Honey harvest

[Finally Home]

How many times does everyone harvest their honey per year.  I'm sure flow can determine this as well.  I've heard some put supers on the in the spring and don't touch them till fall and others harvest more than once.  What do all of you normally do?? All my hives were first year last year.

[Riverrat]

I usually try to harvest in Late June and again  late September. It all depends on the flow we have

[LazyBkpr]

I usually try to harvest in Late June and again  late September. It all depends on the flow we have

   About the same here..  Summer dried up BAD here.  we got .01 in three of the hottest months. Spring honey, but no fall honey. thankfully by late fall it rained enough to let the goldenrod produce and the bees managed to get their winter stores with only a small amount of feeding.

[Finally Home]

Thanks.  Now again, depending on say a decent flow, what is average for a strong hive.  1 super - 2 supers (per harvest).  Just trying to get ideas.  I do understand it won't always be the same, just wettin my taste buds 

[Riverrat]

A lot of the averages are based on what part of the country you live in. Here in south central Kansas we average about 65lbs a hive. Keep in mind that is an average so some will produce more some less.

[Finally Home]

Understood.  I'm taking that you mean per harvest  (X's 2)?

[tecumseh]

in some years like 2011 the answer to your question would be 0.

in acceptable years I will harvest here once.  the greatest proportion of hives designated for honey production are quite normally second year hives.  perhaps not so obviously I have other PURPOSES for bees than just honey production.

[Riverrat]

Understood.  I'm taking that you mean per harvest  (X's 2)?

No the 65lbs is a year average I believe its estimates by the USDA

[Riverrat]

here is a link to average honey productions USDA

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1191

[Finally Home]

OK. 
Yep I also understand bad years.  2011 hear was an extreme dry hot year too.  No bees that year but glad due to conditions.
Thanks

[Woody Roberts]

Since I'm just a hobby beek and most of my honey is for me or friends, family, neighbors. I only run one super per hive. When it has six frames or so capped I extract them and put the wet frames right back on the hive. In a week or so if the other frames are capped I do the same.
This would not work for the big boys, I have seven hives right now so I don't know how much longer it'll work for me.

I started an outyard in Sparta last fall and will probably have to super it normally as it about an hour away.

Woody

[Finally Home]

here is a link to average honey productions USDA

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1191

Thanks MM.  Signed up. 

[Crofter]

I had one 2nd year hive that I took over a hundred pounds from but then fall flow didnt happen and probably fed 20 lbs of sugar back to get to wintering weight.

I took a medium super of honey off 2 others that were splits but fed back that much sugar or more.

4 other splits and nucs got fed over 50 lbs of sugar each.

In all I fed over three hundred pounds of sugar (lost count) to 8 hives!

If you take all the honey and leave the hive light then feed back sugar syrup for winter stores you can make some bragging claims but I think the suggested net  for our area is realistically not more than 60 lbs

[Finally Home]

Since I'm just a hobby beek and most of my honey is for me or friends, family, neighbors. I only run one super per hive. When it has six frames or so capped I extract them and put the wet frames right back on the hive. In a week or so if the other frames are capped I do the same.
This would not work for the big boys, I have seven hives right now so I don't know how much longer it'll work for me.

I started an outyard in Sparta last fall and will probably have to super it normally as it about an hour away.

Woody

Like that thought.  I'd like to get some early but maybe leave most for fall.  Still debating.  Right now I have 4 double deeps and a nuc. 

[Finally Home]

I had one 2nd year hive that I took over a hundred pounds from but then fall flow didnt happen and probably fed 20 lbs of sugar back to get to wintering weight.

I took a medium super of honey off 2 others that were splits but fed back that much sugar or more.

4 other splits and nucs got fed over 50 lbs of sugar each.

In all I fed over three hundred pounds of sugar (lost count) to 8 hives!

If you take all the honey and leave the hive light then feed back sugar syrup for winter stores you can make some bragging claims but I think the suggested net  for our area is realistically not more than 60 lbs

So we need to figure the give and take to be accurate.  Makes sense. 

[Crofter]

It is a matter of accounting I guess. I dont think it is philosophically wrong to take most of the honey and replace with sugar syrup but you will get a different "honey" figure than someone who leaves sufficient honey for bees to winter on and just takes the surplus beyond that amount. I plan to extract earlier this summer and not plan on feeding near as much.

Some of the commercial beeks on the Canadian prairies with a lot of quick crystallizing canola honey, feel the bees winter better on sugar syrup.

[Finally Home]

We pretty much fed our bees most all season (first year).  Guess that will be part of the learning curve for how things go in my area.