How Many Hives Do Commercial Beekeepers Have?

Before starting commercial beekeeping, one of the major considerations is how many hives to get started with commercial beekeeping. Before starting my beekeeping journey, I got the idea from other experienced beekeepers in my area.

So, how many hives do commercial beekeepers have? The hive count is different in different regions. In the United States, Commercial beekeepers usually have 50 to 500 hives. On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, this number is between 30 to 400 hives. In Asia, this number is between 50 to 200 hives in most cases.

However, the exact number can vary based on expertise, the goal of the beekeeper, environmental factors, and resources available.

If we can get an idea of the average number of hives for commercial beekeeping, we can easily set our goal before starting our commercial beekeeping journey.

That’s what I am going to discuss with you in detail. From my 10+ years of beekeeping experience and learning from other beekeepers, here is what I am going to share with you in this article.

What Is Commercial Beekeeping?
How Much Hives On Average Do Commercial Beekeepers Have?
And How Do You Make Money As A Commercial Beekeeper?

Key Features:

Who Is Called A Commercial Beekeeper?

A beekeeper who keeps bees to make money from them is called a commercial beekeeper. Usually, commercial beekeepers have large apiaries. Above 25 to a few hundred hives may a commercial beekeeper can have.

More precisely, the aim of beekeeping to make money can be considered as commercial beekeeping. The person involved in it is called a commercial beekeeper.

People also keep bees as a hobby. In the case of hobbies, the main purpose is not to make money through them. But still, you can make money by selling honey and bee products, without having a commercial apiary.

In commercial beekeeping, there is a large no. of hives per apiary. In the general case, it is usually 2 to 6 hives per apiary.

Commercial Beekeeping Vs Beekeeping As A Hobby

Differences Between Commercial Beekeeping Vs Beekeeping As A Hobby?

You can distinguish commercial beekeeping and beekeeping as a hobby from the following points of view.

Consideration	Commercial Beekeeping	Beekeeping As A Hobby
Size Of Apiary	Usually 20 to 35 hives per apiary	Not more than 10 hives per apiary
No. Of Hives	A few to a few hundred	Usually, less than 50 hives in total
Money Making Goal	Mandatory	Not mandatory, but have options
No. of people involvement	A large group of people	Usually, 1 to 2 persons
Apiary Type	Permanent Or Mobile Apiary	Permanent

We can say commercial beekeeping involves large-scale beehive maintenance. So, a large group of people are mandatory for hive maintenance.

But a single person or somebody who may be with his/her fiance can start beekeeping as a hobby. They would not require a large no. of hives. They can start with one or two hives. My recommendation is to start with 2 hives.

So, How Many Hives Do Commercial Beekeepers Have?

In the United States, commercial beekeepers have on average 300 to 600 hives. In fact, some commercial beekeeping associations, having a large no. of people involved, have more than 10,000 hives. Doesn’t it sound insane!

How many hives do commercial beekeepers have on average — P.C. Edward Terrana Location: California, USA

Though it seems insane, it is hugely profitable. The math is simple, the more people involved and the more space you have, the more no. of hives you can have. Also, more no. of hives for commercial beekeeping means more revenue will be generated.

Important Info: In the US, as of today (24 December 2025), Sweet Harvest Foods is the leading commercial beekeeping company with 120k+ hives. They have 100+ beekeepers involved for the maintenance. The second leading company is Adee Honey Farms with 80k+ hives.

In the United Kingdom, usually, commercial beekeepers have around 300 hives on average.

Whereas in Asian regions, commercial beekeepers have 100 to 200 hives on average. The number is lower for Asian regions due to the unavailability of modern beekeeping tools.

This number will vary for different regions. But on average, you can say commercial beekeepers have 200 to 600 hives worldwide.

Without having any prior knowledge, you can’t go with a large no. of hives. You should go with a proper plan to start making money through beekeeping.

You should pick the right spot to set your apiary. Then learn how to manage them and come up with a proper plan. If your plan goes wrong, it’s probably going to be costly for you.

How Many Beehives To Start Making Money?

It is best to start with 10 to 20 hives first. If things go in the right direction, you can increase the no. of hives to up to 300 in 1 year. Then you can gradually increase the number of hives each year.

I have started my beekeeping journey with just one hive. Because I was having budget limitations and couldn’t invest much to carry the cost of beehives. Now I have 300+ hives.

I am not single-handedly running my commercial beekeeping. There are 12 people involved in it.

The beginning of my beekeeping journey wasn’t for money-making purposes. I have started beekeeping as a hobby. There are definitely so many ups and downs throughout my beekeeping journey.

With time, I have learned more and more about my bees. Then I converted my hobby into a business. Yeah, still my only aim is not to make money.

I always provide the best for my bees. Then their excess honey production helps me make money.

So, you can understand it is possible to make money starting from 1-2 beehives. Obviously, if you start from this smaller amount of hives, it will take quite a long time to start earning a decent amount of money.

Before starting commercial beekeeping, you should learn beekeeping basics. You can learn beekeeping by taking a course, consulting with local beekeepers, or even reading beekeeping basics books.

However, in general, you must consider some factors to select the no. Hives to get started with Commercial Beekeeping.

Your Region: If you are living in a location where most of the time of the year, the environment is harsh, you may not start with more than 20 hives at the beginning. If your area has good weather conditions maximum time, you can even go with 100 hives. A bee-friendly weather is considered not too cold and not too hot.

Budget: Budget matters the most. The more you can spend, the more hives you can afford to get started. Having proper knowledge will reduce the cost of beekeeping.
How Much Land Do You Have: Obviously, you require a large no. of space for a large no. of hives. Each beehive will have, on average, 20-25 inches on both sides. Also, you have to keep at least an 8-inch gap between consecutive hives.
No. Of People: If you have large people, you can go with a large no of hives.

Demands of Bee Products: It is a crucial factor to be considered. If you have a large apiary but there is not much demand for bee products in your region, it might not be worth going with a large no. of hives. Because your beekeeping earnings estimate will largely depend on the demand for bee products in your target market or region.
Availability of Modern Beekeeping Tools: If you have an excess of modern beehive monitoring tools, you will be able to easily manage a large no. of hives.

You should consider these facts before selecting no. of hives to start commercial beekeeping. It is better to consult with a local beekeeper in your region.

My recommendation is to go with 20 to 50 hives for a full-time money-making beekeeping business at the beginning. Also, make sure to employ more people for better hive maintenance.

If you have 4 to 5 people at the beginning and enough space, you can go with up to 150 hives to start making money. With time, expand your apiary by splitting a large beehive into 2 new beehives.

Common Ways To Make Money Through Commercial Beekeeping

You have started commercial beekeeping as a full-time work, how do you make money? Is selling honey the only way to make money through commercial beekeeping?
No, obviously not. There are various ways that commercial beekeepers use to generate income.

Followings are the common ways to make money through commercial beekeeping.

From Excess Honey: Keep the necessary amount of honey in the hive that your bees need to survive winter. Then extract the extra honey for commercial purposes.

Selling Wax: You can also sell wax and candles produced from wax.
Selling Bee Products: You can make different bee products from honey and wax and sell them. Famous bee products are lip balm, beeswax wraps, candles, honeycomb, royal jelly, etc.
Bee Pollen: Bee pollen is very nutritious for humans and pets. Bee pollen is widely used for allergic treatment for dogs and other animals.

Providing Pollination Services: Commercial beekeepers that have mobile apiaries also make money from farmers by providing pollination services.
Selling Nucs: You can produce a new nuc and sell it to other beekeepers.
Rearing And Selling Queens: Sometimes, beekeepers have to purchase a queen in a cage to requeen a queenless hive or for other purposes. So, you can raise 2 queens within each hive. Put one queen in a cage that you are going to sell.

There are plenty of other ways to make money through commercial beekeeping.

When you start your journey as a commercial beekeeper, you will automatically be able to explore new ways to make money from your bees with time.

The cost of beekeeping is a vital factor to be considered. If you are willing to invest more money, you will get more returns from beekeeping. You just have to use that money in the right manner.

Selecting the right type of honey bees for beekeeping is also vital for making money. Because some bee species have the specialty to produce excess honey compared to others. So, you should select the most suitable one for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hives do most beekeepers have?

Most beekeepers have 10 to 25 hives. In the case of commercial beekeeping, most have over 400 hives.

Can you make a lot of money beekeeping?

If you are a full-time beekeeper having over 300 hives, it is expected you will be able to make a decent amount of money. The amount of money you can earn depends on your planning and investment of people and resources.

What is the most profitable part of beekeeping?

The most profitable part is increasing pollination near the beehives. If your apiary is placed inside a crop field, it will increase crop production in your region. You can also provide pollination services to local farmers for money.

Final Words And References

So, now you know how many hives on average commercial beekeepers have. The number is different for different regions. You should select the optimal number of hives to start your beekeeping journey.

Go with multiple hives, but not too many. If you want to make a full-time money-making apiary, you should start with at least 20 hives. With time, you will be able to increase the number of hives.

You should assign not more than 30 hives/person. So, the more employees you have for your apiary, the more hives you can have.

Start from an optimal number of hives to mitigate risks. Then gradually increase the number. Sometimes you may lose your bees, they may swarm away. Just don’t panic. Losing bees is common in beekeeping.

Sometimes there can be mite attacks too. Whenever you face a problem, make sure to contact local beekeepers and beekeeping associations in your region.