Randy

>As in all agriculture, everything is
> largely weather dependent, and you have a lot of lean years, interspersed
> with profitable years.

Perhaps the problem with beekeeping is that it is not like some other types 
of agriculture where if one crop fails there are others that may do well, or 
at least OK.

On a mixed farm, if arable fails then the cattle or perhaps dairy may do 
reasonably well, but with beekeeping it can be an all or nothing situation. 
In my own case (in the UK), the bees have provided a very useful additional 
income (at least they did once I stopped spending money on increase), but it 
would have been a nightmare to try to make a living, pay a mortgage, and 
bring up children from bees alone.

You need to consider how you will survive when things go wrong - and they 
will.

Best wishes

Peter
52.144244, -1.503509 

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