OPTIMIZING OPERATIONAL DECISIONS IN A BEEKEEPING BUSINESS
Open Access
- Author:
- Golden, Patrick Michael
- Area of Honors:
- Industrial Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Guodong Pang, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Catherine Mary Harmonosky, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- operations research
beekeeping
optimization
profitability
budget - Abstract:
- A beekeeping business involves decisions at specific times of the year that often have effects throughout the season. As beekeeping is a form of agricultural activity, these decisions are made in cycles from year-to-year where most beekeepers rely on experience to make them. The goal of this research is to create various models that would assist a beekeeper in making optimal decisions when running a business. The first major decision a beekeeper has each year relates to replacing the colonies lost over winter. Two initial models focused on maximizing the total number of hives, and the optimal solution involves replacing the old hives with colonies before beginning to purchase new hives. A final model alteration examines maximizing productivity by replacing colonies with bee packages or nucleus colonies. This solution is highly dependent on the budget set by the beekeeper and the prices of the two colony types. The second major decision examined involves the allocation of honey to various products. Using a given amount of raw product, a model allocates it out based on the profitability and demand of the individual products. The optimal solution is then dependent on the values of these two parameters. A final analysis combined the models from both major decisions by using the optimal allocation of hives to determine total production output. Then, the optimal allocation of products was found from this production output. The given numerical scenario produces enough supply to fill all demand, but the total number of hives would decrease from this year to the next. Multiple courses of action were provided for the beekeeper to choose based on individual goals for the business.