Get bees... it'll be easy... it'll be cheap... The real costs...

Get bees...

... you can capture a swarm, but that needs drawn comb... so unless you already have bees... no. Today's cost? $225.00 - 300.00 for a NUC of bees. Basically a starter colony. 5 frames, drawn and filled with resources or brood. (I paid 175.00 back in 2020. I got a NUC bursting with bees. In fact, this new-beekeeper didn't know better and they swarmed within a month, even though they were in a bigger box and had plenty of room. If they want to swarm... they swarm.) The good part? If you establish a bee yard, that in itself is a swarm lure... I have captured many swarms in the trees just south of my bee yard... 

You have a 10 frame deep box to house them in... great. But they will need 2-3x that before the end of summer. So, that is 20 more waxed frames, and 2 more (deep or medium or shallow) boxes (how ever you wish to extract honey from)... ~$100.00 for the boxes, 2.00 per frame. Approximately 240.00. 

Sugar to feed a new colony. You have to feed them so they will draw comb. 1:1 ratio...  and you should feed them during winter - they will take almost pure sugar...   During Covid, sugar prices increased... like a lot. In 2018, 25lb cost 14.95 at the grocery store. Now, $21.00. And the price has not gone down. I joined Sam's to get a better price, but the longer drive (~1 hr)  and increased gas prices?? Not sure if it's worth it!

Pest control: Cinnamon to control ants. Hive beetle traps, Varroa Mite Treatment vapor wands, and now T-mites - a new mite introduced through the global economy and worse than V-Mites... and the variety of medicine soaks "towels and cardboard" left in the hives during treatment periods. Initial cost: 150.00-300.00 for the wand and the initial OA purchase. (I've used mine for 4 years... and haven't had to repurchase the OA yet.) I have purchased the soaked cardboard and "towels" - 3 times at about 25.00 each time. Also, under pest control: virus/fungus control: Bleach and hot water works wonders for cleaning frames... so I had to purchase a turkey fryer for about $125.00 and of course the cost of the propane... $9.00.

oh yea... you are gonna need a big freezer with space - to freeze honey frames in, to kill any small hive beetles on the frames. (That's what I do anyway, if you don't kill the beetles right away, they can end up "sliming" your hard earned frames of honey!) ~$500.00 And what are you going to put the honey in? I'm cheap. I save jars... if something comes in a jar and it can be sanitized before reuse in my dishwasher - I save it. 

The first year as a beekeeper - you generally don't get any honey. None. The bees need it more than you. So, you can put off getting an extractor (2 frame manual extractor: $150.00 - $500.00) and all those tools until the second year. (Or you can join a club and borrow this things if the club has them... those vape wands too.)

A hot knife to cut open the cells of honey (~$55.00 - $200.00), a honey "fork" or roller (~$6.00 - 15.00)  , or a simple bread knife (~$25.00)

Oh, and where are you going to store all these bits and bobs? huh? How about a dedicated space with running water for extracting (must be insect tight or you will be swarmed during extractions) and you don't mind the floor being a bit sticky at times. Ideally...  a space - not your main kitchen. (I haven't even mentioned the fact that if you get wax in your plumbing, you will be calling the plumber!) A shed? One of those shipping containers? I don't know... I'm stuck in my kitchen and dining room right now. I dream of a bee-house... I do!

And now, the wax... I purchased a used crock pot on the Marketplace for 10.00. It works a champ. But I am a small scale beek. And to filter all the dead bee parts out of that wax: Knee-high hose. Really. 3.00 for a few pair.  I can filter it to be perfect for cosmetic uses or for making waxed cloths for food use... but mainly I use it for re-waxing new frames, so the wax doesn't need to be perfect.  (Did I mention new frames every 3 - 5 years? Sooner if a virus infects your colonies...) And to store those now empty and clean frames, in the hopes of keeping the comb drawn to give your bees a head start next year? Shelves, closable totes and a particular type of moth balls. 

And people wonder why honey is expensive.