Some individuals start beekeeping for the sheer pleasure of it while others are eager to earn a profit from it. Beehives can be gathered and sold for honey, beeswax, pollen, and propolis.
So, how much money can be made via beekeeping? What is the profit per hive in beekeeping?
There will be some start-up expenditures if you decide to pursue beekeeping as a company. This, of course, fluctuates depending on the number of hives you intend to keep. The good news is that if you get high-quality beehives, they should endure for many years.
Start Up Costs:
If you are new to beekeeping, you will need to invest some money in the beginning. It is necessary to purchase beehives, tools, safety clothes, and extraction equipment. The Langstroth hive is the most profitable form of beehive. This is because they produce the most honey of the three primary varieties.
Beehives Costs:
Unassembled 10 frame Langstroth hives are the way to go. Because they're unassembled, they'll be less expensive, and 10 frames will yield more honey. You'll save even more money if you choose a wax-coated beehive, such as Hoover Hives, because those hives don't need to be painted.
2-3 boxes, frames, and foundation will be included in beehive kits. These are ideal for beginners. You may purchase extra boxes to put on once your colony is prospering. The cost of a basic beehive kit ranges from $150 to $200. In addition, you'll need to buy some basic equipment and bee jackets.
Extractor of honey
If you have a lot of hives, you'll probably want to gather honey with a honey extractor. Honey extractors are a lot faster than crushing and straining honey. A manual extractor will cost around $150, while an electric extractor would cost between $200 and $300. For honey extraction, an electric uncapping knife is also useful. These will set you back around $30.
Bees Cost:
Bees, unless you catch a swarm, are also expensive. Nucs cost around $150. A hive of bees costs around $100. In addition, if you require a queen during the season, they are often available for $25 apiece.
Depending on how many hives you keep, your startup expenditures will vary. Set up and supplies for your first hive should cost roughly $500. Then, for each new hive, pay another $200.
Other Expenses:
Supplies for marketing your items, such as jars and labels, are other expenses to consider. You'll need to pay for a website and advertising if you want to sell online. You'll also need to keep track of your revenues, which may need the use of software.
Profit per Hive in Beekeeping
Let's talk about how profitable beekeeping is now that the startup expenditures are out of the way. We'll look at beekeeping profit per hive to do so.
Keep in mind that you will most likely not be able to gather honey your first year. It takes time for a new bee colony to establish itself and generate abundant honey. The amount of honey produced by a colony varies from year to year, depending on the weather, nectar flow in your location, and colony health.
Honey Production:
In a season, a vigorous, healthy colony may generate 100 pounds of honey. That is, when all of the circumstances are ideal. Let's pretend that each hive produces 60 pounds of honey.
Now you must decide how much to charge for your honey. Natural, local honey might fetch a lot more money than store-bought honey.
It depends on where you are, but you should be able to charge $10 per pound. This equates to a $600 profit per beehive every year.
Beeswax:
Another product produced by bees that may be gathered and sold is beeswax. It has a wide spectrum of uses, including cosmetics, skin care, crafts, furniture polish, health products, and more. You can produce your own beeswax goods to sell, such as candles and lip balm, or you can prepare and sell the beeswax as is.
The price you may get for your beeswax depends on where you live. Right now, I'm seeing beeswax pellets or bars selling for $12 to $20 per pound.
Propolis and Pollen
Propolis is a resin-like substance produced by bees to seal hive gaps and cracks. Propolis, like pollen, is a health supplement that is gathered using a propolis trap. Propolis chunks cost $6–$8 per ounce, whereas propolis extract costs $15 per ounce.
Pollen is collected by bees from flowers and brought back to the hive. You may gather and sell pollen by installing a pollen trap in your hive. Pollen is often sold for $3-$5 per ounce when used as a health supplement.
Profitable Pollination:
Another approach to get money from beekeeping is to use the bees for pollination. In reality, some beekeepers solely engage in migratory beekeeping, which entails travelling around the country pollinating various crops. Migratory beekeeping is very vital to farmers, so these beekeepers are well compensated for their services.
While migratory beekeepers maintain hundreds of beehives at a time, hobby beekeepers can also profit from pollination. Smaller farms may just need a few hives to pollinate their crops, so a hobby beekeeper would be appropriate.
The cost of renting bees for pollination varies based on the season and location, but farmers should expect to spend between $40 and $150 for pollination services.
