Honey Harvest - just a few questions

[Jess132]

Hi all,

I was wondering when should i stop removing the capped honey from my hives. I live in manchester and the climate at the moment is humid, with slight rain for an hour or so every day. The bee's are still flying and i've already removed 5 suppers from my hives. each super contained approx 20lbs of honey. The bees now all have one super with uncapped honey and one empty super each. This is my first year beekeeping and I don't want to leave them without enough honey for winter. Also if i leave them with 1 super each and feed with candy will that be enough and is that good practice? When should I start feeding for winter too.
Thanks
Jess

 

[VEG]

A super full should be more than enough, with no need to feed over winter but remember to take the queen excluder off for the winter.

 

[enrico]

Loads......they can survive a normal winter on a bb. A super full of honey or food is a bonus, I would leave the candy for emergencies! I like to leave a super of honey if at all possible but try not to feed on top of that as you never know if sugar will be in next years crop! Use candy instead!
E

 

[VEG]

Forgot to say I dont leave a super on over winter as they normally have enough in the brood box from the last of the balsom in my area.

 

[Jess132]

Brilliant thank you! I'm second guessing what to do and the advice on here is always perfect! Thanks again!

 

[VEG]

dont forget to update your profile with number of hives and your location as it helps with the answers given.

 

[Jess132]

Funny you should say that, I acquired these bees from somebody else who always removed all the supers and then feed them with candy. I was advised that this is bad for the bees but they all survived the winter well and I have 3 strong colonies and 1 that swarmed but is building up fast. I've also noticed that the two outside frames in the brood box are full of stores. Will these increase over the last summer? Thanks for your advice

 

[VEG]

I remove the supers but they then fill the brood up with honey from the end of the balsam, I dont usually have to feed them. But if I do have to I then put some fondant on. They should build up for the winter ok.

 

[richardbees]

Jess

I prefer to over-winter with just the bb as a National full of stores is more than enough. If you have a super with half filled frames, gently score across each one to damage the honeycomb and put the super back on top of the bb with a cover board (feed hole open!) in between...the bees will then take the nectar/honey down to the bb leaving you a super of crystal clean foundation to take off and store for next year.

You can then give an additional feed of syrup to make up the weight; imo a National brood box needs to weigh about 60lb in October to be ready for winter

richard

 

[mbc]

Hi all,

I was wondering when should i stop removing the capped honey from my hives. I live in manchester and the climate at the moment is humid, with slight rain for an hour or so every day. The bee's are still flying and i've already removed 5 suppers from my hives. each super contained approx 20lbs of honey. The bees now all have one super with uncapped honey and one empty super each. This is my first year beekeeping and I don't want to leave them without enough honey for winter. Also if i leave them with 1 super each and feed with candy will that be enough and is that good practice? When should I start feeding for winter too.
Thanks
Jess

congratulations !
How much to leave is dependant on hive type, bee type and wintering conditions.
With my bee type( natives), my hive type (national mostly) and our mild winters I dont leave any supers on, but then again I havent averaged six supers a hive this bloody awful (for me at least !) season.

 

[oliver90owner]

richardbees,

put the super back on top of the bb with a cover board (feed hole open!)

Doesn't always work, but putting them under the brood box does. And you don't have those gaping holes in the crownboard either!

I stopped doing that (supers above the Dartingtons) because the bees started to refill them, even with space below, so now I satisfy both requirements. And I would, of course have my solid crown board over the super, anyway, if I were doing that trick, so no gaping holes above my hives!

mbc,

I didn't read it as 5 supers on each!

RAB

 

[mbc]

mbc,

I didn't read it as 5 supers on each!

RAB

Ah yes ! 5 supers from 4 hives makes me less likely to emigrate to Salford

 

[oliver90owner]

Not much in them if only 20 pounds in each, mind.

I could nearly get that in three!

 

[MandF]

richardbees,

put the super back on top of the bb with a cover board (feed hole open!)

Doesn't always work, but putting them under the brood box does. And you don't have those gaping holes in the crownboard either!

Has always worked for me. Whenever I put any comb/frames above the CB the bees are on it and clean it up (ie take it down into the hive). They see it as forage.

As advised by my old beekeeping mentor down the local association, where it also works without fail.

Of course, if one doesnt have feed holes in their CB, then it isnt an option.

 

[MandF]

One way to find out if it works for the OP though - try it and see if it works for them.

 

[djg]

Two of my hives are not taking down with the top box/bruised stores/crownboard/tiny entrance format, so I will pop the box underneath, as per RAB's advice and see how they get on with a bottom box/bruised stores (and presumably no board - and no QX between stores and BB at this time of year) configuration.

 

[MandF]

Two of my hives are not taking down with the top box/bruised stores/crownboard/tiny entrance format, so I will pop the box underneath, as per RAB's advice and see how they get on with a bottom box/bruised stores (and presumably no board - and no QX between stores and BB at this time of year) configuration.

Do they know it is there? ie when you open up are there bees up in the roof area?

When adding a rapid feeder we were told to dribble a little bit of syrup so the bees knew to come up.

Are the stores crystallised? Finman recommends spraying with water (same for if under the brood box).

 

[Poly Hive]

Keep in mind location.

London is a micro climate of it's own.

PH

 

[djg]

The bees are up there alright - and, if anything, topping up stores to judge by weight! Bruised cappings entirely liquid...so time for a "gazunder", I guess.

 

[oliver90owner]

The bees are up there alright - and, if anything, topping up stores to judge by weight! Bruised cappings entirely liquid...so time for a "gazunder", I guess.

Thanks djg. Often a case of what Andy Duff said on his post I think RTFQ or something on similar lines.

I often put an empty super between the brood and the box for emptying if I have a spare one and reduce the entrance, too, as there can be other bees sniffing around. But it does always work for me, whereas the box above the crown board did not ALWAYS work.