How to become an apiarist or sericulturist

Official title: Apiarists and sericulturists

Apiarists and sericulturists plan, organize and perform operations to breed, raise and tend insects such as honey bees, silkworms and other species to produce honey, beeswax, silk and other products for sale or delivery to wholesale buyers, marketing organizations or at markets.

Main tasks

• Monitoring market activity and conditions, determining kinds and amounts of insect products to produce, and planning and coordinating production accordingly
• Purchasing insects and growing or purchasing feed and other supplies
• Breeding, raising and tending insects and collecting their products
• Renting or investing in, and maintaining and cleaning, buildings, machinery, equipment and structures
• Storing and carrying out some processing of produce
• Arranging the sale, purchase and transportation of stock, produce and supplies, and maintaining and evaluating records of farming activities
• Training and supervising workers in production procedures, maintenance duties and health and safety precautions, and hiring and discharging workers and contractors

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$15,500 a month
• About 387,500 people in 2025, and about 403,200 projected by 2028. (+4.1%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Tree and shrub crop growers
• Animal producers not elsewhere classified
• Poultry producers
• Livestock and dairy producers
• Gardeners, horticultural and nursery growers
• Mixed crop growers

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become an apiarist or sericulturist?

Usually not. Only 6% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of an apiarist or sericulturist?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026