Best time to extract honey

mike99 · Jun 2, 2020

Hi. This is the first year I have any surplus honey. I have two colonies and currently have one full super with a new super added on sunday to one hive. The other colony is on double brood but little stored in the super. I bruised some of the really heavy brood frames to try and encourage them to move it upstairs.
Do people differentiate between spring/early summer honey and summer/late summer honey and extract accordingly?
They still seem to be extensively foraging and packing in the pollen. I must be honest and say that I can't identify them bringing in necter.

drex · Jun 2, 2020

I normally do two extractions a year, late spring and early autumn. This is because the spring crop Is usually ****, which has to come off promptly before it sets. This year no osr round here and honey in frames still liquid, but little capped, so will hold off the first extraction.
Let the local conditions and your needs dictate.

enrico · Jun 2, 2020

I like to keep as many different batches as I can because they are all different. I will sometimes just take one box off if I think they have been on a certain crop
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Erichalfbee · Jun 2, 2020

I like to take different honey and because I have a small hand spinner in addition to the Abelo giant I can take the odd few frames. But only if the bees can spare it.

mike99 · Jun 2, 2020

Thanks for the replies. I will just keep and eye on it at the moment. when I inspect next I will see how much they have added to the new super and the part filled one. the full one isn't completely capped yet so I will leave it for the time being.
There isn't any OSR around here any more so that won't come into play.

Swarm · Jun 2, 2020

Dependent on area, available forage as in a flow of some sort, weather and conditions.
Some odd years like 2018, I was removing supers of Spring honey, more often I take none at all or a few frames at most.
For all the glorious weather we have had, there has been no flow in my location. The hives have supers on and there is weight in them but nothing special, I noticed fresh nectar yesterday which is the first time for a while.
Different story with pollen.