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Offline leominsterbeeman

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Extracted today... 196 lbs total
« on: October 03, 2004, 07:12:57 pm »
Well,  I extracted my honey today and it looks like the onofficial results are in at 196 lbs for the two Leominster hives.   This is pretty good, considering I got 11 lbs last year.     I was estimating that I had 250lbs; but about 5-6 frames were still green and uncapped.

Time to let it settle, strain it and start bottling it.

Thanks to Johnny B's for his extractor and my father-in-law, Walter D, for an extra set of hands.

Johnny  B always says,  "You know there's a God.  You put the empty boxes on in the spring and in the Fall,  and you get this beautiful honey."

I agree.
Michael Keane
leominsterbeeman@comcast.net
http://www.leominsterbeeman.com

Offline Finman

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Re: Extracted today... 196 lbs total
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2004, 03:44:43 pm »
Quote from: leominsterbeeman
Well,  I extracted my honey today and it looks like the onofficial results are in at 196 lbs for the two Leominster hives.  


How many boxes you had in your hive towers?

If you have 4 Langstroth box, you may get  2-3 times more, if you have 6 boxes  ( of course full on bees).

How many months you honey yield season last in your area?

In Finland honey yield season is only one month = July.

But more than bees honeys yield depend on pastures, how much and how far they carry.

But you had a pretty progress, 1700%  in one year!. :wink:

Offline TJ

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Extracted today... 196 lbs total
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2004, 03:47:56 pm »
Did you leave anything for the bees or do you take it all and feed sugar for the winter? How many frames did you extract? Sounds like a good haul.

guest-bigskybee

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response to Upstate NY yield...
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2004, 04:34:27 pm »
I am a first year beekeeper with one hive.  Based on my readings, I had not anticipated any yield this year.  W/ a warm summer in Western MT, good package of bees starting on bare Duragilt foundation, I was quite surprised to get about 45 lbs of honey.  And I've left 3 deep frame hives on with est. 65 lbs of honey for winter feed.  

Here's general question for someone: I estimate 50,000 bees in hive curretnly.  Should they winter in 3 deeps (minimal honey in top deep) or 2 deeps to help retain warmth?  I figured I could put top box feeder on top of 2 deeps instead of fussing with  three deeps.  Anyone have experience or thoughts here?
thanks
Bigskybee

Offline Finman

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Re: response to Upstate NY yield...
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2004, 05:15:31 pm »
Quote from: guest-bigskybee
I am a first year beekeeper with one hive.  Based on my readings,  And I've left 3 deep frame hives on with est. 65 lbs of honey for winter feed.  

Here's general question for someone: I estimate 50,000 bees in hive curretnly.  Should they winter in 3 deeps (minimal honey in top deep) or 2 deeps to help retain warmth?  I figured I could put top box feeder on top of 2 deeps instead of fussing with  three deeps.  Anyone have experience or thoughts here?
thanks
Bigskybee


Perhaps, I do not ungerstand?

But if you have  3 box bees, they are better to put in one box for winter.

If you have 5 box bees at summer, bees will be in one or two box during winter. You must put food frames to one box and shake bees in front of the hive to the ground. From there they reise via plate to hive.

One full Langstroth frame has 2,5 kg or 5 lbs honey.

One  full Langstroth box is 25 kg honey. But I take them off and give them sugar. 25 kg is a half of summer yield in Finland.

In Finland 25 kg winter food is enough. Isolated wall in the hive will save 1/3 of winterfood. It is 8 kg honey per year.  In 10 years it is 80 kg.

If you have 50 000 bees = 3 boxes at summer, at winter they will be 10 000 -15 000.

Offline golfpsycho

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Extracted today... 196 lbs total
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2004, 05:33:54 pm »
I'm guessing your winter is pretty similar to mine in SLC.  I took the honey off, then gave them the supers back over the inner covers to clean.  As the weather has gotten cooler, I have squeezed them down into 2 boxes.  Then I fed syrup back to them.  They topped off the second deep, and I left them the frames in the bottom box.  I figue there is close to 90 lbs of stores in there.  I felt the 3rd box was too much room for them to try to keep warm.  Then I made up some fondant and put it in the freezer just in case.  In the spring, depending on what I find, I will decide how much more or less I have to leave them next year.

Offline leominsterbeeman

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Boxes
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2004, 02:29:48 pm »
For the brood chamber I used 2 Langstroth Deeps.   For Honey production - I use mediums, shallows, etc.   For these two hives,  LC1 had 5 mediums and a shallow.   LC2 had 2 mediums and 3 shallows.  LC1 was far and away better wax producers and honey producers.  

I never take honey frames from the brood chambers.  I leave two deeps on each hive for over wintering.

I am going back tomorrow and will determine the honey stores for winter by counintg up the frames of honey in the brood chamber.  I assume there will be an adequate supply.  Anyways, i will feed them sugar syrup since I have the feeders.

Honey Season here in New England starts about May 10 until  Oct 10.

My location is good with various nectar sources throughout this period with a  nectar dearth in  July time frame.
Michael Keane
leominsterbeeman@comcast.net
http://www.leominsterbeeman.com

Offline leominsterbeeman

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Extracted today... 196 lbs total
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2004, 02:37:03 pm »
Also on the agenda for tomorrow:

Put the wet and sticky supers on top of the inner cover.

Put in Apistan strips/ Patties/ Menthol.

Put on entrance reducer.
 (We are going to have a deep freeze tonight.)

 
Next week:

Take the wet supers off and store them for next spring.

Add feeders.

Start bottling honey.
Michael Keane
leominsterbeeman@comcast.net
http://www.leominsterbeeman.com

Anonymous

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Extracted today... 196 lbs total
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2004, 01:48:26 pm »
196 lbs. for two hives, not too shabby.
I agree with you on never taking honey from the brood chamber. The bees worked hard for their winter stores and I certainly don't need their honey as bad as they will come early spring. If they can't provide me with some surplus honey to steal from them then I haven't provided them with the correct management during the year for me to deserve to reap any reward.
Congratulations on a good year.

newbee in illinois

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honey production
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2004, 04:05:45 pm »
This is my second year at beekeeping in northern Illinois. I have one hive that has two deep brood boxes on it and a top feeder. Last year I lost my bees overwinter and had to buy a new package this spring. The girls started out 2004 with drawn comb, and made great progress, I have taken 168.5 pounds of honey from my one hive. I extracted  July 23 and again on  September 4.
At this point I have just completed my fall check, and they have filled one more shallow super. I am thinking I will leave that for the hive over winter as I am gun-shy after loosing my colony last spring.
Thanks for all the great tips on this website!

Anonymous

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Extracted today... 196 lbs total
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2004, 11:18:23 am »
newbee
Living in Southwestern Pa I guess I have pretty much the same climatic conditions that you do. While a number of beekeepers throughout the country have been bemoaning a poor honey yield all summer, I've been having a pretty good year. We've had a record rainfall all summer long and yet my two overwintered hives managed to produce a little over 380 pounds of surplus honey this year. Besides that they have their two deep hive bodies crammed full of honey for the winter.
Three of the splits that I made this year also provided me with a little over 130 pounds of surplus honey. They also have their hive bodies crammed full of honey for the winter months ahead.
If you managed to get that much honey from your colony I would expect that they have an abundance of stores put up for the winter. I wouldn't think it necessary to leave a super full of honey on top of the hive for them to make it through the winter. In addition, if you leave the super on top, by next spring your queen may be filling it with brood.
If you're concerned with them having enough stores to make through the winter you could place the super above the inner cover and see if the bees move the honey from it down into the deeps.

Offline Finman

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Extracted today... 196 lbs total
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2004, 12:39:51 pm »
Quote from: carbide
196 lbs. for two hives, not too shabby.
I agree with you on never taking honey from the brood chamber. The bees worked hard for their winter stores and I certainly don't need their honey as bad as they will come early spring. .


I use  no magic in my nursing, and no feelings. Bees are only exploitation objects for me 8)

I use 3 brood boxes in each hive and i have taken during 40 years all honey away from brood framames. I give them about 5 kg honey to hive for winter. They survive very well through long winter. No problems.

Honey has only energy. Vitamins and nutritients are in pollen.