Replying to @user5010800283590 Getting bees is not cheap. I know some people paid more and some paid less. Costs will vary! But this is an honest look at what I spent to get started. This is why it took me a while to start. I had to save up the money and buy pieces at a time to get ready. I bought the deep boxes first with the frames. I assembled them at home which saved me $5 per box. I already had nails. Another visit to the farm store and I got the bottom piece and top pieces. I ordered my tool kit online which saved me a ton, honestly. The smoker alone goes for $20-25 in stores. I spent $30 on the kit but it’s on sale for $20. The bee suit I bought months after I got the bees. It was $32, on the cheaper side but works for me! Some in stores go for $80+ My bee packages did cost $180 plus. Looking back there was another option near me for $138. It’s possible I should have done that BUT I got them from someone near me. The other option got their bees from Georgia, that’s where most packages come from. So the bees were from my area originally, I got them weeks earlier than the other place, and the bee guy came to my house to help me when I had an issue. Plus answered several texts. Not saying that’s standard but it was so nice and helpful having someone close who sold me the bees. The next cost was adding on another deep box and frames. I bought those after I got the bees. Because it was a month and a half later when I needed them. This added another $140 total. Additional spending: front feeders for 2 hives was about $14. Mite treatment was $25. Beetle traps were about $10-12. #beekeeper #honeybees #honeybee #startupcost #garden #gardening #beehive - @dirtandwinemom