cost of bee this year

[Jack Parr]

You have very cheap prices there. In May we have to pay 30 $ from queen. One box colony is about 250 $.

But you do not want  get honey with those bees. You just keep them,  :P

I am too far advanced in years to get involved with bees to any great extent but I do plan/and, I have sold the produced honey this past year. I do find the hobby interesting but, I, hopefully, plan to at least make enough money for the hobby to pay for itself.  I am an entrepreneur and do consider cost.

The past year, my first year, I extracted about 150 pounds ( US ) and after giving some to friends and family I sold some at four dollars per pound.  I left a large quantity of honey in the hives for the bees, probably more than they need, but I am being cautious and prefer not to feed. When the clover starts to flower around here I will have a better idea of honey consumption over the nectar non productive period.

I will buy two additional nucs with Russian queens this coming April and I plan to make at least two splits with new Queens.
I also plan to buy some new queens to lead those splits and also requeen at least two of my present hives.

Your cost in Finland reflect a Socialist economic system.  We are capitalist here in the US and the mostly free market drive the prices/cost of things.
You also probably have universal health care? and other social benefits that we have less of?  :(

I am curious about Russian queens.  Do you use such Queens in Finland?
The Russians were brought here as a means of combating the Verroa mites and the breeding program was started at Louisiana State University?
Are you familiar with this program?

There have been some price increases, for everything, over the past year mostly due to increased energy cost.