Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Bamabww on June 17, 2014, 10:28:36 pm

Title: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Bamabww on June 17, 2014, 10:28:36 pm
We've had an abundance of rain thru most of April and May even thru the first couple of weeks of June in north Alabama and it has really affected my bees honey production. Last year according to my journal I had sold all 15 gallons I harvested by May 30th. This week I pulled the honey off and only got 8 gallons off of 6 hives.

I'm not complaining about the rain because I know some of you can't get any but this is the first year it has impacted my honey production.

But I'm still thankful for every bit I did collect.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: riverbee on June 18, 2014, 12:46:05 am
i hear ya wayne, started off good and now since the first of june, nothing but rain, rain, rain and cloudy skies.  no real sunshine.....the last few years here in wisonsin with the droughts and rain have really affected my honey production. i haven't really had a good honey year in about 4 years i guess, not what i am used to harvesting.  for us the season is still 'young', so will see.  if the rain doesn't stop, it won't be any different.  too much rain is just as bad as drought.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 18, 2014, 01:50:48 am
I was hoping maybe kinda wishing hankering longing for some honey this year, but I don't think so ~ bees are working very hard recovering and building from the swarming this spring. I won't complain, I'm 4 hives now as to 1 hive in March  ;D
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Woody Roberts on June 18, 2014, 12:42:03 pm
I haven't took anything yet. I believe mine is down but certainly delayed. A couple late freezes got the early stuff and it seems it's rained solid since.
I have some uncapped necter but it's hard for them to blow dry air across it when it rains every day.

With all this rain I'm expecting a good crop of weeds though.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Beeboy on June 18, 2014, 12:59:08 pm
I harvest about 7-1/2 gallons yesterday evening from 3 hive. I am anticipating 20-25 gallons from the hives at the house. I have 3 more at a different location that are first year hives, & they may give me 4-5 gallons total, but thats about all. I may be a little optimistic, but I think that's about right. This will be the most I have ever harvested.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: apisbees on June 18, 2014, 12:59:26 pm
You may still be pleasantly surprised. a later honey flow in July and August from the abundant rains in June. A taste of honey from plants that you normally do not get surplus nectar from.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Beeboy on June 18, 2014, 01:06:21 pm
I wondered about that apisbees. I have more rain this year than the previous four years, but not like the others on here. Still I wonder what July & August will bring.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: apisbees on June 18, 2014, 01:23:35 pm
Only time and the weather will tell. We are wetter than usual the grass on the hills are still green. a lot of years the grass comes up brown or is brown with in a few weeks.
most years we get out honey in June this year is looking good for it to extend into July and August.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 18, 2014, 01:33:45 pm
Beeboy- "I am anticipating 20-25 gallons from the hives at the house. I have 3 more at a different location that are first year hives, & they may give me 4-5 gallons total, but thats about all.

   That's some pretty good bragging rights there beeboy  ;D
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Beeboy on June 18, 2014, 01:34:30 pm
Here is a frame that I extracted last night. (https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.tapatalk.com%2Fd%2F14%2F06%2F19%2F8ema2a7y.jpg&hash=7690b8d6218f11160acb6ea4009f24ac8b8a5096)

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Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 18, 2014, 01:46:51 pm
Now that is just down right pretty! I just might have to buy a jar of honey from you... Yes?
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Beeboy on June 18, 2014, 02:39:29 pm
I bet once people find out that I have honey I'll be sold out before I can turn around twice.

$10 a pint $20 a quart. That's high I know, but I can't keep it. I just put the money right back into the bees for next years supplies/equipment.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: riverbee on June 18, 2014, 05:59:57 pm
 :yes: yep, thumbs up from me on the price of your honey beeboy.  and yes they will buy it, and whether you are sold out or not, don't sell it just to get rid of it at anything less....
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 18, 2014, 06:42:00 pm
Okay! I'll take a quart $20 plus shipping  :)  or we can trade for one of my homemade all natural honey lotions.

If you want a referance to my lotion, talk to Lazybkpr and rcannon and riverbee. Either way works just fine with me.

Feel free to pm me on this deal  ;) 8)

Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: riverbee on June 18, 2014, 06:47:14 pm
"If you want a referance to my lotion, talk to Lazybkpr and rcannon and riverbee. Either way works just fine with me."

one descriptive word AWESOME!!!!
okay two.....ALMOST GONE................. :D
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 18, 2014, 06:48:40 pm
Love You Riv! ~Hugs~
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: pistolpete on June 18, 2014, 10:20:28 pm
glad to hear someone is getting honey (even it less than normal).   For me it'll be another 2 weeks before my hives are even ready for supers.   I decided to make bees instead of honey this year.  Worked out all right, I sold $600 in Nucs and gave two nucs to friends and kept one.   All this is from 3 hives, so they have a lot of catching up to do.  If we get some rain in July I will do all right.   If we get drought, I'll be lucky to get enough for personal use. 
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: LazyBkpr on June 18, 2014, 10:21:05 pm
I'm going to have to subscribe for more of the tincture.. Rubbinbg it into my hands before working hives... it "seems" I am taking less stings to the bare hands..    Wife had a cold sore, told her to try it.. cold sore seemed to die in its tracks...   Luck? Or was it the propolis tincture??
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 18, 2014, 11:37:31 pm
Pete- "If we get some rain in July I will do all right.   If we get drought, I'll be lucky to get enough for personal use. 

     :(  Join the no honey crowd :(
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Beeboy on June 18, 2014, 11:39:28 pm
Okay! I'll take a quart $20 plus shipping  :)  or we can trade for one of my homemade all natural honey lotions.

If you want a referance to my lotion, talk to Lazybkpr and rcannon and riverbee. Either way works just fine with me.

Feel free to pm me on this deal  ;) 8)
I haven't heard of your lotion. Tell me more about it. How you make etc.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 19, 2014, 12:00:48 am
Scott- "Wife had a cold sore, told her to try it.. cold sore seemed to die in its tracks...   Luck? Or was it the propolis tincture??

    Okay now you gotta try it for deoderant  ;)  Same way, just buff a few drops onto each underarm and see if you can make it thru the day without underarm odeur.

I can make it one day ~ See? Fresh as new spring day ~   
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs15.postimg.cc%2Fzejad2suf%2Forangutan.jpg&hash=37186c97abc62e2406ee0a5540c23d1991944c56) (http://postimg.cc/image/zejad2suf/)
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 19, 2014, 12:11:55 am
The name of my lotion is 'Let it Bee', I make it at home and sell it down town. It contains no chemicals, parabins, or additives.

I have two recipies ~ basic winter/summer lotion, and a summer lotion with an natural spf of about 15.

Ingredients: extra light olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, vitamin e, raw honey, aloe vera juice, chamomile tea, rose absolute essential oil, distilled water, vegetable wax as an emulsifyer to marry the oils with the waters.

This is food for the skin. You can actually eat it!
A dollup on a baked potato a little salt and pepper.... no I'm only kidding  :D

Making it is too hard to explain, but it's simply a pan of oils and a pan of water, two thermometers, get each to the right temperature and combine.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: tecumseh on June 19, 2014, 03:22:21 am
I just started extracting two days ago.  This will continue for the next couple of weeks and come Friday I must take off and extract the TAMU Honey Bee Lab's honey.  Production this year is somewhat up.  After the drought of 2011 everything looks up < I fed perhaps a ton of sugar just to keep bees alive that year.
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Beeboy on June 20, 2014, 07:06:52 am
Here's some of that liquid gold that I spun out. (https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.tapatalk.com%2Fd%2F14%2F06%2F20%2Fnyvuve7y.jpg&hash=f7d9ecf8609f8f23b6771e0997366137c32f589c)

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Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: riverbee on June 20, 2014, 10:43:55 am
very nice beeboy!
Title: Re: Honey production down for me this spring.
Post by: Jen on June 20, 2014, 12:08:50 pm
Yuuuum  :)  I eat 2-3 tablespoons of honey a day  :)