest challenge altogether is monitoring and maintenance (Tew, 2015). This challenge is rated the biggest because it occurs in every day operation of beekeeping. Monitoring and maintenance of bees and the lives is very involving. First, it is a bid expensive to offer the appropriate environment that will keep the bees at the hive. Although hives are sheltering grounds for bees, they require some skills so as to maintain the in the hives (Sammataro, 2011). Otherwise they will move to other greener pastures. Monitoring also involves security. As a fact, bees can be very sensitive if left unmonitored especially near homes. This is because every time one need to be on the look out to make sure they do not attack the residents and especially young children who knows very little about the dangers that can result from bees’ stings. Another aspect of monitoring involves damage of hives by outsiders. As a notion, people associate bees with danger. Therefore, some people tend to destroy the hives with an aim of relocating them. According to these people, the see such beekeeping as a great threat to the society especially the young ones.

This process requires some skills in engineering. One of the engineering aspect is gravitational force. It is very important to understand bees follow gravity. This must be considered when placing hives onto the roof. The other aspect is that bees build their comb in a perpendicular angle towards the ground. Therefore, when the hive is on a slope, the concept of gradient is applicable. A sloppy hive corresponds to sloppy nature of the comb. Also, consider the direction of the wind. To place the hives onto the roof, it is important to place them somewhere with low foot traffic especially on hive entrances. Then hold the hives in a sloped manner ensuring that the direction of the wind face the entrance (Hooper, 2010). This is important for regulating hive temperature.  On the roof, it is important to place a water source and ensure you consider the gradient. This water need to have a gentle slope. By doing that, bees are able to scent the water source. Add some tea so that they can use the water extensively so as to mix with pollen to manufacture bee-bread. Finally, make sure that the entrance does not face the sun from the roof. Naturally, bees have a body temperature of about 95 degrees. This temperature is gained by vibrating their flight muscles rapidly. It can also be generated from the sun. Too much sun will minimize the energy in the muscles. Therefore, the process of placing the hives onto the roof need to consider the factors such as the gravity, slope, water and temperature. All this aspect must be identified from engineering point of view.

Biggest challenge in day to day operation

Naturally, bees are stinging insects. The first thing to consider is safety. However, the improvement would be placing the hives with low foot traffic especially at the entrance. Then Urban Hum can place the hive out of sight preferably behind the visual barrier. Urban Hum should also learn the engineering concept of bees. If one face the entrance of the hive toward a taller barrier, then this will demand the bees to adjust their flight trajectory above the ground level (Goulson, 2017). Lastly Urban Hum can place the hive with 2 to 3 feet of open space especially at the back side. This will help in standing and squatting when required.

Lack of adequate equipment. This is the main factor that may stop me in expansion of the company. Beekeeping require hives tools, harvesting gears as well as improved hives that can hold larger capacity.

Effects of pest and adverse weather conditions. Adverse weather condition is associated with prolonged drought that highly affect the flowering patterns (Delaplane, 2007). This will result to low harvest. On the other hand, too much rain is likely to destroy traditional earthen hives resulting to low harvest. Pests and diseases attack honeybees thus reducing production.

Lack of proper transport and theft of hives (Davis & Kenyon, 2015). As said in the context earlier, the local of hives is in remote rural areas. There are poor roads in these areas that can highly affect the supply of honey in to the market. Lastly, the case of hives theft is highly reported which can limit the expansion of the company.

The most beneficial thing at this point is provision of all the necessary resources needed in expanding the company. This would include all the equipment such as hive tools, harvesting gears and high-quality hives (Davis, 2017). Lastly, the client should offer steady market to the honey harvested at appropriate sale price so as to generate equitable profits.

There have been partnerships before that aimed to expand the business. First, the business partnered with hives manufacturer. The manufacturer supplied hives at a discount but at the end demanded a 10% share of the profit generated after the sale of the hive (Caron, 2013). This partnership failed because at such a time the selling price of the honey was not much enough to generate reasonable profits. The second partnership was an intermediary who acted as a marketer on behalf of the company. This partnership required the intermediary to be paid 40% of sale. The partnership failed because the share ratio was not reasonable.

The main legal restriction involves the placement of bee hives. There are regulations limiting the placement of the hives. The law states that the lives need to be placed 40 meters from the homestead (Cachon, 2012). It also limits placing hives in crowded areas. This is to minimize damages that are anticipated from any attacks by bees. These legal restrictions make monitoring and maintenance of bees difficult for Urban Hum.

Urban Hum is highly marketable and the market is generally in semi refined form.it is mainly sold at offices in cooperative associations. The price one kilo is estimated to be $ 1.76 (Arnold, 2010). This price is set by cooperative members. Urban Hum is marketable to both members and non-members of cooperatives. Potential client has high demand on Urban Hum which boost the household incomes. This as well initiate further development of beekeeping.

References.

Arnold, J. (2010). Coaching Skills for Leaders in the Workplace: How to Develop, Motivate and Get the Best from Your Staff. How to Books.

Cachon, G. (2012). Matching Supply with Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management. McGraw-Hill Education.

Caron, D.M. (2013). Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, Revised Edition. Wicwas Press.

Davis, A. (2017). Beekeeping: Inspiration and Practical Advice for Beginners. National Trust Books.

Davis, I., & Kenyon, R.C. (2015). The BBKA Guide to Beekeeping, Second Edition. Bloomsbury Natural History.

Delaplane, K.S. (2007). First Lessons in Beekeeping. Dadant & Sons.

Goulson, D. (2017). Bee Quest. Jonathan Cape.

Hooper, T. (2010). Guide to Bee & Honey: The World’s Best-Selling Guide to Beekeeping. Northern Bee Books.

Sammataro, D. (2011). The Beekeeper’s Handbook. Comstock Publishing Associates.

Tew, J.E. (2015). The Beekeeper’s Problem Solver. Hamlyn

Waring, C. (2014). The Bee Manual: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Keeping Bees. J H Haynes & Co Ltd.

Wiscombe, D. (2011). Beekeeping for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons.