Foraging ability.

[Curly green finger's]

Ok. Then it was a splended nuc and splended pasture.

Some of the pastures.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The yield depends on pastures.

Sometimes it happens. 2018 was astounding. I doubt I’ll ever see yields like that again. Last year the weather was crap in Wales for a lot of the time but we had three great weeks in July coinciding with the blooming of bramble and clover and if your colonies were set just right you got a lot of honey in a short period. Some of mine were spot on and others behind.
If there is no forage no size of colony will make honey.

 

[Antipodes]

Sometimes it happens. 2018 was astounding. I doubt I’ll ever see yields like that again. Last year the weather was crap in Wales for a lot of the time but we had three great weeks in July coinciding with the blooming of bramble and clover and if your colonies were set just right you got a lot of honey in a short period. Some of mine were spot on and others behind.
If there is no forage no size of colony will make honey.

Do you remember how much came in per week on good hives during those three weeks? About 10kg a week per hive perhaps?

 

[Murox]

Sometimes it happens. 2018 was astounding. I doubt I’ll ever see yields like that again. Last year the weather was crap in Wales for a lot of the time but we had three great weeks in July coinciding with the blooming of bramble and clover and if your colonies were set just right you got a lot of honey in a short period. Some of mine were spot on and others behind.
If there is no forage no size of colony will make honey.

SNAP!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Sometimes it happens. 2018 was astounding. I doubt I’ll ever see yields like that again. Last year the weather was crap in Wales for a lot of the time but we had three great weeks in July coinciding with the blooming of bramble and clover and if your colonies were set just right you got a lot of honey in a short period. Some of mine were spot on and others behind.
If there is no forage no size of colony will make honey.

I agree, may was cold and I was feeding at the start of May.
Harwthorne was brilliant flowering right into the middle of June... I dowt this season will be the same, although fields of nectar rich flowers are being planted again, borage included.

Going back to the harwthorne this late spring was the first time since I've been a beek that our honey was so dark and rich.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do you remember how much came in per week on good hives during those three weeks? About 10kg a week per hive perhaps?

My best colony brought in 100lb two others about 70
That’s 45kg

 

[Murox]

Do you remember how much came in per week on good hives during those three weeks? About 10kg a week per hive perhaps?

On one good hive they drew out a super of foundation and had it sealed by the start of August, under a month. so for me around 10kg minimum per week plus what they consumed in drawing foundation.

 

[Sanntos]

But those towers are not nucs.

Clearly finman, you have to put on some supers to get a yeld

 

[Finman]

On one good hive they drew out a super of foundation and had it sealed by the start of August, under a month. so for me around 10kg minimum per week plus what they consumed in drawing foundation.

If I have 150 kg yield, I have given 3 boxes foundations.
When I had a 150 kg hive on balance, on one week it brought 50 kg in 7 days.
50 kg honey means two full langstroth boxes.

You can (perhaps) imagine, how much nectar the colony bring into the hive per day. And how much the colony needs empty space for nectar.

 

[Finman]

Clearly finman, you have to put on some supers to get a yeld

If I had 4 box hives at the end of June, I joined two such hives for main yield.
All hives are not in foraging condition at the end of June. There are swarmed hives, which do not have brood. There are swarms which have brood, but not much foragers. There are nucs, which do not have capacity to do anything..... much join material.

 

[Murox]

If I have 150 kg yield, I have given 3 boxes foundations.
When I had a 150 kg hive on balance, on one week it brought 50 kg in 7 days.
50 kg honey means two full langstroth boxes.

You can (perhaps) imagine, how much nectar the colony bring into the hive per day. And how much the colony needs empty space for nectar.

Great to have good forage (pastures) and good weather together. Where I am that seldom occurs, too coastal too windy really on an exposed peninsular. We do benefit in summer with around 18 hours of daylight of course.

 

[Antipodes]

My best colony brought in 100lb two others about 70
That’s 45kg

Ok, so just a little less than 10kg a week on average per strong hive on a good flow.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ok, so just a little less than 10kg a week on average per strong hive on a good flow.

Yes. But in this locality it’s practically unheard of. It’s sheep and cattle country with barbered hedges and rain interferes a lot if the time.
In 2018 I got 125kg from each of 4 colonies and four supers of cut comb. Two things happened. The previous year a large area of forest across the valley was harvested leading to a huge bloom of Rosebay Willow Herb. The summer was a long heatwave that lasted weeks. I couldn’t keep up with the bees and ran out of foundation. Truly amazing.

 

[Antipodes]

Yes. But in this locality it’s practically unheard of. It’s sheep and cattle country with barbered hedges and rain interferes a lot if the time.
In 2018 I got 125kg from each of 4 colonies and four supers of cut comb. Two things happened. The previous year a large area of forest across the valley was harvested leading to a huge bloom of Rosebay Willow Herb. The summer was a long heatwave that lasted weeks. I couldn’t keep up with the bees and ran out of foundation. Truly amazing.

That's brilliant!

 

[pargyle]

I agree, may was cold and I was feeding at the start of May.
Harwthorne was brilliant flowering right into the middle of June... I dowt this season will be the same, although fields of nectar rich flowers are being planted again, borage included.

Going back to the harwthorne this late spring was the first time since I've been a beek that our honey was so dark and rich.

Wow ... that's even more incredible... from a starving Nuc in May to 150Kg by the beginning of August when you extracted ... at its peak your colony must have been storing 20Kg a week at least - and the stats would be that that they would need another 10Kg a week to feed themselves ... amazing. Must have been an absolute monster of a colony ...