Unit economics of beekeepers

How beekeepers loose money

• Equipment
  • Hives
    • Full single hive (without bees) ~ 150 EUR
    • Deep sections.
      Lifetime ~ 5-20 years, depends if its painted
      
    • Paint for protection. ~ 30 EUR for ~ 10 sections
    • Frames with new wax comb ~ 2 EUR / frame.
      Lifetime ~ 3 years
      
  • Honey badger ~ 300 - 800 EUR. Depends on size and if its motorized
  • Wax melter ~2500 EUR (source 2023)
  • Suit, Gloves

• Bees (aka bee package on 4 frames) ~ 150 EUR

• Buying queens

• Transport (to distant apiaries, mobile apiaries)

• Labour costs (time & sweat)
  • Inspections
  • Managing hive equipment
  • Waste management
  • Respirator for treatment
  • Waterproof gloves for treatment

• Treatment
  • ApiGuard. ~75 EUR, 20 doses (source 2021)
  • Epipen ~ 50 EUR (source 2021)

How beekeepers make money

• Precise pollination of farmlands

• Selling honey
  • Cost of honey in 🇪🇪 Estonia (source, 2023, 2022, 2021)
    • ~4 EUR / kg for mixed honey, sold in bulk
    • ~7 EUR / kg for honey collected at bogs
    • ~10 EUR / kg for heather (kanarbik) honey
  • 1 Colony can make ~ 40-80 kg / year (depends on strength)
    • 1 ha of land supports ~ 5 colonies = 500 kg of honey
    • at peak time, +3kg of honey per day
  • ~ 200-400 EUR / year per colony

• Selling pollen [todo]

• Selling queens

• Selling bee swarms, bee splits
  • ~ 180 - 250 EUR / colony (source 2023)

• Apiary houses retreat