beekeeper

American  

[bee-kee-per] / ˈbiˌki pər /

noun

1. a person who raises honeybees; apiculturist.

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beekeeper British  

/ ˈbiːˌkiːpə /

noun

1. a person who keeps bees for their honey; apiarist

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Other Word Forms

• beekeeping noun

Etymology

Origin of beekeeper

First recorded in 1810–20; bee ¹ + keeper

Explanation

A beekeeper is someone who manages bee hives and extracts honey. If you see a person wearing a white jumpsuit and a hat with a veil — and they're covered in buzzing insects — it's probably a beekeeper. If you want to get really fancy, you can call a beekeeper an apiarist. Beekeepers manage apiaries, or networks of honey bee hives. They care for the hives, making sure they are an ideal environment for the bees to live and make honey. It's also the beekeeper's job to carefully extract honeycomb without harming the bees. Many people keep bees as a hobby, yielding just a little bit of honey each year.

Example Sentences

These are cared for by a local beekeeper, with their honey available at the on-site honesty shop.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

There are even bees and a beekeeper, who harvests honey for employees to take home.

From Barron's • Nov. 15, 2025

A beekeeper has come to the aid of a row of shops that were closed because of a swarm of bees and was rewarded with a free coffee from Greggs.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2025

The duchess announces her entrance by speaking “in our bee voice,” a low volume meant to maintain calm as she and her beekeeper mentor collect honey from their hive.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2025

“You can’t be a true beekeeper without getting stung.”

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd