Demand is there but location is everything.
I got zero honey year 1, 2011, absconded first hive, 2nd robbed out in October by the first that took off I think (a bad removal had wiped out every bee for miles in 2010)
I got about a pint of honey in 2012, fed about 100 lbs of sugar, severe drought/dearth, but got up to 5 hives.
Got about 50 lbs of honey in late May early June 2013 when my hives got EFB, a disease that thrives in drought conditions with poor nutrition. I had to steal all the honey to get the bees healthy again, none could be fed to bees. went down to 2 hives at the height of the disease, up to 3 or 4 by winter but one swarmed late and another was just too small had to ship it off to a friend's to keep it from getting robbed. Fed about 150 lbs of sugar
Got smart by 2014, got 4 gallons of honey so about 40 lbs, June 2014. Sold off the Arlington hive which helped my breakeven point, went down to one hive after a requeen seemingly failed, and I sold the other extra hive, mated queen turned back up a week later so I was at 2 hives, and I bought a pair of august queens, one for a cutout that killed theirs or ran her off, and one for a split, so I was at 3 going into winter.
Fed about 75 lbs of sugar. Lost my biggest hive to late brood, early freeze, they starved below a full box of honey, I am at 2 relatively small hives right now.
I only made sugar bricks once this winter, because I fed 2:1 in the fall and robbed so early in the year they had plenty of stores and because I lost a hive with a full medium of "honey" on top I was able to add a box of honey to the August startup and I also had some fall honey in the freezer I was able to add to the one started by the returned queen in late May 2014. They should both be ready for whatever flow we get, we are finally getting a little rain now. My garden has been bone dry and my foundation is shifting again due to drought.
If you are having a severe drought or are in a monocrop area or an area with no flowers, don't expect a super honey harvest.
There is a lot more market than I even try to meet. With only 40 lbs, allergies myself and grandkids with allergies, I think I'm selling a half pint of honey and that's it. The rest is for my family. I don't expect to make a profit here.
