How many hives does a typical hobbyist beekeeper maintain?

A typical hobbyist beekeeper often maintains between 1 to 10 hives. This range allows for hands-on experience, management, and the ability to learn about beekeeping without being overwhelmed by the scale of operation. Most hobbyists want to enjoy the activity and produce a small amount of honey or other bee products for personal use or sharing with friends and family.

The choice indicating 11 to 25 hives represents a more advanced hobbyist or someone who is starting to transition toward a semi-commercial operation, while maintaining 26 to 50 or more hives generally indicates a commercial beekeeper or hobbyist who is operating at a larger scale, focusing on production or pollination services. Such numbers require a higher level of commitment, time, and resources compared to the typical hobbyist's more manageable scale.