I don't think you quite understand what a " hobby " is.
Here. in the US people have " Hobbies " that are for pleasure and personal satisfaction and not really something that must make money. Even here, the USA, not all the people are money chasing capitalist. Some people like to do things for pleasure and keeping bees can be just that. Catch and release is rather a silly idea but so is sitting in a sauna cooking yourself
That is not to say that a hobby cannot earn some money, but that is a side consideration. I plan to earn some money as I previously said, but I have invested near 1500 dollars in this " hobby " so far, and I will invest further in the new season. We are dealing with nature here and there are definate possibilities of failure. Circumstances beyound our control, such as these severe storms/ hurricanes like Katrina, mites, beetles, and other things that can affect hive and honey bees.
A few hives, 4-5-6 will not buy you an appartment for sure and 20 hives will not do much better. Surely you are aware of honey prices here in the US.
Buy some US Dollars with your Euros and wait for the market to change and you WILL make some money when the dollar once again regains strength. I can't tell you how long you will have to wait but history should give you some insight.