What Is The Time Commitment For Beekeeping? In short, expect to spend 15 to 30 hours during your first year to care for one hive . The more hives you have, the more time you’ll spend on beekeeping. However, that does not mean that you should expect to spend 15 to 30 hours a year per hive.
Is beekeeping hard to get into?
There’s some heavy lifting and physically difficult tasks involved, especially when it’s time to harvest your honey. Bees are also susceptible to many different pests, diseases, and predators that you’ll need to watch out for. And the financial investment to set up your first hive can also be hard for some people .
Is it expensive to start beekeeping?
Getting started with beekeeping can be an expensive hobby often costing around $300 for the hive and around another $100 for bees during the first year (depending if you purchase a nuc or a package). Most folks recommend starting out with two hives for a variety of important reasons.
How much time per week does beekeeping take?
A rough estimate would be that you will spend about 30-45 minutes a week per hive . This time includes weekly inspections in the spring and summer. The time invested will be higher in the spring. Spring, as you will learn, is the time to prevent swarming as well as catch the swarms that take flight.
Is it easy to start beekeeping?
To start beekeeping requires very little space and labor . As essentially wild animals for which we furnish artificial housing, honeybees provide for themselves on a day-to-day basis. Hive inspections once or twice a week during the spring and fall take no more than an hour or so per hive.
How far should a beehive be from a house?
It is equally as important to think about how your neighbors use their yard, so it is not a good idea to put a hive directly on a property line. Instead, place your hives ten feet or more from the property line .
How much money do beekeepers make a year?
According to Salary Expert, beekeepers can expect an average salary in the US of $44,749 . Employees paid by the hour typically get around $22ph. Bonuses typically based on productivity can be up to $1,342.
How many times a year can you harvest honey?
Most beekeepers harvest honey 2-3 times per year/season . Honey is normally harvested between mid June until mid September. How often you harvest depends on your local climate and plant life. Poor weather conditions, disease and pests infiltrating your hives will also affect your harvesting schedule.
Can you make a living as a beekeeper?
Selling honey is by far the most common way to make money as a beekeeper. Once you have a healthy and thriving beehive, the production cost of packaging and distributing honey is relatively low. With more and more people shopping for natural and local foods, there’s a large demand for locally made honey.
How profitable is beekeeping?
Depending on how many hives you have, you can make a profit. However, it really depends on the season and nectar flow. There are start up costs when getting into beekeeping. After that, you can expect a beekeeping profit per hive of around $600 .
How expensive is beekeeping?
The initial cost of beekeeping can be intimidating to new beekeepers. You will need to invest in supplies such as a hive, proper protective clothing, a smoker, and hive tool. As of this writing, a single new hive may cost about $150 , clothing and gear may cost about $160, and a package of new bees may run $125 to $150.
Is bee keeping time consuming?
Beekeeping is a time-consuming activity , especially in spring and summer. Generally the work is oriented around the bees’ year and is a constant cycle. You spend lots of time outdoors and should not be afraid of insects. ... The beekeeper harvests the honey and other products made by the bees in the summer.
Is having a beehive a lot of work?
Beekeeping is indeed a lot of work . For the more seasoned beekeepers, they tend to use about 40 hours a year for one hive alone. And you would need at least 300-500 hives to make a full-time living out of it. Meanwhile, beginners should add more hours to that number during the first year to learn more about beekeeping.
What is the best month to start beekeeping?
The best time to start your hive is in the spring so that the colony you begin with has time to build up, lay brood (baby bees), increase in number, and store honey before the winter sets in.
How do I start beekeeping for beginners?
First things first: Take a beekeeping class in the fall or winter ( around November or December ). From there, order your bees and equipment. When your bees arrive in the spring (typically April), you’ll install your hive and spend the next 3-4 months feeding them a combination of sugar and water.
