Expense

[Gordoncoll]

Well I gave up fishing. Mainly because of time constraints with the alotment etc.
Having been banging on about bees for awhile a “friend” arrives at my door and says “i’ve got some thing for you. This something turns out to be what I then was called a beehive but I now know to be a national brood box, base, verroa floor, roof,queen excluder,2 supers,and a crown board. Learnt this quite quickly. Since then I joined an association, booked a course,was told “oh really you want 2 hives. Ok bought what was described as a full hive (no bees)which it was,but the guy was using a brood box as a honey collector on another brood box, soooo bought another floor roof qe and crown board and now have 3. Ah but as I have 3 I now need more supers. Bought 6. They needed frames as did brood boxes. Bought those. Needed a suit bought that.gloves and a hive tool,got those Still havent got bees.

As an addition to this I mainly smell of blowtorched wood, bleach and washing soda. Still no bees.

I have a few of questions:

Does the expense ever stop?
Is anyone selling a sherrif veil/hat?
Does anyone want to buy a kidney?
Is there a beekeepers anonymous?

Loving every minute of it really

Gordon

No bees (yet)

 

[BMH]

It doesn't stop.

I'm £11000 down this year

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[Gordoncoll]

11 grand????

 

[MartinL]

I have a few of questions:

Does the expense ever stop?
Is anyone selling a sherrif veil/hat?
Does anyone want to buy a kidney?
Is there a beekeepers anonymous?

Probably, Not!

 

[BMH]

11 grand????

yep

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[Gordoncoll]

Are you sure you are buying bees and not helicopters???

 

[BMH]

I dread to think what some people rack up over a year as I am positively small time!!

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[Insy]

I find at the moment it’s better not to think about expense or look at my account balance it’s just easier that way

 

[Newbeeneil]

I'm in my 3rd year and just done a quick count up of expenses since the end of last season....... about £1100 (ooooooops recount £1350). I still have to buy a new extractor which will set me back another £700.....
........... I love this hobby

 

[Angry_Mob]

This is my second "full" season and I reckon I've spent well over £3000 so far... however I have more frames and wax than I'll need this year. I hope.

 

[enrico]

The good news.... It does ease off after thirty years
The bad news..... Everything needs renewing after thirty one years!!!!!!
E

 

[Wingy]

Yes it’s bloody addictive & the expense mounts up, secret is just keep buying a bit here and a bit there. That way it doesn’t seem so expensive, if a hobby and no tax man involved don’t keep a record of what you spend it’s easier that way.
My second full year this year starting with 3 hives. Just put together 5 more brood boxes 10 supers all plus frames & wax, made 5 roofs, 5 floors got 5 more QX, made 2 swarm / bait hives & a double mating Nuc. God only knows where next year

 

[BeeSpace]

Ah, you'll stop fretting about the expense soon. Once you realise that the real issue is space for spare kit

Seriously, every room in my house contains bee stuff, it's getting daft - random frames of comb in the kitchen, tubs of fondant in the fridge, hive parts in the conservatory, foundation in a box on the piano, nuc that needs washing in the bath. Can't use the dining table because it's got nucs on. And books. Ye gods, the books.

Wouldn't change it for the world.

 

[viridens]

Hobby beekeeping can be inexpensive. My total expenditure for four four box top bar hives was under £60 and some diy time. My ebay smoker was about £10, and my Chinese tunic + zipped veil was about a fiver. They all work adequately. Having sold up cheap, I was determined to minimise costs when I decided to start up again.

The bees are not impressed by how much you spend. It's more important to give them sound housing, and proper management which is priceless. There are good honey yields to be had without spending big bucks.

 

[Swarm]

Depends what you want out of it, there is no need for the expense to run into thousands if you are hobbyist, some people get carried away.

 

[Millet]

It depends on what you do..BUT the expense never leaves or stops.. if you want to move on and progress the expense takes you into a whole word of hurt..
I need to put fuel in the motor but bee keeping equipment is more important..
The list is endless on what to buy...OR what you need to buy once you are hooked.

 

[Tom Jay]

I love the thread! Nicely Gordon!

Nobody yet has mentioned the most searing expense, perhaps because you don't yet have bees: the sting …

Hey, how about you leave off buying bees and collect yourself a swarm come May or June? That's £240 worth of bees for free if they're a primary, and it's such a pleasure too!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Does the expense ever stop?

Yes, you could end up with it costing you nothing, in fact the bees could end up paying for absolutely everything, you keep them... and they keep you.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Yes, you could end up with it costing you nothing, in fact the bees could end up paying for absolutely everything, you keep them... and they keep you.

I'm not holding my breath waiting for that HM

 

[deemann1]

It does get expensive I'm in my 3rd year and have spent around 3k and that's making all my own hives , yes I got carried away , next item build a honey shed ..
If your gonna stick to 3 hives they will more than pay for themselves by selling honey and splits