Whats your best honey crop from one colony

bee-nuts · August 07, 2010, 04:19:04 AM

I have been having a great year for honey. I wintered 6 colonies. One died out, one alomost died out but has amazingly came back form the brink of death. I bought six nucs, made many splits, sold eight nucs, and now have a grand total of 22 colonies. Pretty good I think for a armature. I was not really expecting much honey this year, I just wanted to go into winter with my goal of twenty colonies. So on to my best honey maker.

I moved a five frame nuc to a new yard I acquired this year. I moved the nuc there in early June. I put it in a deep box, then added a medium then another, then I added a deep below the medium. I pulled two mediums full on honey two weekends ago and added another deep so there was room for all the bees. I put the mediums back on a couple days latter. I inspected this colony two days ago. They have one medium pretty full of honey already, and two deeps 80 percent capped honey. I went all the way down into bottom deep and was a bit scared I was queen less cause you could see that where all the brood was hatching they were backfilling with honey. I did not see any brood till I got to the center three frames. The queen is apparently slowing down cause its august.

So I have Three deeps and two medium boxes on this colony. I got 22 Quarts off of it already(two mediums I pulled), and two deeps full that I can take now and a medium about half full or better and thats not counting outside frames in bottom brood box if I wanted to get real greedy. So Im going to guess I have about 120 pounds in the two deeps. That would be roughly 200 pounds of honey from a colony that was a five frame nuc two months ago. This is no fish story. We have had lots of rain, nice warm weather, and these girls started on white clover and then have had alfalfa for over one month without end. I almost cant believe it myself.

Whats your bees gone bonkers story?

Michael Bush · August 07, 2010, 09:19:04 AM

The most I ever got was about 200 pounds from every hive. They all did about the same. I've never seen it again...

Pillpeddler · August 08, 2010, 01:37:03 AM

Its been a learning year for me. I only have 3 hives. 1 strong, 1 building up and 1 just started (see earlier post). The weather here in eastern Ky has either been torrential rain (flood levels highest ever recorded in some areas) or dry as a bone. So, it has either rained so hard it has beaten the necter off the blossoms or been so dry the blossoms withered. My strong hive has filled 2 deeps but looks like Daddy's gonna be mixin lotsa syrup this fall. :(

MustbeeNuts · August 08, 2010, 08:54:35 AM

I have a couple hives that should give me pretty close to 200lbs. and the rest around the 60 mark. The big ones are on clover and hayfields. beans early in the spring.

hoxbar · August 08, 2010, 01:36:54 PM

Quote from: Michael Bush on August 07, 2010, 09:19:04 AM
The most I ever got was about 200 pounds from every hive. They all did about the same. I've never seen it again...

WOW!!!! In southern Oklahoma the most I've ever heard of was 100lbs. I made 25 pound from one hive and was pleased. You guys are living in honey country!

schawee · August 08, 2010, 02:30:29 PM

last year i got 15gallons from 1 of 4 hives i had. theother 3 i got about 10 gallons from each. ...schawee

skflyfish · August 08, 2010, 10:03:35 PM

This is my fourth season and by far my best year. I haven't collected yet, but these two hives should give a bit. I have had to brace them in case of high winds. The hive on the right was my problem laying worker hive of last year.

Jay

slacker361 · August 08, 2010, 10:51:25 PM

schawee, what kinda bees do you have that kicked out that muchhoney

Livefreeordie · August 08, 2010, 11:24:28 PM

Quote from: slacker361 on August 08, 2010, 10:51:25 PM
schawee, what kinda bees do you have that kicked out that muchhoney

slacker, I am a novice, but I think it has more to do with available nectar than type of bee.

bud1 · August 09, 2010, 03:16:11 PM

its not the type bee bruce has, but that cajun attitude he has that if they dont feed him ; well you know that a cajun will eat anything as long as he got onions, peppers, celery and garlic.

Finski · August 09, 2010, 03:23:15 PM

Quote from: Livefreeordie on August 08, 2010, 11:24:28 PM

slacker, I am a novice, but I think it has more to do with available nectar than type of bee.

That is the main fact. - and the lenght of foraging period in top yields

If you want top crops choose from pastures. It is not easy.

slacker361 · August 09, 2010, 04:04:41 PM

my neighbor has an apple orchard, is apple blossom honey any good?

rast · August 09, 2010, 09:28:59 PM

Breed of bee's, type of forage available, proximity of forage, genetics, age of queen regarding hive number of worker bees during a flow all come into play.
For instance, I had a hive that was a nuc this past August produce 3 supers of honey, an Italian/carnolian queen. An Italian queened hive that had swarmed last April (therefore a new queen) about 6' from it only came up with one super. Here in Fl. I averaged about 25lb's per hive this spring out of about 20 hives.

schawee · August 09, 2010, 11:32:10 PM

SLACKER BUD'S RIGHT.EVERYDAY I GO AND CUT MY ONIONS,CELERY,GARLIC AND PEPPERS RIGHT NEXT TO MY HIVES AND I LET THEM KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM IF THEY DON'T MAKE ME THE HONEY I NEED. :evil:LIKE FINSKI AND LIVEFREE SAID LOCATION,LOCATION,LOCATION.THIS LOCATION IS IN MY BACKYARD AND LOOKS LIKE I WILL GET THE SAME OR BETTER THIS YEAR WITH THIS HIVE.I HAVE 15 HIVES IN MY YARD ,MOST ARE CUTOUTS AND SWARMS I GOT THIS YEAR AND ALL ARE DOING GREAT.I WILL BE MOVING 10 TO MY MAIN YARD AT THE FARM IN THE COMING WEEK OR 2.I LIKE TO BUILD UP THE CUTOUTS AND NUCS BEFORE I MOVE THEMTO THE FARM.IF IT WASN'T FOR THE NABORS I WOULD HAVE ALL MY HIVES HERE.MY NABORS DO LIKE THE BEES HERE FOR THEIR GARDENS,BUT I DON'T WANT TO OVER DO IT. BY THE WAY THE BEES THAT DID THE 15 GAL.IS A CUTOUT I DID 3YEARS AGO. ...SCHAWEE

Michael Bush · August 10, 2010, 05:17:33 AM

>You guys are living in honey country!

If I was living in honey country I'd see that more often than once ever 36 years...

Finski · August 10, 2010, 06:54:35 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush on August 10, 2010, 05:17:33 AM
>You guys are living in honey country!

If I was living in honey country I'd see that more often than once ever 36 years...

But you did not see that which escaped!
WOW
.

manfre · August 10, 2010, 10:05:25 PM

I only harvested from 1 hive. Despite it being split once and sending out 3 swarms, I pulled about 25 pounds.

L Daxon · August 10, 2010, 10:41:54 PM

I just have one hive. The most I ever got in one year was 5 shallow suppers, each had to have the comb drawn first , then filled with honey. I don't know how much that would be by weight.

L Daxon · August 10, 2010, 10:43:08 PM

Quote from: ldaxon on August 10, 2010, 10:41:54 PM
I just have one hive. The most I ever got in one year was 5 shallow suppers, each had to have the comb drawn first , then filled with honey. I don't know how much that would be by weight.

P.S. I didn't do any feeding.

slacker361 · August 10, 2010, 11:22:01 PM

it says on a website that i just visited that a shallow super weighs around 40 lbs