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Note: This is the fourth part in a series of posts that will appear over the next few weeks attempting to answer the question, “Can hobby beekeeping be financially successful?” Be sure to go back and read the March 7th, 11th, and 25th posts before digesting this one.
Before we look at the financial picture of second year hobby beekeeping I would like to give an alternative scenario. In the last post dated March 25 I recommended selling the splits/nucs that were made in July to someone in the fall. We will present the financials in this post with this plan. I presented the plan that way because, to wait till spring to sell would have required buying about four more 10 frame setups which would have added $635 ($158 each) to the second year expenditures (and if the woodenware is not sold with the bees next spring it will add that to the amount that will need to be recouped before we can show a profit).
It’s risky to sell nucs in the fall. It is also risky to overwinter them. However, if diligence and vigilance have been properly exercised during the fall of the second year to ensure that these July splits/nucs are built up well for the winter, the chance of their survival will be high and it gives us at least two advantages to sell in the spring of the third year. One, we can sell them for more—at least $180 instead of $150, and gain customer confidence in the process. Second, If they came through strong we could pull a two frame split off each of them toward the end of April (requires buying queens for the splits) and potentially sell those splits toward the end of May for $180 each. If we make an extra $30 per nuc sold in the spring plus sell the nuc acquired from the split for $180 less a $40 dollar queen, we would make $170 in the spring and easily recoup our extra investment of $158 per previous July split and have the extra equipment for future years. Figuring this way, it would end up being a wash… IF! We’ve got to be careful counting our chickens (or bees) before they hatch.
But here is the second year financial picture if we sell the nucs in the fall of the second year.
-Jonathan Showalter | Beeline of Michigan
