How can you afford lots of colonies

[Beefriendly]

at a guess 1946ish

 

[B+.]

.
What is that printing year? Mcm...

m = 1000
cm = 1000-100 = 900
l = 50
vi = 5+1 =6

1956

 

[Beefriendly]

1956 ehhhh you are ten years out and translated wrongly....mcmxlvi is 1946.
Honey Farming was first published in 1946....

 

[Finman]

.
And you find something new from that book?

 

[Zante]

Obviously there are costs attached to all hobbies, be it a Sporting, Equestrianism or Philately pursuit... In my experience which I realise is a relatively short time of keeping bees (6-7 years) I haven't once thought to myself that this is an expensive hobby in general comparison.

There is a world of difference between the needs of a hobbyist/ occasional seller and that of a business model.

Hobby = Should be fun & stimulating & relaxing & rewarding
Business = £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ & if you are lucky some of the above.

Indeed.
If you want an example of an expensive hobby try fishkeeping, especially marine.
If you can burn a £100 and not cry you're ready to have a reef

 

[Hivemaker.]

.
And you find something new from that book?

One of the best books there is.

 

[Hivemaker.]

My query relates to the cost to those with lots of colonies.

The cost of feed is a drop in the ocean compared to the money to be made from bee farming, if done the right way.

 

[stevebrowning]

The cost of feed is a drop in the ocean compared to the money to be made from bee farming, if done the right way.

"Like"

 

[wightbees]

Not paying high cost where there may be other options, management also.

 

[Ely]

The cost of feed is a drop in the ocean compared to the money to be made from bee farming, if done the right way.

I'd love to but I reckon you have to be born into it to have that running start to make money. Or have started back when you could buy a house on average wages. It all helps

 

[thorn]

My bee buddy and I always hope to cover consumables like sugar, treatments and foundation, and nibble away at capital expenditure like frames and hives. Some years we succeed, and some we don't. But when I think of my other hobbies, beekeeping is the least expensive simply because I can sell the honey.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

I was not born into BF, I grew up with sixteen wbc's in the garden and after a long break started on my own in 2011 and it can be possible to grow from nothing with little money but it takes hard work and making the right connections.

 

[Ely]

Is bee farming now your sole income?

 

[bob_o]

Reading some of the comments that have been left frustrate me. So many people think that being a commercial beekeeper is easy. To start with you need some where to store all the equipment, extract the honey, pack the honey and a work shop. Then you need a suitable vehicle like a pick up. The equipment you will need is not cheap (an extractor, uncapping tray, settling tank, heating room, Packing machine). Then there are the hives and bees, you also need to have a lot of spare kit ready for swarm prevention and supers ready for adding as the honey starts to come in. Everything has also got to meet food standards regulations. Insurance for buildings, contents, vehicle and public liability. Utility bills and running cost of the vehicle. Consumables like frames, foundation, treatments, buckets, jars, labels, sugar for feeding (1T (1000KG) will feed around 50 to 60 hives). Time wise from mid March to mid September, if it is day light you need to be out with the bees. You can sometimes get a week off at the start of July. If you are doing the bees by yourself then you can run around 400 hives, so long as you are fit and healthy. This is working on a 9 day cycle. If you want to be a commercial beekeeper think long and hard before starting its hard work very little free time over the summer and expensive.

 

[Poly Hive]

As above precisely plus one other thing is VERY important if you are lucky and that is a bloody good mentor who has been through all the growth and can help you with the shortcuts they have painfully learnt themselves. Mine was unstinting and his family run 750 odd plus.

But some will never listen thinking they know best....

PH

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

I think that previous comment says it all. It is not my sole income in fact a very minor profit is made as all monies are reinvested but with continued expansion it should be in fives years that is our plan. I have enough sites to run a hundred hives next year and very lucky as I have enough space to store most things renting would be a killer.