>Hi Beekeepers, > >I'm kinda new to the list. I do have a few questions maybe someone can clearly >answer. > >To start a bee hobby. How many colonies should I begin with? Is one hive >consider a hobby? >Also how many hives would I have to increase to be considered a commerical beek >eeper? > >I thank anyone whom replies to my questions. > >Elizabeth Balogh > Hi Elizabeth; To learn bee management, one, two or three hives can be ideal. To move into honey production you will need to work for a commerial beekeeper for at least one season, perferably for two seasons. To gain a basic understanding of bee physiology, you will need to read a lot and manipulate your hives for at least five years to have enough experience to enter the commerial world. A commerial world in beekeeping means an operation of thousands of hives. To make money and to gain tax advantages, is a business criteria as against a honey sales criteria. For more information and understanding see our home page "Kangaroo Island Beekeeping", the URL is below in my signature. Thanks from : [log in to unmask] http://www.eastend.com.au/~goble [log in to unmask] ( David Goble ) American Beach Kangaroo Island South Australia