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How much money can a beekeeper make in a year owning 100 hives?

497K views 158 replies 94 participants last post by  GregB 
#1 ·
How much money do beekeepers make a year? How many hives would it take to make 100 grand? My stepfather is a hobbyist beekeeper and I'm thinking about starting up my own business. Any thoughts? Thanks,
Michael
 
#146 ·
My father is a commercial beekeeper and I have been helping him for past FIVE years. He started with ONE hive back in 2012 and as of this year 2016 he has around 155 HIVES! We generated ~39,000 Lb this session! Thats nearly ~$58,500 when selling it IN BULK. 58K is calculated without the expenses etc.etc. Now that I've completed High school, I am thinking to myself why attend college or university when I can do this and earn hundreds of thousands of dollars and someday even million of dollars. I can't WAIT till this 2017 UPCOMING session!
 
#148 ·
Micky, unlike many on this site, I am a new beekeeper who has almost become bee-bound to my 4 hives. I work full time and the bees keep me the balance of my life. I would caution you on grand expectations for a business in beekeeping. I would have thought your stepfather would have let you get waist deep in a couple of hives to help you see how simple and easy the bee experience is from day to day. It is an extremely visual process that requires you to evaluate what you see inside and outside of the hives in a very limited amount of time and take some action when necessary. ( The heat is a factor-- June to early September, it is very hot in most place except the far north. in a bee suit is even hotter.) While it is one of the most rewarding and fascinating things I have done in my 60 years, it is not for the faint hearted. Several have given you actual numbers of costs to show you what to expect as a business. I would suggest that you take a beekeeping class and get your certification from your state to avoid mistakes from a lack of knowledge. Then, get your stepfather to let you split a couple of hives from his. By the time you add deeps and a super to either of them, you will know if you need to move forward. I do it for the bees and my connection to nature on a philosophical level and a sense of accomplishment on a personal level. I have no illusions about making 100 grand beekeeping. Anytime your have a business that is in the "real" world, completely in nature, you are on your own fighting all other critters who are simply trying to survive. It is not as simple as the Youtube video of the Flowhive. Some of the most rewarding things in life are the hardest.
 
#149 ·
Hello from years and years later haha. A lot of these responses are bologna. When you run a business, yes you have lots of expenses. Net profit on a business, if kept low also keeps taxes low. lots of transactions can be done in cash (off books) etc. so take whatever someone says about their expenses with a Utah sized grain of salt. Also, you can sell 3lbs of honey for like 20 bucks, but it depends on where you live. I live in jacksonville florida and it goes for about that retail. If you're spending 80k and taking in 90k and all of your expenses are something like gas (stuff you have to spend), then your business isnt worth your time. 10k profit @ minimium 2k hours per year is 5 bucks an hour and ur prob working lots more than that! So likely if someone is doing their business, taking in 90k a year and making 10k profit...they're intermingling personal expenses with business. make sense? it's a common way for people to evade taxes and poopoo on those trying to start their own business, saying how bad they do. Work smart, keep expenses low and income high. Don't waste.
 
#150 ·
Wow interesting old post learned a lot about spelling. I’ve been growing my hives and trying to buildup to maybe make a profit which has become a hobby of its own. The wife and I were discussing my hobby and what I’ve spent and about that time I looked outside at my $40k fishing boat....
 
#153 ·
I was not aware one could make money with bees outside of almonds. I am still trying to figure out how to break even. 3 years in and down about 8K. But, like the guy with the boat, I have a small airplane, so I already know how to spend a lot of money on hobbies.
 
#158 ·
Re: Making money as a beekeeper

Just a comparison / contrast -

I used to officiate sports, having baseball in my family bloodlines. That was a hobby that required exceptional dedication to learn the nuances of all the rules, but all you needed was a uniform, a pair of plate shoes, chest protector, shin guards, a hat, sunglasses, a face mask, an indicator, a vehicle, a phone, a calendar, and good self-control. You did have to hustle on the field, even on double headers in 106 degree weather.

But you made money. Plenty of money to play with, money for gas, and if you knew 4 or 5 sports, you would have enough to buy a new van or truck in a few years. That is a hobby that pays for itself and then some.

Beekeeping, taken as a hobby, is not lucrative like that. The scale has to be full-time, and take it as a way of life.

Buying honey and making mead could be done for profit, but you'll need several reliable beekeepers to get into a habit of selling you their honey, not all that difficult if the mead is good...
 
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