Nice comments, but you're way off on the annual cost. It should be $400 x Beehome (24 beehives) x month, or $4,800 per year for 24 beehives. That's ~$200 per beehive per year.
True. $200 per hive is still high in my opinion. Close to half of expected revenue for local honey (50 lbs avg at $10/lb). Then you have additional costs like bottling, the treatment chemicals, packages to replace lost hives, etc.
