There are different aspect:
1) How many hives to learn the beekeeping that you do not get surprices any more. Hives are indivuals and what suits to one hive suits not to another.
2) You bye extractor and many other expencive stuff: how much production it needs to pay back
3) How many hives and spare nucs it is nice to have that you sleep well if something happens to queen or hives or swarms escapes.
4) Beekeeping is an expencive hobby if you do not get good honey yields. If you have 5 hive yard, best hive may get 120 kg honey and the worst 40 kg and the average is 60 kg with 5 hives. One hive may loose its swarms and you get nothing. It is a fortune, what kind of hives you have when summer begins.
