Thanks all for the welcome
Rosmary -- best of luck although the time to start is May-july following a course so you need to shake a leg if you want to start this year.
Sandy -- last year was my best so far - I took honey from 8 hives, most of it from 6 of them, and it amounted to just over 500lbs. However, since 4 did not produce, it was more in line overall with the standard accepted average of 50lb per hive
I sell 2/3rds each year and have never covered my costs yet -- but my elderly mother loves having a tub of honey with a tap in her kitchen :-)
Beekeeping is not something to make a living wage on unless you run 100+ hives and I spend at least 8 hours a week during April - September messing about with my few.