The best time to extract..?

[SteveSC]

I've had several people tell me that I need to harvest my honey twice a yr. - in June and them again in Aug\Sept..  They also said if you leave your honey in the supers for a period of time after the supers are full that the honey will turn darker - thus the reason to extract as soon as they're full.  I was also told than the second harvest of honey will be a lighter color than the first - I'd think the reason for that if it's true would be based on what flow was going on in the second have of the season.   We get mostly Tulip Poplar honey around yr. and it's dark regardless.

I had not planned on extracting but one time in late summer just for the reason I don't have alot of time and I don't want to clean all the equipment but once.  Is there really a reason to extract more than once a yr. other than you just want to...?  Thanks.

[Mici]

yes there is.
if the later flow-the flow that bees would use as winter stores, well if that flow comes from a nectar source that is somewhat full of solids, then you have a good reason to extraxt twice. if the bees go into winter with honey that is full of solids-honeydew honey or others, don't know all of them the chances of them going throu winter get thinner by the pound of that honey :-D. also, if they get honeybound in late summer they might swarm, and a swarm that late....has little chances, not to mention the primary colony.

[Shizzell]

My first hive I didn't extract honey at all during the year. I got them in the middle of march, they swarmed once in the middle of june of my first year. I gave them too much sugar once I got them. This year, I'ved split the hive I let them have all their honey once so far, I will again this/next weekend, and probably 4 weekends after that. If you don't want a lot of hives, don't let them have all their honey.

Jake

[Michael Bush]

The nice things about twice a year are:
You need less supers and frames.
You don't have to lift them as far.
You can spread out the work.

The nice things about harvesting once:
You only have to harvest once.
You only have to clean up once.