# Where's the $ in beekeeping?



## Jean-Yves (Oct 27, 2010)

In my third year in beekeeeping, finishing this year with 30 nucs and a few hives. My understanding is the money is not to bee made selling just honey. What about selling queens, wax, nucs, swarms and honey, teaching classes. I would rather invest in a nice queen rearing system, than investing money in buying 500 more hives. I hope I am not being naive, open to comments. Working a 1000 hives just scares me, THANKS


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## Elwood (Apr 8, 2009)

*Re: Beekeeping Business Planning - Can you make money in this business?*

quote My understanding is the money is not to bee made selling just honey. What about selling queens, wax, nucs, swarms and honey, teaching classes. I would rather invest in a nice queen rearing system, than investing money in buying 500 more hives. quote

I agree for the most part. I have a hard time with the idea of producing 3X the honey just so I can sell it for 1/3 the price. Wholesaling honey is servitude to the packers, who really don't care how or where you got it. Wholesaling also puts the brokers/packers in the position of naming the price, while selling directly allows free market principles to dominate. Local farmers markets are changing the social fabric of this country in a positive way, and it's enjoyable. A large percentage of our sales are people looking for locally produced honey on their Dr.'s advice.


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

*Re: Beekeeping Business Planning - Can you make money in this business?*



Jean-Yves said:


> My understanding is the money is not to bee made selling just honey. What about selling queens, wax, nucs, swarms and honey, teaching classes.


I run around 150 hives. I have no employees and I work my butt off shoe-horning in my beekeeping work when the weather cooperates and my regular job allows. I sell my honey wholesale to a few stores and work two farmer's markets during the summer. I've tried to raise my own queens and continue to bump into the time conflicts with keeping bees and selling honey. My wife continues to remind me there are only 24 hours in a day but for some stupid reason I think I can fill each one of those hours with something constructive and productive.

My guess is that as you get larger, some enterprise will take priority and it's not a case of doing five different activities but finding that one that you are willing to make into your principle business. As you increase, each of these enterprises will compete for your time and energy. I'm at that point where I'm juggling my commitments and sooner, not later, I've got to decide what aspect of beekeeping I want to do.

The hard part is I've worked so hard at making my niche at the farmer's markets that I hate to give it up. But my hive numbers continue to challenge that commitment. A large part of me would like to quit the markets but it has been my bread and butter that allowed for this expansion. Dave Hackenburg told me this would happen that if you spend your time selling honey, your hive management would suffer. If I shift to managing my hive correctly, I really don't have time to peddle honey.

Heck of a problem.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Diversify. 

I started out with the goal of producing a mountain of honey and a fortune in cash. Unfortunately the weather and my inexperience worked against me and my mountain became a mole hill. So I started pollinating apples. Gave me some needed income in the spring but reduced the honey crop...back into the same boat.

Then I started raising and wintering nucleus colonies, and producing my own queens...all for my own use. That wasd untiul a NY inspector saw my bees. He convinced me to sell bees and queens. That was exactly what my apiary needed. 

So, now if I don't make the 30-40 tons of honey I make in an average year...like 2009 and 2011, I have enough sales in my nuc/queen operation to make a living. If the crop comes off average or better I make some decent $$.

It takes time to learn and build acceptable stock, but time well spent.


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

The short answer is that if you calculate the profits against the hrs invested every year, there is no money in beekeeping.

Every market takes work to develop whether you are selling honey, pkgs, queens, or pollinating. In most areas you will have to compete for a piece of the pie because somebody is already filling the need.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Equipment. Build and sell well made supers and other woodenware. One thing about it, what you don't sell this year won't spoil or die.


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

I imagine overhead on equipment must be high. Just guessing though. But if I can make a medium super for $6 out of Home Depot wood and a cheap table saw, I'm assuming there is some cash in mass producing them and selling them for more than $6. I guess it all depends on the labor and the source of the materials though.

The one area I have noticed that is constantly a seller's market is nucs/packages/queens. If you've got them, and they are good, you can name your price. That's not to say you'll get rich off them, as it takes just about as much cash to make them as you can sell them for. Plus you have to deal with a bunch of unruly customers.


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## wkinne (Jul 17, 2010)

Specialkayme said:


> But if I can make a medium super for $6 out of Home Depot wood and a cheap table saw, I'm assuming there is some cash in mass producing them and selling them for more than $6.



I went to Home Depot Saturday to pick up four 1 X 12's eight foot long, but they were out  But a salesmen told me he could sell me 10 footers for the same price 

So I get 12.5 deeps instead of 10 deeps!:thumbsup:

2.5 free deeps thanks to Home Depot, gotta love it! :applause:




Wayne


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Specialkayme said:


> The one area I have noticed that is constantly a seller's market is ... queens. Plus you have to deal with a bunch of unruly customers.


What do you do w/ 1,000 mated queens when it's the end of the season and no one wants them? I know someone in that boat. Or he was anyway. I'm not sure what he did w/ them.

Whichever way you go, it takes time and money to build the business and even longer to realize a PROFIT. Those who run the numbers and try to figure everything out before investing and expecting a certain return, their fooling themselves.

I had a friend tell me one time that I'll have to wait until all the kids have left home, and maybe the wife too, before I'd see much profit. He may have been half kidding. I'm not so sure.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

I don't know squat about bee keeping, but I have been around agriculture all my life. I don't believe their is a "get rich" operation in agriculture. So many large companies have entered the ag business that the little guy is relegated to a lesser position. If one finds an opportunity in agriculture the large corpotations come into it with a lot of cash and vertical integration. Bee operations are a niche business for the moms and pops, and as of this date there is not enough profit in it to attact the big boys. If the be business were to get really good the Con Agra's and the ADM's of the world would come and get it. 

From the outside, I say to all of you wonderful people that keep bees: Be prepared to work your butt off and make a living. Be happy in your work and realize you will never drive a Mercedes. I have three hives and look to order more hives next week, but I am semi retired and make my living from consulting in the oil patch. I've had cattle forever (I'm 72 year old), and if I do not charge any land cost against the cattle opertion, it is still a poor business. I run 40 to 50 head of pure blood blank angus cattle, and I could make more net profit working part time as a "greeter at WalMart." I suspect the bee business is the same. 

God bless all of you for providing pollinators and honey, and I wish you prosperity, but don't quit your day job.

LS


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

This year (as a first year beek) I made close to 10 K doing removals on weekends and also have 17 nice strong hives to show for it now going into winter. Not a whole lot of money, but at least this crazy obsession is paying it's own way.

Don

http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj72/DSemple/Bees 2011/


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

And your expenses were what? Or was that Net Profit of $10,000.00?


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## brac (Sep 30, 2009)

How far are you traveling to do that many many removals?


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## DC Honeybees (Mar 9, 2011)

I make money in several ways:

Setting up hives for new beekeepers, turnkey,
Teaching classes to wanna-bee beekeepers,
Selling equipment,
Managing hives,
finally, SELLING BEES (raising nucs).

Bees have the highest % margin and I don't have to deal with the mess of the honey. There is generally high demand and after spring I am one of the few who can help a summer-starter (probably who I have taught) begin a hive...which then helps with the hive setup side of business.


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

sqkcrk said:


> And your expenses were what? Or was that Net Profit of $10,000.00?


That was gross, after making equipment and paying the hefty wife tax for being gone so much, I probably cleared about half that. 

Sure have a nice bunch of free bees though. 

Don


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## sevenmmm (Mar 5, 2011)

I will echo the lazy shooter post and add there are not many small business ventures that require little up front capitalization with built-in cash flow on start up.

Money for nothing only comes from the government, and recently this is in question...


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

I quit my day job in 1999. I provide niche services, better than most in my field. There are projects I won't tackle, that take too much heavy eqpt, that I think in the end will not be profitable, etc. And my present niche services (aquatics) are seasonal.

I have always gardened. I didn't get into bees to make money, which is good, because my first jar of honey will probably cost me more than $2000, thanks in part to fencing investments, and in part to my ignorance. But I can see where beekeeping, as another niche field, might fit very well into my life. And since I don't have a complaining spouse, it is all "my call". I take the long view. I am having so much fun learning, that by the time the honey shows up, it will be a pleasant surprise.

Gypsi


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

brac said:


> How far are you traveling to do that many many removals?


They were all within an hour of my home, I live in a suburb of Kansas City and we have a ton of old homes and a thriving feral bee population.

I'm sure there are a lot of easier ways to make a buck off of bees, removals are a lot of work. 

Don


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## Wyvern (Jun 4, 2011)

I had a dive shop for ten years in Louisiana, the common quote in the scuba business is "How do you make a small fortune in the dive business?, Start with a large fortune!"


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>a thriving feral bee population.

Apparently someone forgot to tell the bees that the feral bees are all dead...

I think there is little money in honey and less in wax. Not that you won't have some and not that it isn't worth selling it. I think there is more money in bees and queens. Maybe propolis. Certainly in removals.


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## franktrujillo (Jan 22, 2009)

first if your in to making money you start to forget about the bees..as a hobby keeper i make money to play with my hobby and yes it takes a few years to make your money back.as it is with every business you have to spend the money then in time you will get a return on you investment...you also have to remember you make splits that has to be included into your profit since you didn't have to buy the bees that year also for me i get entertainment watching the bees how much would you spend for that..make your own equipment money saved there no shipping include that catch a swarm +$150 dollars since there no shipping and price of a 6# package of bees...


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Frank - yes. I've run an aquatics company for 12 years, and when I am worried about money, and profit and etc., I have to remind myself that first I am a fishkeeper. I tend the fish, the rest sorts itself out. I see the bees much the same way. I like Michael Bush's line - everything works if you let it. 
And I think I'm ready to talk to my ex-neighbor about the bees occupying her shed. Ferals. Am I ready? It will be an educational event.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

D Semple said:


> This year (as a first year beek) I made close to 10 K doing removals on weekends and also


 The only way to make more with that model is to set some free to get more swarm calls.  Just kidding there is money in removals. But, carpentry skills and liability is an issue with that.


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

EastSideBuzz said:


> The only way to make more with that model is to *set some free to get more swarm calls.*  Just kidding there is money in removals. But, carpentry skills and liability is an issue with that.


Shhhhhhh - I figure all the new backyard beekeepers here in town are all ready doing that for me.


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## Batman (Jun 7, 2009)

EastSideBuzz said:


> carpentry skills and liability is an issue with that.


That's what contracts are for, my contract clearly states, that I do not do repairs, I am not a contractor, so I can not do the repairs. I will do everything I can to keep cut out area to a minimum, and if there is a need to go bigger that I originally guess or expected, I let them know before hand. I had one wall that went into 3 different bays between the studs. I get my contract signed before I do the first cut. Overtime was pleantyful around work this year, so I didn't do any extractions even though I was getting calls for them. Next year, I will probably do some as overtime is suppose to be gone, that hasn't happened so far everytime they say that, but we'll see.
As far as making money, it's there to be made, but I don't see early retirement from my current job anywhere on the horizons.

C2


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

D Semple said:


> Shhhhhhh - I figure all the new backyard beekeepers here in town are all ready doing that for me.


Unfortunately, I think you are right about that... It's rough being a newbeek


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Gypsi said:


> Unfortunately, I think you are right about that... It's rough being a newbeek


 This year is a killer for new beek's. For us here in WA wost honey year in a long time if not ever.


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

EastSideBuzz said:


> The only way to make more with that model is to set some free to get more swarm calls.  Just kidding there is money in removals. But, carpentry skills and liability is an issue with that.


People willing to pay to have them removed is starting to wain some, it was booming at the height of CCD media coverage a few years ago, but over the last year I saw a big drop in people willing to pay... I quit doing them completely now.


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## cheezer32 (Feb 3, 2009)

I am obviously the odd ball out here, but in my opinion there is plenty of money to be made inbrekeeping. I have personally never figured out why people always say it is so hard, as a billion dollar industry there is money in it, and whichever fastet of the industry you choose there is relatively low start up cost, you will spend much more time just waiting on the bees mature ten anything since in my eyes beekeeping is a year turn around. Spend a dollar this year make two next you can't expect an immediate return; if you do woodenware smokers or other supplies you can however spend a dollar Monday and possibly make a dollar fifty Tuesday.

You have to think as a business and act as such you are not a beekeeper, you are a business and must conduct your operation as such. If it's cheaper to buy wood and make your own boxes, do it, if it's cheaper to raise queens and make splits, well you better learn how to do so. Three people come to mind when I mention this, mr. Bush, don the fatbeeman, and mr householder. Each of these three run there operation not as a industry standard but what works and is profitable. Mr bush has a very streamlined operation that takes little resources for his splits and queen rearing possibly one of the most time and labor saving operations out there. Don I know less about but he as well is efficient in his use of resources with boxes, queen, rearing and nucs. Mr householder has his business plan down to a t and however controversial his method may be is an excellent businessman. He spends ten if thousands year after year, very abnormal, but with an excellent customer base and know how and when to do what with everyhive and every product from the hive he recuperates every bit of his investment plus a sizable profit.

Woodenware, queen rearing, nucs, packages, beeswax, candles, all mmulti million dollar individual industries. My advice? Think for a week about what your going to do, what you need todo it, where and how your going to get those things, how much it will cost to make it, who will buy it and when. And then spend another week questioning more experienced people about your idea, do some trial and error find what works for you and is feasable and then spend one day making it work.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

EastSideBuzz said:


> For us here in WA wost honey year in a long time if not ever.


The same here and for folks in Wisconsin too. I wonder what's going on? If I get half a crop I will be happy.


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

One reason removals are down locally is that $2.89 wasp spray at Home Depot. Texans are tough, hard headed diy people. My main niche industry involves rescuing them from their diy projects... (tough too, because I am a woman, but by the time they are on my phone they don't care.)

Weather all over the country seems to have been "wrong" this year. My uncle in Nevada had normal weather, but family in Michigan never got their garden in, too much rain. I planted, and I've had garden despite drought, but I sure in heck won't have honey.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Really Mark? How did the guy in Sauquoit do?


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

EastSideBuzz said:


> For us here in WA wost honey year in a long time if not ever.


I know that I am almost in Oregon, but for me this was an average year. I got 80lb/hive in one yard and 75/hive in the other. One hive filled 5 medium supers. I have never had one do that before. These were averages from hives that produced honey. My other hives were used for queens and nuc splits, and were not counted in the averages.


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## seal62 (Apr 17, 2011)

How to make $ in bees ? Have me buy stuff off of you .


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Why? Do you pay better than others?


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## rlsiv (Feb 26, 2011)

wkinne said:


> I went to Home Depot Saturday to pick up four 1 X 12's eight foot long, but they were out  But a salesmen told me he could sell me 10 footers for the same price
> 
> So I get 12.5 deeps instead of 10 deeps!:thumbsup:
> 
> Wayne


Watch out Wayne - that 1/2 of a deep is liable to allow lots of bees to escape!


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## taxonomy (Apr 15, 2010)

We're starting to make some money keeping bees. 

We have a couple of very good wholesale customers, strong branding and a reasonable idea of what we want to do. We're not going to quit our regular jobs, we just want to turn a few extra thousand dollars per year. 

We wrote a business plan and met with the local Small Business Association. We run the business like a real business. We keep track of expenses and time. We claim a Schedule F on taxes. 

We went to local stores with product samples and asked them how we could improve the product to have more shelf appeal. We don't deal with people that cannot handle a volume that will make both of us money so that the relationship is important to both of us. 

We also seek out an manage publicity. We partner with locals (we're trying to be the honey of the local spelling bee) so that we're well know in our market. 

All this may sound like a lot, but what it really amounts to in having good outlets that give us a good price for our honey and are large customers. When we get endorsements from people (the mayor, for example) we're holding up our end of the bargain for those that retail our honey. 

In this way we manage hives and don't spend hours every Saturday at the farmers market. 

Next year we've struck some strategic deals with farmers so that we provide pollination for free in exchange for them bringing our honey to the market (from hives on their land) and giving us 100% of the retail.

I figure my own time at $25/hr. There is no way I am going to make money if I have to schlep around to farmers markers. 

If I ever get to the point that my retailers cannot handle all my production I may start doing some retail, but I would sooner hire an attractive young woman to attend the farmers markets before I went to them myself.


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## New Ky Beekeeper (Jun 27, 2011)

Welcome to American Agriculture - 

Sad to say it, but when you enter the most efficient food producing industry in the world, it is tough making a large amount of money. However, I have found the one point that I call the Phil-Point (named after your's truely): "You can sell so much of an agricultural product from the farm with little to no problem. Once you pass that point, the effort grows fast....." 

I found that true with beef too.... So, when I wrote my business plan and goals (yes, you need to write them down) I wrote my advantage is I already have beef customers and my wife is a dessert chef (yes, I married well). Furthermore, I can harvest my own wood and split my own bees. I can expand at a particular pace with not much input cost. 

Therefore, when I do make some money, it will go into my piggy-bank until I have enough to purchase more bees if I lose everyone during one year. I am also attempting to understand what many are doing with chemical-free bee keeping.... 

Hey - I know a man who live just across the river from you. He keeps 20 hives as a "sideline" and makes good money at two local festivals.... 

Good luck and God's speed. 
Phil


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

I predict(which is how I got the "crazy" moniker), that when the flow of funny honey subsides, and it will, that the sudden increase in demand will drive the price up for a brief period, until more people get into beekeeping and flood the market. 

Be prepared by focusing on producing the purest honey you can.

Crazy Roland


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

If the funny honey flow gets stopped at the border, or discontinues, I'd take that bet Roland.

As it is, I didn't buy that 5 lbs of Burleson's at Costco today, even for my bees. I'll get some honey at the feed store tomorrow.

Gypsi


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

taxonomy said:


> We're starting to make some money keeping bees.
> 
> ... We're not going to quit our regular jobs, we just want to turn a few extra thousand dollars per year.
> 
> ... We run the business like a real business. We keep track of expenses and time. We claim a Schedule F on taxes.


A real business? I think what you are saying is you are legal with the IRS.

The questions are what were your losses to date? Could you justify going into business if you did not have another job supporting the bee business? Will it ever be self supporting turning enough profit that you can live on without other jobs to support you?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

The flow of funny honey will not subside if it is supplying Nabisco and Kellogg so they can put the word Honey on their cereal.
Why would you think it would?


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## BigBlackBirds (Aug 26, 2011)

Hi folks. I've started to reply to this thread twice before but always been logged out before I finished. I don't have anything earthshattering to provide but as a former commercial beekeeper I could write volumes on this subject and overwhelm the pages here. I'll try to write a couple of short responses as time permits in the next day or so in case it is helpful to others thinking about beekeeping as more than just a hobby.

First, note the keyword---"former". I enjoy keeping bees and working outside has a number of merits. However, it truly requires an enormous invest in time to be a commercial beekeeper. You can easily find yourself working 12-16 hours a day or more, 7 days a week for months on end. I didn't stop keeping bees because of pure financial reasons but rather to work in the field for which I went to school as it provides a more balanced life. I average 32 hours of work a week and have tons of vacation so I get paid 40 hours and have excellent retirement and medical insurance. In the last 6 months I have only worked 5 days in a row maybe 3 weeks total. I actually make a little less per year in my current job but I have much more time to spend my money on things I like versus worrying about bees.

If beekeeping becomes your livelihood remember it is essentially a small business that takes your total dedication. You need to ask yourself whether that is something you are prepared for. But even more so, beekeeping is agriculture. Agriculture is driven by the weather over which you have no control and huge international market forces. When you are a small beekeeper, you might have a niche honey market but the overall honey market is a world affair driven by the weather which dictates world supply. Of course demand plays a role but there havent been huge jumps in demand and the national honey board hasn't been any overwhelming success.

I'll try to talk about honey sales next time


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

BigBlackBirds said:


> Hi folks. I've started to reply to this thread twice before but always been logged out before I finished.


Let me just inject this comment for everyone's sake. To avoid this from happening, make sure you check the box "Remember Me?" next to your User Name and Password when logging in.


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## taxonomy (Apr 15, 2010)

The market, as I see it, is tiered. You can make some amount locally, in my case, it would be around $12,000 at the top of the market selling in high end grocery at the wholesale level. 

When I say we're a real business I mean we track expenses, we claim income or loss, I run the business according to generally accepted accounting principals. 

At this point we have not paid off our initial investment, but we showed good cash flow, we have good relations with vendors, we experienced strong market demand. Everything is in the right place. 

If we tried to make twice as much money we would have to work 10x as hard because we're just in it at the top of the market. I am not interested in competing with bulk honey in normal food stores. I am not interested in wholesale to packers or anything like that. I am invested in making some useful amount of money from work that I love. 

If I were not working bees my hourly rate would be something like $25/hr. So I consider that. I am not going to invest in beekeeping areas that pay less than that. 

No, we couldn't quit our jobs since we cannot live on $12,000 per year. But we can work somewhat less and live as we like to.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Then you are in Business. Which anyone should be able to recognize.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

BigBlackBirds said:


> But even more so, beekeeping is agriculture. Agriculture is driven by the weather over which you have no control and huge international market forces. When you are a small beekeeper, you might have a niche honey market but the overall honey market is a world affair driven by the weather which dictates world supply. Of course demand plays a role but there havent been huge jumps in demand and the national honey board hasn't been any overwhelming success.
> 
> I'll try to talk about honey sales next time


Welcome BigBlackBirds.

A commercial guy saying demand has not increased and one saying it is skyrocketed. Welcome to beekeeping opinions...
I don't know why you made the decision to get out but I think your post is a statement of reality.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

Here's my qualifier: I am a 72 year old petroleum engineer that still works as a consultant some 75 to 100 days per year. I still earn a lot of money. Actually I consider myself a naturalists, and the bees are a feel good thing to me. I have three hives of bees that arrived this past April. I have been reading this forum since that approximate time. Now, my opinion:

The bee industry is a viable entity. There are several large bee operations that provide a good living (somewhere north of six figures) for their owners. There are several suppliers (Mann Lakes come to mind) that earn profits and hire employees. There are consultants, some of them entomologists, that make their livelihood from the bee keepers. In summary, its a real industry with business opportunities.

But, when I read of people losing bees to so many diseases and chemical poisoning, it brings to mind that bee keeping has many, maybe more, pitfalls than other businesses. Like all agricultural ventures there are a log of "wannabees." So many people love the great out doors and nature, that there will always be wannabees. I'm one of them. I plan on giving my honey to friends and charitable organizations, if my bees ever produce said honey. (You can't believe our West Texas drought) I probably am an exception, but the part time operators that earn extra cash will always be willing to sell for less, since they are not dependent on their bee operation.

I think bee business produces a poor rate of return on the time invested. Even the successful bee keepers could easily make more money in another field if with the same investment in time. 

All of the above being said, I love bees and I believe I am going to love the people that rear them. Good luck, and as we say in the oil patch "keep a bind on it."


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## olii2d (Jun 30, 2010)

How large of an operation would one need to begin selling to the honey packers?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

lazy shooter said:


> I think bee business produces a poor rate of return on the time invested. Even the successful bee keepers could easily make more money in another field if with the same investment in time.


You could look into a Fast Food Franchise, Real Estate, Construction, Manufacturing, Engineering or any other business, and see that the initial time invested to the point where you can set back and let everyone else do the work is endless. I see no difference there. What I do see in the bee business is it is easier to be in the business as a fly by night supporting a hobby. You can't do that with most other type businesses.


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

taxonomy said:


> The market, as I see it, is tiered. You can make some amount locally, in my case, it would be around $12,000 at the top of the market selling in high end grocery at the wholesale level.


Now if you could figure out how to create demand among college aged girls, you would have a gold mine 



lazy shooter said:


> The bee industry is a viable entity. There are several large bee operations that provide a good living (somewhere north of six figures) for their owner There are several suppliers (Mann Lakes come to mind) that earn profits and hire employees. There are consultants, some of them entomologists, that make their livelihood from the bee keepers. In summary, its a real industry with business opportunities.


Equipment supply really shouldn't be part of the discussion because they are not making any money beekeeping. Usually they started in beekeeping, but then got smart. i.e. Charles Dadant.

I believe Mendes is the largest bee operation in the country and even he holds a second job.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

bluegrass said:


> I believe Mendes is the largest bee operation in the country and even he holds a second job.


Are you kidding? There are no full time beekeepers employing 100's of people on a regular basis. I thought there would be 5 or 6 just doing bees not selling equipment. I wouldn't doubt that most of the equipment is made off shore or soon will be.


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## BoBn (Jul 7, 2008)

Where's the $ in beekeeping?

plastic


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

olii2d said:


> How large of an operation would one need to begin selling to the honey packers?


Small artisan bottlers will buy reasonably small amounts. The smallest I remember selling at one time was about $1500. It takes about that much to make it worth their driving down to pick it up.


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Actually i think Addee's are the biggest operators with around 80,000 hives last i heard. Mendes is only around 7-10000. What is the second job that he has?
Nick


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Starting and operating any small business is never as easy as working a straight job. Doesn't matter if it is electronics repair (I know of 2 shops, known these people 20 years), I run an aquatics business, I have set up websites for many small businesses in DFW before I went off into aquatics because I didn't want to "invest the time" to learn java. I hate programming languages...

If you start a small business and expect it to be viable, you'd best be doing work you love and are emotionally committed to, because it is going to eat the rest of your life for lunch for at least the first 5 years. And seasonally, my poor little grandson with the fall birthday came to see me the week before, because in spring and fall, my business owns me. That's how I get those lovely vacation periods in the deep summer and deep winter. I've been in business 12 years. Scheduled dinner times don't fly, I work til the job is done, or dark, and often the job is done after dark.

Beekeeping is perhaps more vulnerable to the weather and environmental factors than fishkeeping, but not by much. So I am used to the ups and downs. But I can promise, I'm spoiled. I will never spend all day sitting at the farmer's market to sell 2 jars of honey. No matter how many hives I end up with. In my field, I average about 25 an hour if I include drive time in hours. And that is my line, if I'm not doing it for fun, that's what I expect to earn. Right now I'm beekeeping for fun.

Gypsi


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

swarm_trapper said:


> Mendes is only around 7-10000. What is the second job that he has?
> Nick


He owns and operates a trucking company, he has a third job if you count his CEO position at ABF. If you ever heard him speak he always manages to mention that he is the last of the line, his son will not make a living with bees, that it can't be done now days.


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## hemichuck (Oct 27, 2009)

Since I live right across the river from Jean-Yves I can kind of see where he is trying to go with the bee business and I think it might be a pretty tough way to make a living, but he is starting to do nucs and queens and I think he could do alright selling those around here. I know I could send some people his way. I have around 30 hives and this is purely a hobby for me ( I have a job).The problem here is that there are about 20 other people in this city that want to make a living from bees too. There are 28 local farmers markets and on any given day there will be 2 or more guys selling honey at each one which just drives the price down.I have a set price on my honey and I dont do farmers markets or wholesale it, I just sell it to whoever happens by and wants some.I dont even have a sign at my house. I always tell people that ask me about making money that " I dont know how many hives you would have to have to be profitable but its certainly more than I can take care of " 
Around her when people call about cut-outs the first thing they always say is " You dont charge for this do you " so that pretty much sums up how much you can make doing that.
If I could get people to pay me a dollar an hour to answer questions about bees I would probably be a millionaire. Its a fun hobby and I think I will leave it at that.


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## garprob (Jan 20, 2009)

There is a very profitable family owned business in my area that makes most of their money from selling honey candy- taffy and chocolates sweetened with honey. They do sell their honey, pollen etc as well buty the biggest part of the business is candy. THey sell in stores all over the area- I have seen their products in stores up to 150 miles away. I believe they also get mail orders from across the nation and even e=internationally. Queen Bee Gardens is the name of the operation.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

taxonomy said:


> ...
> If I ever get to the point that my retailers cannot handle all my production I may start doing some retail, but I would sooner hire an attractive young woman to attend the farmers markets before I went to them myself.


We'd rather you hire an attractive young woman too! :lpf:


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

She'd make more sales. "sell the sizzle, not the steak" (my writing tutor)


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

Someone above mentioned making honey candy. One of my son's friends has a pecan orchard that formerly made some extra cash. He is from an old Czheck family, and they know how to cook really good, artery clogging candy and Kolaches. He started producing and selling pecan candies, and now he has a full time business. So many people came to the farm to buy candy, that he put up a small barbeque business to feed customers. One has to be innovative, and take the bull by the horns.


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## peacekeeperapiaries (Jun 23, 2009)

Although a large operation, hard worker, and great beekeeper Dave Mendes in not the largest, there are quite a few much bigger than he is.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

Someone wrote:

There are no full time beekeepers employing 100's of people on a regular basis.

Round numbers, 800 hives per beekeeper, and 80,000 hives is 100 beekeepers employed by Richard Adee, so yes, someone may employ 100's (one) of beekeepers.

Crazy Roland


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