Newbee planning for winter

gnlwjr · July 17, 2017, 01:02:16 PM

I am a first year beekeeper and I am looking for some advice concerning the amount of honey to leave for winter. I am using all 8 frame medium equipment. I have six boxes on each hive. The top box is mainly comb at this point. Each of the other boxes weigh over 50 pounds. Box 5 is about half capped. The bottom 3 obviously have brood as well as honey. I wasn't planning on extra honey in the first year, but it seems like I might have some. But I don't have any experience to compare with. I am in Iowa half way up on the Mississippi. I would appreciate any advice.

Aroc · July 17, 2017, 01:50:19 PM

In my neck of the woods they say your hive should weigh about 150 lbs or more. That is boxes, frames, bees and honey. You may need to add sugar fondant or similar just to be safe. A little 2 inch shim on top to create space for the extra food works great.

gnlwjr · July 17, 2017, 03:37:12 PM

So, since my hives are 0ver 250 pounds each I should have plenty. Should I be looking at overwintering in 3- 8 frame mediums or 4?

cao · July 17, 2017, 04:34:02 PM

I try to have at least 3 10 frame mediums(or equilivant) full going into winter. With that I don't need to feed any sugar. Less than that I put some sugar bricks on top for insurance. I did overwinter four hives last winter that were 3 8 frame mediums without any additional feed. I would say you could do 3 boxes, but I would probably play it safe with 4.

gnlwjr · July 17, 2017, 08:31:58 PM

Since I have 5 boxes full , I should be able to take 8 frames of capped honey from box 4, move box 5 down (since some of the honey is not capped yet) and put the empty box on top with empty frames so they can start drawing out comb. Would this be correct. I'm sorry if this is a stupid question or if the answer is obvious. Its all new to me, and I haven't found a beekeeper close by to connect with.

splitrock · July 17, 2017, 09:31:13 PM

I think you are rushing winter a bit. Dont you have sweet clover blooming yet? I am over a month away from harvesting. You should be putting supers on yet imho.

gnlwjr · July 17, 2017, 09:42:55 PM

Yes, My original question was how much honey I need for winter. My next was going to be when to harvest. Since I wasn't counting on any honey this year, I hadn't thought about it as much. But it appears that I will have plenty. We do have a lot of clover right now. I'm going to have to find some more supers pretty quick.

Eric Bosworth · July 17, 2017, 10:33:12 PM

I harvest in the fall and leave enough for them to winter. If you leave enough you won't need to feed them. I also overwinter nucs. How are your winters? I have yet to lose a colony to starvation. If you can find a source of local queen I would make nucs and overwinter nucs. The time to start them is about now but not so early that they swarm on the fall flow. I don't know what your winters are like or your flows either for that matter. I like to start nucs just before the goldenrod flow to make sure they build up enough. If they build up to fast I add a box and take some honey. I am in upstate New Yuk so I am close to your latitude maybe a little north. We have pretty wet winters. Dealing with the moisture is more of a problem for me than how much honey to leave them.

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cao · July 18, 2017, 12:06:27 AM

Quote from: gnlwjr on July 17, 2017, 09:42:55 PM
My next was going to be when to harvest.

You can harvest anytime that it is capped. I harvested some honey about 3-4 weeks ago(mainly because I was out and had several people asking when I would have more). The rest I will harvest in a few weeks.

splitrock · July 18, 2017, 06:47:04 AM

I don't care to much for the honey we get until the clover is done.

Early honey up here just isn't as good without the clover being predominant.

beebad · July 28, 2017, 09:30:18 AM

In virginia we need about 60 pounds of stored food for winter, in New Hampshire its over 100. My winter configuration is (3)-box mediums.It is August and we need get through the VARROA build up.....I have bigger fish to fry to worry about food for winter at the end of July....I usually feed 2:1 by the end of September, begin OAV at thanksgiving and then put fondant on by christmas--haven't lost any hives in 5 years-that is 100% overwintering. Then again, I do a lot to get them through wha we use to call winter....