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Author Topic: Honey Harvest Totals 2008  (Read 31189 times)

Offline Greg Peck

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #40 on: August 18, 2008, 06:12:12 pm »
Well the first harvest was mainly Locust. Then this second is basically wildflower and clover. One hive is in the city and the other two are in the woods with some farm land around. It is all pretty light in color.

I feed them lots of sugar water too that probably helps some. LOL thats a joke  :-D
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Offline Sean Kelly

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #41 on: August 24, 2008, 10:20:58 pm »
Hive #1 - Unknown (havent harvested it yet but has a ross round on top, 3 shallows, and a deep that I put on for them to clean up from a dead hive that they filled with honey)

Hive #2 - 30lbs plus a medium and another deep that havent been harvested yet.

Hive #3 - Dead

Hive #4 - Dead

Hive #5 - Dead

Hive #6 - Nothing, still too new (caught as a swarm)

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Offline kilowatts

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #42 on: August 25, 2008, 05:24:37 pm »
wow. I live in Cincinnati.  It was a good year for us around here.  I have 5 total hives. 2 of them are re-starts since I lost them over the winter.  I did a split from my own bees.  The 2 new starts are doing so well I had to add supers to them. I was shocked.  So far I have taken 3 supers off and got 85 lbs of honey!!!!  I am taking off the remainder of the supers this week to get them ready for winter.  There is such a honey flow still till end of Sept.  I will let you know about how much more honey we harvest.  I do have comb honey coming off as well.

Offline catfishbill

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #43 on: August 25, 2008, 11:13:17 pm »
first year,7 hives to work with,5 were captured swarms,and 2 were bought packages( 1-Italian,1-Russian) we have gotten 20 gal of honey so far.Russians are by far the best producers so far followed closely by the Italians,the the first swarms caught in late march are a close third. all in all i would have to say it was a good year.by the way what does a gallon weigh.thanks
bill

Offline Cindi

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #44 on: August 26, 2008, 03:17:41 pm »
A gallon of honey weighs 11.8 pounds, honey's specific weight is 1.5, that be one half again the weight of water, beautiful, most wonderful days, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline tlynn

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #45 on: August 26, 2008, 10:07:16 pm »
Our first hive produced 26# from 1 Illinois super.  It still has another full super on it which I'll pull in the next 2 weeks in anticipation of brazilian pepper, which I will leave for them over the winter months.  It's supposed to be "baker's grade."

Split the hive so looking forward to double the honey next year!

Offline TwT

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #46 on: September 03, 2008, 06:07:26 am »
well I finally extracted, didn't take but a few supers, moved a lot around to help winter stores for new hives (I started this year) that were kinda light, my hives had a wide averaged about 60-120 pounds each, I took a total of around 20 gallons of honey for my regular customers. it could have been better but it could have been worst also, with the drought I expected the worst like last year but all hives  except about 12 I started this year had good stores and now all do, hoping for a fall flow, been a few years since the hives smelt like feet (goldenrod), a few years ago they filled up almost 2 supers each but the last 2 years nothing for a fall flow, been feeding sugar syrup buy the truck loads, hope to not have to do that much this year.
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

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Offline trapperbob

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #47 on: September 08, 2008, 12:33:10 pm »
I have one hive established last year from a package and three new packages and a split from the established hive. One of the packages was a top bar hive and built up so fast they swarmed multiple times so no honey there but between all the other hives they made 115lbs of honey and the flow this year wasn't very good since the sweet clover didn't bloom at all in my area so they had to find what they could which was mostly dutch and purple clover and it was scattered also a few wild flowers the fall flow looks OK but I'm going to let them have that. I expect better results next year since sweet clover is biannual also hope to ad three more packages and split as many of the hives I already have as allowable at this rate I'm going to need another yard soon. The wife use to think I was crazy but since she took all the honey to work and it sold itself this crazy beekeeper is starting to look kind of smart. she would have sold it all if I had not stopped her so I could keep some. :-D 

Offline Patrick

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #48 on: September 08, 2008, 06:04:05 pm »
2 Hives
Total 77 pounds with more on the way.
Cheers

Offline 2-Wheeler

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #49 on: September 08, 2008, 10:40:14 pm »
Update:

Hive #1: 65 lbs on July 5th.
Hive #1: 30 lbs on July 26th
Hive #2: 28 lbs on July 26th
Hive 1 + 2:  156 lbs on September 1st

Running total = 279 lbs (2 hives) with more on the way...

Hive #1 is a second year Italian hive installed May 2007.
Hive #2 is a first-year Minnesota Hygienic hive installed April 2008.

I'll update again after our last harvest.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2008, 08:19:47 pm by 2-Wheeler »
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Offline nkybeekeeper

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #50 on: September 19, 2008, 08:49:02 pm »
I'm a first year beekeeper here in Northern Kentucky.  I got 36 lbs total between two hives.  I'm pleased as punch!

Not all the frames looked like this one, but this was my favorite.



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Offline buzzbee

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #51 on: September 20, 2008, 12:10:41 am »
I'm a first year beekeeper here in Northern Kentucky.  I got 36 lbs total between two hives.  I'm pleased as punch!

Not all the frames looked like this one, but this was my favorite.



My beekeeping blog: www.nkybeekeeper.com
You should be pleased,it kinda makes you want to dip a divet of it out with your fingers doesn't it? :)

Offline annette

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #52 on: September 20, 2008, 12:15:08 am »
I read the blog and it looks like the whole family had so much fun. Wonderful blog you have there as well. I will have to keep checking back on it.

Offline hollybees

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #53 on: September 21, 2008, 09:26:03 pm »
Here in Holly Michigan we have 2 hives started in late April.

We just did our honey harvest this weekend.

I figure there's about 90 lbs. total. We left about 80-90 lbs. for the bees.
The hive are very healthy and I guess they like it here in Holly!!...Go Bees :-D

Offline JP

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #54 on: September 21, 2008, 10:25:05 pm »
Pulled 5 mediums and fed some hives that needed it today. Have more to pull, but its a start, and...


My bees are making honey now as well.


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Offline rich

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #55 on: September 23, 2008, 03:48:05 am »
Hi,

3 hives, one super on each hive with 2 broodboxes separated by a queen excluder.
Results:  broodboxes packed with honey, supers completely empty!

My friend has 2 hives with exactly the same results.
Next year absolutely no queen excluders.
Anybody have any comments?
Thanks,
Rich

Offline JP

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #56 on: September 23, 2008, 08:07:54 am »
Hi,

3 hives, one super on each hive with 2 broodboxes separated by a queen excluder.
Results:  broodboxes packed with honey, supers completely empty!

My friend has 2 hives with exactly the same results.
Next year absolutely no queen excluders.
Anybody have any comments?
Thanks,
Rich

Yeah, many on this site don't use excluders, myself as well. Sounds to me your bees were hungry and needed what was in the top super or just didn't like the excluder.

I would remove the excluder and quite possibly the top super, if you don't have enough bees to cover what's below and the top super.

With too much extra space its that much more difficult for them to mantain heat during their winter cluster.


...JP
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Offline 2-Wheeler

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #57 on: September 27, 2008, 11:55:15 pm »
2 Hives, (using queen excluders) final 2008 season tally: 312 lbs
-David Broberg   CWOP#: CW5670 / CoCoRaHS #CO-BO-218
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Offline annette

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #58 on: September 28, 2008, 12:02:29 am »
2 Hives, (using queen excluders) final 2008 season tally: 312 lbs

How did you ever do that much? How many supers made up each hive?? WOW, that is so great.

I have 2 hives and zero honey this year. I will never have that much out here because of our drought conditions in the summer the bees do not make so much honey.


Offline Potlicker1

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Re: Honey Harvest Totals 2008
« Reply #59 on: September 29, 2008, 04:17:13 pm »
I was only able to spin out the capped which was 4 shallow boxes partially filled. We netted 80lbs. I have 9 shallows still on waiting to be capped. Hopefully in two weeks we'll finish.

 

anything