Beekeeping costs

A production queen costs $30. A breeder with documented genetics costs $500+. Instrumentally inseminated queens break $1,000. The price reflects the breeding.

Real honey costs $8-15/lb to produce. Grocery store honey sells for $4-6. That gap isn't markup - it's the difference between real product and something else.

Spring packages cost $150-180. Fall packages - when they're available at all - cost $100-120. The price reflects demand, not the bees.

A package is $150 for 3 pounds of bees and a stranger queen. A nuc is $225 for an established mini-colony. The price gap buys you 4-6 weeks of head start.