beekeeping

IPA/ˈbiːkiːpɪŋ/
KK[bˈikˌipɪŋ]IPA/ˈbiːkiːpɪŋ/

beekeeping — noun

1. the work or hobby of looking after bee colonies and their hives, usually to get

1.nounB2
Definition

the work or hobby of looking after bee colonies and their hives, usually to get honey

Example

After college, Nina started beekeeping and sold honey at Saturday markets.

start beekeeping

Weekend beekeeping taught Omar how to check each hive calmly.

beekeeping + check each hive

Common collocations
  • commercial beekeeping
  • urban beekeeping
  • hobby beekeeping
  • take up beekeeping
  • beekeeping equipment
Synonyms
  • apiculture

    more formal and more common in technical writing

  • bee farming

    a plain descriptive phrase, often with a business focus

  • honey production

    focuses on the product, not the full care of the bees

Grammar Patterns

start beekeeping

take up beekeeping

go into beekeeping

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and often used after verbs such as start, take up, and go into. Distinguish from beekeeper, which names the person rather than the activity.

Common Mistakes

He started a beekeeping last year.
He started beekeeping last year.
this word is usually uncountable, so it normally does not take a.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For this sense, beekeeping is the normal everyday word for raising and caring for bees. Apiculture means almost the same thing, but it sounds more formal and appears more often in specialist writing, training, or government advice. Bee farming is a plain descriptive phrase and often suggests a business or a larger practical operation. Honey production is narrower because it points to the result, not the whole job of watching hive health, feeding bees, or moving colonies. A family may take up beekeeping as a weekend hobby, while an agricultural report may discuss apiculture in dry areas. If the main point is selling jars, honey production may fit best.

beekeeping ↗apiculture ↗bee farminghoney production

Common collocations

Nouns

  • commercial beekeeping
  • urban beekeeping
  • hobby beekeeping

Phrases

  • start beekeeping
  • take up beekeeping
  • go into beekeeping

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Beekeeping is an English compound built from bee and keeping. Bee comes from Old English, and keeping here means caring for or managing something living. The word developed naturally in English for the practice of looking after bees and their hives.