There are three types of apiaries: amateur, professional and industrial.
The point is that the beekeeper, who contains such an apiary, devotes only free time to it.
For beekeepers, this is called a "weekend apiary". The more free time this beekeeper has, the more families he can support.
Such apiaries, as a rule, are located in personal plots or cottages. Such an apiary gives little honey, but for its family, as well as for sale to friends and neighbors, it is enough.
Talking about some big profit is certainly not worth it. However, a small income to the main income from it can be obtained.
It is enough to buy beekeeping equipment once and it will serve for many years. This is primarily a honey extractor, a settling tank for printing frames, possibly a lift and so on.
But there is also such an inventory that you have to buy annually. These are wax, wire, wooden frames, new cases, bottoms, covers, and this list is far from complete.
An amateur beekeeper does not have time, and sometimes even opportunities, to do all this himself. When buying finished products, he undoubtedly overpays, and the profitability of his apiary in connection with this is lower!
Another thing beekeeper professional. By the way, he is called a professional because he made beekeeping his profession.
Compared with amateurs, they do not stand in one place, and during the summer period they constantly wander. One honey collection is over, the beekeeper moves to another. In the season there are from three to five such transfers.
Due to this, it turns out the so-called honey conveyor and continuous bribes throughout the season.
If the beekeeper is an amateur with one bee family, at best, takes 10-20 kg of honey per season, then a professional from 50 to 100 and even more.
In addition to the difference in the number of families, as well as higher honey collection, such beekeepers, as a rule, have a special room with equipment, where they themselves produce most of the beekeeping equipment.
Of the minuses, you can name the lost time and labor, but this is done, as a rule, in the winter, when there is free time. And of the pluses - the opportunity to save a fairly large amount of money.
For example, a beehive that is sold in a store costs about $ 100, and if you make it yourself, it will take no more than $ 30.
Professionals beekeepers, as a rule, do not sell honey at retail; they sell it in bulk, though through an intermediary. What can not be said about beekeepers industrialists.
The number of industrial families is from 500 to 2.500 thousand. They can afford not to roam, but to sow fields with honey plants around their apiaries and, due to this, provide themselves with a honey conveyor. They sell honey without an intermediary, that is, directly to wholesale buyers.
But back to the topic of my article: keeping an apiary is actually not that expensive, but the initial investment can be quite large.
For example, one bee family costs $ 100-120, the same costs a good hive.
At the start, you will have to spend a lot of money on the purchase of expensive, but important equipment.
The payback of an amateur apiary, about 3 years provided that you will not expand. Indeed, the extension of the apiary is associated with additional costs. If you make layering, you are losing honey this year. If you decide to buy a family, then you lose money.
I do not want to frighten beginning beekeepers with these data. On the contrary, I advise you to do this, albeit at the start and costly, but undoubtedly useful and profitable business.
