How many hives do you plan to keep for honey this season?

[Ben Framed]

How many hives do you plan to keep for honey production this season?

[Bob Wilson]

I am small potatoes. 3 hives and 5 nucs.
I am honey producing 2 hives and using the others for resources to prime the pump.

[The15thMember]

I'm focusing on making bees instead of honey this year, so I'm just getting whatever honey I get.

[cao]

So far I have about 40 hives making it through winter(we will see after this cold spell).  I don't have any specific plans for specific hives.  As a group I would like to start 20-30 nucs/splits to make up for any losses.  I would like to try and get comb honey from a couple.  And the rest, just take the extra they bring in.  Last year the majority of my honey came off of about ten hives.

I'm focusing on making bees instead of honey this year, so I'm just getting whatever honey I get.

That is what I said last year and I ended with over 25 gallons of honey.

[Acebird]

As it stands right now two.  I picked up a couple of long hives yesterday.

[The15thMember]

I'm focusing on making bees instead of honey this year, so I'm just getting whatever honey I get.

That is what I said last year and I ended with over 25 gallons of honey.

I've had years like that before too.  I'm not looking at it as a sacrifice! 

[Ben Framed]

As it stands right now two.  I picked up a couple of long hives yesterday.

Brian I am glad to see you are back in the bees!  Congratulations of the acquisition!

Phillip

[Oldbeavo]

We are at 180 at present but would like to sell 80 this Autumn to get back to a part time level of 100.
This is part of our semi retirement.

[Ben Framed]

Good luck with your sales Oldbeavo. I would suppose with all the trouble in NSW with the invasion of the varroa mite and a need to replace the lost hives, the demand of good bees will be high when the proper time is right which is a good thing for you and Karen, your fellow beekeepers there, and your country?

Phillip

[Occam]

I have my two hives from last year and built my two horizontal langs so hoping to fill one with a split and catch a swarm for the other. If I happen to catch multiple swarms or do a cutout anywhere I have a couple extra boxes I can put them in.

[Ben Framed]

I have my two hives from last year and built my two horizontal langs so hoping to fill one with a split and catch a swarm for the other. If I happen to catch multiple swarms or do a cutout anywhere I have a couple extra boxes I can put them in.

Thats a good idea Occam. Its a good idea to have 'plenty' of extra supplies on hand. More supplies than I would have thought when I first begun beekeeping.

Phillip

[Michael Bush]

Probably a dozen or so for just honey.  The rest often make some honey in spite of my queen rearing.

[BeeMaster2]

I plan on keeping just 6 hives this year.
Jim Altmiller