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Offline daniel

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #20 on: September 07, 2009, 08:40:42 pm »
We had 370 pounds off six hives this year. I also noticed frames not drawn out even or capped. It would have been better if I would have controlled the swarming better. We had two swarm early and one late. I should have split more of the hives to reduce the population earlier in the year. I learn more every year than the girls change the rules!!  Dan

Offline Kathyp

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #21 on: September 07, 2009, 08:53:33 pm »
Quote
We had 370 pounds off six hives this year

wow.  congratulations!  nice to hear that not everyone had a bad year.  you should be getting good money this year.  i have heard the prices are up.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline contactme_11

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #22 on: September 08, 2009, 09:42:26 am »
What harvest  :?  :lau: :lau: :lau:
    BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)
That's the way I feel. 5 hives and I've harvested 4 frames this year and now I'm feeding. I thought last year was bad...

Online Jim134

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #23 on: September 08, 2009, 06:37:18 pm »
contactme_11 .......


 I got 2  :'(  frames this year on 12  hives and I will be feeding.


       BEE HAPPY Jim  :)
« Last Edit: September 10, 2009, 06:21:05 pm by Jim 134 »
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
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"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
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Offline MustbeeNuts

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #24 on: September 08, 2009, 08:52:38 pm »
so my total this year is 125lbs from nine hives. I think thats pretty poor. but this is just my second season. theres always NEXT year.!! LOL
you know that seems to be a pretty popular belief. wonder if its ever correct. . lol
Each new day brings decisions,  these are  new branches on the tree of life.

Offline mherndon

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #25 on: September 08, 2009, 10:07:37 pm »
I was lucky and harvested 90 lbs. off two hives.  One was very strong and the other was from a split off the main hive early this Spring.  I left what honey was uncapped.  I pulled one super that wasn't capped and have it in the freezer now.  Golden rod is all over and I planted some buckwheat 3+ weeks ago and the girls are tearing it up each morning.  I harvested two times.  Once in the middle of June and the second at the end of July.  Only did this to try to focus on sourwood on the second go around.  I started feeding this weekend also to build up plenty of stores.


Mark
Starting my 3rd year and still having a ball!

Offline contactme_11

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #26 on: September 10, 2009, 01:47:20 pm »
Why do you think it was so bad this year? All the rain?
contactme_11 .......


 I got 2  :'(  frames this year on 12  hives and I will be feeing.


       BEE HAPPY Jim  :)

Online Jim134

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #27 on: September 10, 2009, 06:19:52 pm »
Why do you think it was so bad this year? All the rain?





contactme_11 .......


 I got 2  :'(  frames this year on 12  hives and I will be feeding.


       BEE HAPPY Jim  :)


Rain and cool IMO no 90F in June or July

           BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)
« Last Edit: September 14, 2009, 07:01:06 am by Jim 134 »
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline bee-nuts

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #28 on: September 17, 2009, 01:29:53 am »
Well I pulled honey today and thanks to my great harvesting skills I am now lucky if I get 30-40 pounds of honey instead of 80-100.

I was going to just brush bees off the frames yesterday but I bought some bee escapes this spring so I figured I better see if they work.  A friend came along to help.  I have been waiting for the bees to cap honey and to my disappointment the uncapped frames looked the same.  One hive had a deep super full of caped honey so I put the inner cover and bee escape in put the super one and moved to the next hive to look at stores and my Buddy put the inner cover and outer cover on.  I forgot that that inner cover had three Popsicle sticks on it.  I worked all weekend and got called in Monday.  Tuesday I was woke early so I still did not get to sleep in and catch up till today.  By the time I got out to pull honey it was five.  As soon as I pulled up to the hives I knew what happend and I was glad to share with nature and the bees many great words of my disapproval.  They emptyed the whole super other than maybe one frame if you added it all up.  One by one I shook off all the frames and soon knew which hive had robbed me and the colony blind for soon there was a monster beard of bees on the hive the robbers belonged to.  The evidence was clear when I looked through there hive when I found almost every frame in there brood chambers full of uncapped honey.  They filled all the empty cells around hatched brood.  Frames on outside that were mostly bare last time I inspected the hive were full to the brim of stolen honey (every cell full and not one cell capped).  I was so mad.  Only one hive had a full box of caped frames on it.  Gone in one day.  Anyway I rumaged through three hives and came up with maybe forty pounds of honey. 

Now I have a question.  The hive that stole the honey looks like this.

Two deeps for brood and two mediums for honey.  The one medium is all drawn and each side of frames are 30-40% capped.  so I did not take it.  Other medium is just foundation (I added this box for room so they would not swarm).  The bottom two boxes are loaded with brood pollen and honey.  They filled every available cell in these boxes with the honey they stole.  Now the queen has nowhere to lay eggs.  Will they now move the honey up into the medium boxes to make room for the queen or will they just leave it there, stopping brood rearing.  IF they move it up that will be great because they will fill and cap the one box so I can take it and hopefully draw the other box out.  If they don't I am worried they could swarm or stop raising brood and not have the bees they need to winter.

I am so disappointed with myself for allowing such a stupid mistake to cost most  of my harvest.  I know better than to leave any opening into a box when using a bee escape.  If I would have woke up at ten like I wanted to I would have probably have caught the disaster in time to have little loss.  I guess I should just be happy these hives are alive and not starving like many hive are in the country right now.  A 50 cent bee escape cost me 60 pounds of honey.  Oh well!!
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Offline GaryMinckler

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #29 on: September 17, 2009, 06:55:23 am »
No harvest for me this year.  4 established colonies made about 7-8 surplus medium frames.  I split that up between 2 colonies that were a little light. (Swarms)   

Offline fcderosa

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #30 on: September 17, 2009, 11:37:14 am »
Four hives at the beginning of season.  End of season; 8 Med frames of honey from the feral hive, have been feeding the other three, will have to combine two of the hives hoping they'll survive the winter.  Have decided to feed the feral hive as well.  Two bad years in a row.  Have also decided to split the bee yard to various locations on my property than in one location
The good life is honey on a Ritz.

Offline annette

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #31 on: September 18, 2009, 04:15:42 pm »
This was definitely my worst year. I pulled only 5 medium frames and although the remaining stores looked sufficient a month ago, well they ate through them already and now I am feeding, feeding, feeding 3 out of 4 hives. Every night making sugar syrup like clock work.

I am so ready for winter. Goodnight little girls.

Offline honeytaker

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #32 on: September 18, 2009, 08:42:30 pm »
I don't know why all the bad luck this year i live in Michigan and I've had a great year light in the spring dark in the summer and light in the fall been averaging 5 gallons per super i got lots of pictures ill post for the shock and awe

Offline blckoakbees

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #33 on: September 19, 2009, 08:09:00 am »
 :-D After reading all your experience, I feel pretty good.  I have five hives from last year.  Increased by five hives with swarms and splits.  I did purchase some new queens.  I got 60 pounds from the three hives in one location and approximately 260 pounds from the other hives.  I have comb honey in the freezer. We have been eating and giving away honey so I do not have an exact amount.  Cooler summer than usual here and the flowers bloomed longer. I also know there are is still some honey to be harvested in the two of my hives.  I have also four or five frames to feed back in winter

My estimate is 360 pounds this year for 10 hives. Five of which are in their first year.  Now I have to sell more honey. :roll:

Offline phill

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #34 on: September 20, 2009, 01:36:46 pm »
No harvest to speak of here, but girls were bringing in pollen by the boatload this afternoon. So I guess it's not quite time to think of winter yet.

Offline bee-nuts

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Re: my harvest is way down
« Reply #35 on: September 20, 2009, 07:30:32 pm »
I ended up with two gallons.  LOL

Hopefully I got a medium capped when I check tomorrow!!  Then its time to focus on winter survival.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson