> Best to build up over time, with another "day job."  Make your mistakes
 > while you are building.  The last thing that I'd recommend is for a 
novice
 > beekeeper to try to run hundreds of colonies without a great deal of
 > experience under his belt.

The other option, if you have the right personality and are lucky, is to 
find an
older successful beekeeper who is wanting company and assistance, and is
willing to share and sell down over time by letting you buy in over a 
few years.

That way, assuming the guy is honest, you can see the books and know that
the operation makes money over time, be mentored, have backup if you get
injured or sick, and have a predictable future.

Be sure to
a.) work together a while to make sure that you are compatible and
b.) put everything in writing and have a non-involved third party like a 
lawyer
      or paralegal look it over before you get too deep in.

There are plenty of such situations if you look around, but there are a few
crooks who prey on the gullible, so do due diligence before signing or 
investing.

The other pitfall is excessive optimism.  The worst thing that can 
happen to a
new beekeeper is to have a huge crop and great bee health the first year.

Trust me, that might be the best year you see for a decade.  Those of us 
who
have been around for a while have worked for nothing some years, and
sometimes several in  a row.

We paid the bills, we paid the employees, and we paid the government, but
we had nothing left for ourselves and families unless a bank saw some future
in us and was not in trouble itself. (banks get into trouble quite 
regularly).

If you can't do that, keep your day job and pension.

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