Estimated costs of for the first and second year of keeping honey bee colonies. The prices provided are representative and will vary based on where you purchase your equipment. Pricing as of July 2026. A printable version of this Beekeeping Equipment Startup Costs guide is also available.
Notes on Beekeeping Equipment Costs:
- Used Equipment: Avoid purchasing used hive equipment for your colonies— particularly beeswax comb—due to disease and pesticide risks. However, used extracting equipment can be safely purchased.
- Second-Year Equipment: If you plan to split a surviving overwintered colony into two, you will need an equivalent amount of hive equipment for the additional colony.
- Long-Term Costs: The per-colony cost decreases over time since most equipment only requires replacement if damaged or when older frames are rotated out.
- Honey Extraction Options: You may be able to rent honey extraction equipment through a local bee club, another beekeeper, or hire someone to extract.
- Pricing: All listed prices refer to assembled and painted hive boxes.
General Beekeeping Needs:
- Smoker: $35
- Smoker fuel, wood shaving animal bedding: $8 (Year 1 and 2)
- Hive tool: $11
- Bee Suit (optional): $126
- Veil & hat: $30
- Leather bee gloves (optional): $20
- Leg straps (optional): $11
- Permit, depending on location: $10 (Year 1 and 2)
- Local beekeeping club membership: $10 - $35 (Year 1 and 2)
Total: $261 - $286 for Year 1 and $28 - $53 for Year 2
Healthcare Needs per Colony:
- Sugar syrup (20-28 pounds of sugar per package of bees and sugar for spring feeding in year 2): $20 - $28 (Year 1 and 2)
- Pollen substitute, 2 pounds: $15 (Year 1 and 2)
- 3 treatments for varroa mites: $53 - $112 (Year 1 and 2)
- Mite testing equipment: $40
Total: $128 - $195 for Year 1 and $88 - $147 for Year 2
Hive Equipment per Colony (all costs are needed for Year 1 and 2):
- Hive stand: $20
- Bottom board & entrance reducer: $30
- Telescoping & inner cover: $56
- 3 deep hive bodies with 30 frames, painted and assembled: $270
- Moisture board: $16
- Winter cover: $54
- Feeder pail: $6
- Queen excluder, metal: $12
- 2-4 medium supers with 10 frames each, painted and assembled: $166 - $322
- Empty hive body for protecting the feeder pail: $22
- 2- or 3-pound package of bees: $188 - $200
Total: $840 - $1,008 for both Year 1 and Year 2
Honey Harvesting and Extracting Equipment:
- Bee brush: $10
- Empty super box (to put honey frames into during harvesting): $18
- Two spare inner covers (to place under and over harvested honey boxes): $38
- Capping scratcher: $8
- Uncapping knife, heated (optional): $100
- Stainless steel strainer: $38
- Uncapping bin: $200
- One 5-gallon food safe bucket: $10 (Year 1 and 2)
- One 5-gallon food safe bucket with honey gate: $40
- Extractor: $130 - $2,200
- Jars for honey, six flats of 12-pint jars: $96 (Year 1 and 2)
Total: $688 - $2,758 for Year 1 and $106 for Year 2