Before starting commercial beekeeping one of the major considerations is how much hives to get started. We also try to get ideas from other beekeepers who are already in this field. So, how many hives do commercial beekeepers have?
If we can learn 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 help you today. You will learn the following from this post.
- What Is Commercial Beekeeping?
- How Much Hives On Average Do Commercial Beekeepers Have?
- And How Do You Make Money As A Commercial Beekeeper?
Who Is Called A Commercial Beekeeper?
A beekeeper who keeps bees for making money through them is called a commercial beekeeper. Usually, commercial beekeepers have large apiaries. Above 100 to a few thousand 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 general case, it is usually 2 to 6 hives per apiary.
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 hundred to a few thousand | Usually less than 50 hives in total |
| Money Making Goal | Mandatory | Not mandatory but have options |
| No. of people involvement | A large group of peoples | 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 just from one hive. 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 350 to 500 hives. In fact, some commercial beekeeping associations, having large no. of people involved, have more than 2,000 hives. That’s insane!
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.
In the United Kingdom, usually, commercial beekeepers have around 250 hives on average.
Whereas in Asian regions commercial beekeepers have 100 to 400 hives on average. The number is less for Asian regions, due to a shortage of knowledge and the unavailability of modern beekeeping tools.
This number can vary for different regions. But on average you can say commercial beekeepers have a few hundred to a few thousand hives.
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 probably going to be costly for you.
How Many Beehives To Start Making Money?
- Your Region: If you are living in a location where most of the time of the year the environment is harsh, you may not go with more than 20 hives at the beginning. If your area has a good weather conditions maximum times, you can even go with 100 hives. A bee-friendly weather is considered not too cold and not too hot.
- How Much Lands 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.
- Availability Of Modern Beekeeping Tools: If you have an excess of modern beehive monitoring tools, you will be able to easily manage large no. of hives.
Common Ways To Make Money Through Commercial Beekeeping
No, obviously not. There are a lot of different ways that commercial beekeepers use to make money.
- From Excess Honey: Keep the honey on 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 candle 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 are very nutritious for human 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 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 other purposes. So, you can raise 2 queens within each hive. Put one queen in a cage that you are going to sell.
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
References
- Right Time To Inspect A Hive.
- Economic Value Of Commercial Beekeeping – download the pdf.
- Conditions When You Should Avoid Opening A Beehive.
- Designing and implementing a genetic improvement program in commercial beekeeping operations. Authors: Gertje Eta Leony Petersen, Peter F. Fennessy, Peter R. Amer, & Peter K. Dearden.
- An overview of the United States Beekeeping Industry.