Hi All
I'm in the workup process for commercial production.
And i put the question to you all ...How many hive do you need to make a living?
by living i mean 100+k net pa...
This can be earn t by any stream you like, honey production, pollination, wax production, specialty honey, etc.
what are your thoughts.
It's going to depend on what you intend to sell. I have my doubts one can make a living doing nothing but honey (at least here in the US). But there are bees and queens you can sell as well as honey and pollination. Here, I think if you raise queens and nucs and some local pollination and some honey, you could make about $30,000 to $40,000 per year US on about 300 hives and 300 nucs (based on Kirk Webster's experience) and only have extra help during the extremely busy times of the years. I don't know the market down under.
n=# kg per hive annually
y=# of hives you own
e=$ annual expenses
v=# value of honey per kg
((n x y)xV)-e=$yourprofit pa (roughly)
I honestly am no maths experts, but that could be right? :)
wholesalers take a massive clip of your honey profit :(
even $4.00 per kg for organic certified honey is way too low.
when its retailing for 15-20kg....
The equation given explains it pretty much as it is. The variables in the expenses area is a doozy at present, price of fuels, replacement costs on machinery, site licenses, your labour, many incidental, weather, bee sites . A few hundred boxes does not give you a significant income at the end of the process. A couple of thousand maens employing help. There is a paucity of profitable beeks due to these factors and others. Run a lean operation and you will covwr costs and have a self paying hobby. Good luck with your venture.