# Statistics of new and total beekeepers, estimates of nuc and queen sales



## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

I am working on the market research section of my business plan. I have been unable to locate statistics as to how many new beekeepers have started over the last 5-10 years, estimates for future growth of beekeepers, and estimates of sales of nucs and queens. Does anyone have a link or know the answer to these questions? Thanks,
-Dave


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

And how many have started and quit almost as fast?


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Frank has been at this gig a long time and I'm not to far behind. I'm sure if you were to be a little more revealing about what segment of the beekeeping world you are looking to conquer I bet we or someone else here might be able to share a little insight into what we think the viability or trends within your sub-segment might happen to be.

If I might add...

1. The closer you hold your cards to your chest the less likely the advice will be pertinent. 
2. If you have some super duper new gizmo, device, or somehow have chanced upon a miraculous cure in the mite treatment zone you are on you own. Not touching it.


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

I am not trying to be secretive at all, it was not my intention to come off that way. I am looking to produce queens and nucs primarily to the northeast market. For the market research section of the business plan, I would like to know how many new people are becoming beekeepers each year, (specifically in the northeast but will settle for national numbers) as this would reflect the growth or contraction of the market which would be looking for bees and queens. We all know the number of new beekeepers seems to grow since CCD has been covered by the media but I am looking for actual numbers if anyone knows where I could find them.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Mosherd1 said:


> I am working on the market research section of my business plan. I have been unable to locate statistics as to how many new beekeepers have started over the last 5-10 years, estimates for future growth of beekeepers, and estimates of sales of nucs and queens. Does anyone have a link or know the answer to these questions? Thanks,
> -Dave


Shane Gebauer talked about this question at the Empire State Honey Producers Association Fall Meeting last Saturday. I don't know if he could help you with your question, but maybe you should try talking to him.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Have you considered talking to the State Apiculturists of each of the States yours neighbors? I have friends who produce queens for sale and they are always busy and keep producing all they can and sell all they make.

What are your production capabilities?


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

That is a great idea just going to the state apiculturalists. I will also reach out to Shane. I believe my production capabilities will only be limited by my ability/speed to buy or build equipment. With that said, my goal is to sell 100 nucs and 100 queens annually within 5 years. I feel the market should be able to support this number. If I am underestimating then I would push to produce more. This would be on top of what I produce for myself. Honey would be a part of the business but it would be secondary to bee production. I first started keeping bees when I was 9 years old, I am now 33 and this has always been a dream of mine. I run my own business and because of this I can be flexible with my schedule. I also have a steady income so I would not be relying on this venture to pay my bills, but perhaps one day it can as my production goals grow. Thanks for the advice on where to find the information for the business plan. 
-Dave


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

>my goal is to sell 100 nucs and 100 queens annually
I don't see that basing your sales on the growth of beginning beekeepers is the way to go, or that anybody could have any reliable estimate of that. You should try and gather data from the people who are doing that locally already, that will indicate what your local market is now, has been in the past and if there is room for you to compete. 
Here, in a huge suburban area with hundreds of beekeepers, I see guys moving nucs and queens to the hobbyist market, but they don't seem to be flying out the door. The local club has grown from 20 to 200 members, but I doubt i could easily sell 100 nucs and queens to them.


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

I think it's more than just numbers. You have a potential to niche your market, and specialize to meet certain expectations. The pricing structure could elevate your profit potential. It's the difference between a bulk/commodity producer and a "boutique" producer (think Martha Steward).

Here, in southeast Missouri, there is an incredible demand for "local" bees in early April. While overly ideal, beginners are requesting nucs within ten miles of their home, as if the bees I produce thirty miles away won't work. And no one is producing nucs with those mythical ten miles. 

We cannot produce queens/nucs to meet the early market demands, unless we overwinter the queens and split out a nuc from a main colony. Otherwise, mid- to late-May is when our locally produced stuff is available. I've noted a much higher demand for locally raised bees. I cannot truthfully verify if locally raised bees are superior to "imports" from the south, still, this is what many beginners are inquiring. And with the huge upswing in new beekeepers come colonies, even nucs, that swarm into the woods. Presuming some of them survive, I'm pondering the feral component of my trapped swarms and the real "local" component.

Perhaps such opportunities for the local market present options for a higher premium. I've had discussions with other nuc producers wondering what price ceiling will deter beginners, but as many of these beginners are hell-bent on getting into bees, and having the extra money to spend on bees, I don't think you can price yourself out of this niche. Our imported nucs run $150 to $175, and one producer sells out at $200 for a five frame nuc (and it's not even five frames of bees).

I also note a large number of new beekeepers who want a turn-key hive, ready to go, like a plug-and-play component. They claim they are not interested in honey production (at least not for the first year) and they just want to help the bees and pollinate the garden. They are well-read and are requesting 8-frame mediums. They want all their components assembled and painted. The cost of this convenience does not seem to be a hurdle.

Another niche is the treatment-free bees, rather than the commercial, commodity bees. There is a huge interest in top bar hives and Warre hives.

If you're looking to something beyond the standard fare and hope to differentiate yourself from every other nuc/queen producer, I think your opportunities are unlimited.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

Grant said:


> If you're looking to something beyond the standard fare and hope to differentiate yourself from every other nuc/queen producer, I think your opportunities are unlimited.
> 
> Grant
> Jackson, MO


Thank you Grant, that is a great post, actually a bit inspirational. I agree and have seen local overwintered nucleus colonies going for about $190 and early summer made nucs for $160. Listening and studying Mike Palmer I believe that I can get to the point of selling the majority off my nucs as overwintered. Your experience with selling out is exactly what I am hearing from all producers in the area, almost no ceiling as to the demand. 

Honestly, if I never try to make a go of it as an actual business I will forever regret it. Even if I fail at least I know that I gave it my best. My life has changed substantially over the past 3 years. My wife divorced me, I am making a good living from my business, and I have seen people come to the end of their lives with regrets. I have also met people who took a shot at their dreams and are happier than ever, even if they are not making as much money as they once were. Now is the time for me. I need to give it my best shot, if for no other reason than to satiate the gnawing feeling in my stomach that has resided with me for ten years. Thanks for the encouragement Grant, I really do appreciate it.
-Dave


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## RudyT (Jan 25, 2012)

Sounds like you have a vocation.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

What good does it do to gather data now for an event that is to occur in 5 years? It is better to plan for multiple scenarios, and be as flexible as a prom date in the back of a VW.

Crazy Roland


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

Roland said:


> What good does it do to gather data now for an event that is to occur in 5 years? It is better to plan for multiple scenarios, and be as flexible as a prom date in the back of a VW.
> 
> Crazy Roland


Yes flexibility is important, both in business and more importantly when looking for a prom date. But a basic business plan has seven different sections, one of which is "Market Research" which is the section I am currently tackling. I find, even with my "day job" business that I own, that when I feel myself getting off track I can read the business plan and make the necessary adjustments. I agree that planning for multiple scenarios and being able to maneuver appropriately can be the difference between once having a business and still being in business.
-Dave


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

FYI: The expense involved in acquiring your liability insurance alone is going to eat you alive if your production is 100/100....


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

the key to what you ask is "in your area" Local overwintered Nucs will sell great, "in your area" so you need to define its size and establish your market. For me my area is limited. We don't have a ton of "evniromentalist" who want to save the bees. We have a lot of Farmers and AG people so for my area 4-800 a year is about the size of the market. You can expand the area if you like, just keep in mind the work involved.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

Mosherd1 said:


> I am working on the market research section of my business plan. I have been unable to locate statistics as to how many new beekeepers have started over the last 5-10 years, estimates for future growth of beekeepers, and estimates of sales of nucs and queens. Does anyone have a link or know the answer to these questions? Thanks,
> -Dave


This link or the contact information at the end of the link may help: usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/Hone/Hone-03-20-2015.pdf


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## SAS (Sep 4, 2015)

Mosherd1 said:


> I have also met people who took a shot at their dreams and are happier than ever, even if they are not making as much money as they once were. Now is the time for me. I need to give it my best shot, if for no other reason than to satiate the gnawing feeling in my stomach that has resided with me for ten years. Thanks for the encouragement Grant, I really do appreciate it.
> -Dave


Very well said! 

Life is to short; and when we are in our latter years, we think back on the decisions we have made, or not made. And we sometimes ponder with regret on what life would be like, "if I just made that one decision based on what I would love to do, rather then on how much money I can make at something different." 

Yesterday, I was young and full of dreams of the future. 
Today, I am old sitting at the kitchen table, wondering where has all the time gone.


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

Thank you to all who provided advice, information, resources and encouragement. I have completed a good chunk of the business plan. 
-Dave


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Mosherd1 said:


> my goal is to sell 100 nucs and 100 queens annually within 5 years.


To be honest for a small number like that I don't think much analysis of the growth of the industry is needed.

A greater demand is created by the fact that the US may have something up to 3 million beehives but lose 30% of them each year. This requires a million replacement hives to be created annually before any industry growth is considered. Many make up their own losses but there are others who for one reason or another cannot.

With 100 nucs and 100 queens, commercial guys will not be interested so your target market is sideliners. What they want was outlined really well in a previous post, it is important you take note of that. many folks especially the ones who are needing to buy bees are treatment free. If your bees are not treatment free it will be a hard sell but if they are treatment free it will be an easy sell.

I don't think you have the experience to produce and maintain a treatment free line, nor would it be wise to offer any guarantees. A better tactic would be to requeen all your hives with a respected brand of TF queens such as anarchy Apiaries or Beeweavers or some kind of Russians, so you can claim this as your foundation stock. You really have no idea whether your bees will remain survivors but you can advertise as bred from (whatever well known brand they were), this should be enough to entice buyers.

Business plan, here's mine. - You currently have 15 hives and intend to be selling 100 nucs and 100 queens in 5 years. What I think you should do is at least double your hive numbers every year. This is pretty easy long as you don't mind throwing some sugar at them. In year 3 start advertising nucs and queens and just sell a few, this will introduce you gently. As stated in other posts it's the early, overwintered ones that sell easily and for best price. By year 5 you will be selling the numbers you wish.

There is a catch 22 with this. A big drawcard will be if you can supply treatment free bees. But this is also the downside. If you go treatment free you may also lose bees and fail to increase hive numbers. So you will have to see how it goes. Try TF cos that will bring money if it works. But if you see it is just not working for you, reality is that treated bees for sale are better than no bees at all for sale. So you will need to study hard to ensure you understand varroa mites and do not lose hives, then at some point make a business decision which way you will go depending on what is working or not working for you.

Or, a kind of 1/2 way position is like The Fat Bee Man who sells small cell bees (another popular buzzword), but does treat them but only with what he refers to as "soft" chemicals. He seems to produce and sell a lot of bees. Quite a few other smaller producers follow the same model.


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

3 years ago a group of friends and I all dived into beekeeping, treatment free of course. I very quickly decided that I was ok with formic acid and OAV treatments. 

I'm the only one who has over wintered any hives, everyone else has had all dead outs, every year. Maybe in the spring I will sell them some bees


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Which may prove that 33% of people learn and adapt, 66% have principles set in stone so do not adapt, and comprise the target market LOL.


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

Oldtimer said:


> ....There is a catch 22 with this. A big drawcard will be if you can supply treatment free bees. But this is also the downside. If you go treatment free you may also lose bees and fail to increase hive numbers. So you will have to see how it goes. Try TF cos that will bring money if it works. But if you see it is just not working for you, reality is that treated bees for sale are better than no bees at all for sale. So you will need to study hard to ensure you understand varroa mites and do not lose hives, then at some point make a business decision which way you will go depending on what is working or not working for you.
> QUOTE]
> I really appreciate your advice and taking the time to post Oldtimer, I think you hit the nail right on the head. I have contacted VP Queen Bees to order an AI VSH breeder queen from Adam F. I agree that being able to advertise that it is from VSH stock will help to draw interest in the market. I also plan on getting some production queens from Mike Palmer and maybe Kirk Webster as well. If anyone is interested in my progress I will post updates to help others who may want to try becoming a sideliner as well. Thanks again,
> -Dave


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Re the VSH queens, they are renowned for losing mite resistance within a generation or two of open mating. Not sure if you want to advertise treatment free stock or not. But if you do, could pay to shop around more, and Michael Palmer has awesome bees but does not claim to be treatment free.
If it's about selling, it's about foundation stock that your future customers think is the best out there.
Yes, production queens is the way to go for you at this point, maybe one AI breeder as you are doing, but the rest production queens from a quality source, you will find some good performing potential breeders among them.


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## SeaCucumber (Jun 5, 2014)

Here's all the info. I know. Where I live, a person typically has to drive 8 hours round trip to obtain a good nuc (not dependant on treatments, northern genetics). I took a risk, and drove 3 or 4 hours because the seller was offering medium nucs. I have 2 hives now (8 mediums), and I hope to get southern packages next year and to breed replacement queens. 3 weeks after the average nuc selling day, most places are sold out. Spring to fall, there are always craigslist people asking if there are bees to buy.

I'm new. Here are 3 ways to start beeking that make sense to me:

1
- Buy 3 northern nucs.
- Buy southern packages the next year.
- Raise or buy northern queens.

2
- Buy southern packages.
- Buy northern queens.

3
- Do a combination of 1 and 2.

http://beeinformed.org might not help.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

I had to edit my last post removing what I said about KW's bees. Turns out someone resurrected an old thread, I did not notice it was an old thread, and the info I posted here was from several years ago.


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## jvalentour (Sep 4, 2014)

Oldtimer and Dave,
Good thread, thanks to all who contributed. I am in the same place as Dave (self employed, memories, regrets, retirement...) My plans are to increase at a steady pace and to sell overwintered nucs. I am not interested in the TF market. I feel there is enough demand to sell nucs and queens as winter survivors. If the buyer wants to go TF, I'll be glad to tell him how. In 5 years I would be pleased to sell 100 nucs and 100 queens. I'm not going to make it too tough on myself advertising something I can't stand behind. If the market demands TF or Russians I'm the prom date. I want to get good at what I'm doing and deliver a good product. The word of mouth is a great selling tool.
Oldtimer, I think you are dead on. The guys in my area are offering very little for what they are charging. Importing bees from GA or CA and picking up 10-20% net on the sale, plus retailing queens, nucs and ready made hives... It's what the consumer wants.


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

Just to update everyone, I have come out of the worst of winter with 10 hives, I ended up combining a couple before winter really set in that I did not think would make it. Bees are bringing in pollen now and the queens have a couple frames of brood. My goal is to get to 30 hives by the end of this year. Much of my equipment is prepared. I do have a question though, to maintain a production of 100 nuc sales, how many full sized hives would be needed to maintain 100 nucs/year for sale? I was thinking 75. Any thoughts and reasons why? Thanks,
-Dave


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

100 to 150 hives. Then you might have enough survive the Winter strong enough to pull 100 5 frame nucs from. Or you could go the two story nuc route and Winter 100 nucs and then split them at the right time, adding a purchased queen.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

I would tend to agree with Mark. I would say 150, 200 to be sure. All depends when you sell the nucs. The later in the season you sell them the less colonies you need. With time colonies get stronger so you need less of them if customers accept the later date. I f you sell them early, when dandelions are in bloom then you would need more bees. In my experience, about half of all my overwintered hives can give a 5 frame nuc at that time period without sweating it too much. Then I still have bees to make honey crop and further increases and pollination.

Jean-Marc


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## Mosherd1 (Apr 17, 2011)

I am planning on selling some over wintered nucs around dandelion and then splitting some of the overwintered nucs that I did not sell and breaking up unproductive colonies in late May/early June. I have most of the equipment made to run 4 over 4 nucs in double deeps. I am going to avoid purchasing southern queens and raise my queens from my own stock. This stock will be a combination of a VSH breeder and some combination or northern bees I have raised and brought in. Thanks to everyone, you guys are a big help.
-Dave


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