To many of us, big is a dozen or so hives taking up every square inch of our small yards. To others, big may not begin until a 1000 hives produce 70,000 pounds of honey a season. The real advantage of a bigger operation is that you can switch and exchange hive parts from field to field and you almost always have bees readily available to rebirth a strong colony. Of course upkeep on such weather beaten equipment would shock us silly if we ever saw what it takes to be a surviving honey producer in the United States today. Please read my digital logbook to follow me throughout the Spring 2001 Beekeeping Season.
Many folks buy or inherit hives from family, friends or local beekeepers.
I really think that this is a great way to start on a shoestring budget. The obvious caveat is that you might be buying someone else's troubles. Again, you need to weigh every possible trouble or concern before you jump into beekeeping. Where you will have the hives, how often you can spend with them, is the location a danger to neighbors or pets, what about water concerns and a million other questions should be addressed by you. I hope this has been helpful.