Honey yield from 1 national super

[Welshy]

Hi everyone, just working out some calculations and interested to know how much honey others are getting out of 1 national super? What's you estimation please? Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

depends - safe average I suppose is 25lb although a few years ago I was getting over 32lb on quite a few, it was an exceptional year and the bees, for some reason were packing it so deep in the supers that they were only leaving a half beespace between frames apart from a three inch crescent of single beespace in the centre of each bottom.

 

[Amari]

Figures have been quoted on here a few times and all seem to be more than I ever get which is an average of 15lbs. I always return the wet combs to the hives so nothing is wasted.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Between 22lb and 33lb average for me,
I’ve had national brood boxes @ 45lb

 

[Newbeeneil]

I normally work on 22lb. 2lb/frame for eleven frames. If I have them on 10 frames I still use 22lb for calculation.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Usually around 20 to 25. 3lb a frame is the best I’ve ever done. I suppose you could get more if the honey was really heavy

 

[mbc]

Usually around 20 to 25. 3lb a frame is the best I’ve ever done. I suppose you could get more if the honey was really heavy

That's a reasonable expectation

 

[Welshy]

That's interesting thanks everyone, our experience has been in the 20's with the exception of the year before last. Just wondered if our calcs where correct before investing in new equipment.

 

[ericbeaumont]

3lb a frame is the best I’ve ever done

At one time I thought to work down from 11 to 9 using castellations, and was pleased to get 4.5lbs per frame for about 7 of a 9-frame box. It was all a faff, fitting and changing castellations and fiddling with numbers, and I gave it up pretty quickly.

 

[Curly green finger's]

At one time I thought to work down from 11 to 9 using castellations, and was pleased to get 4.5lbs per frame for about 7 of a 9-frame box. It was all a faff, fitting and changing castellations and fiddling with numbers, and I gave it up pretty quickly.

Forget the castos mark the top of your boxes for your 10s or 9s spacing with a line for the centre of the frame if you get me?

 

[Erichalfbee]

At one time I thought to work down from 11 to 9 using castellations, and was pleased to get 4.5lbs per frame for about 7 of a 9-frame box. It was all a faff, fitting and changing castellations and fiddling with numbers, and I gave it up pretty quickly.

Yes I tried that once. Blooming awful to extract. I never weighed the frames ....I was so angry with myself. What was the point when you have to shave the wax right down with a knife to extract. All mine are on nine in a Swienty box and ten in wood.

 

[mbc]

At one time I thought to work down from 11 to 9 using castellations, and was pleased to get 4.5lbs per frame for about 7 of a 9-frame box. It was all a faff, fitting and changing castellations and fiddling with numbers, and I gave it up pretty quickly.

As a legacy of beginning with a 9 frame extractor I still have my supers mostly on 9 frames, saves a couple of quid per box in frames too, and shaves a bit off extracting time.
There is an old post on here(what an archive!) somewhere where denrosa had done comparative tests and found the bees did best with the same spacing throughout, I think Murray thought it was a function of better ventilation, but I've been too lazy to switch my supers round.
Whatever works for each beekeeper I guess.

 

[enrico]

Yes I tried that once. Blooming awful to extract. I never weighed the frames ....I was so angry with myself. What was the point when you have to shave the wax right down with a knife to extract. All mine are on nine in a Swienty box and ten in wood.

You don't have to shave the wax right down with a hot air gun

 

[mbc]

Forget the castos mark the top of your boxes for your 10s or 9s spacing with a line for the centre of the frame if you get me?

Isn't it a faff to reposition them all after transport?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Isn't it a faff to reposition them all after transport?

i move supers out to site before I need them so they’re not transported as 10s or 9s.
There would be a right mess other wise.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

i move supers out to site before I need them so they’re not transported as 10s or 9s.
There would be a right mess other wise.

you still have to move the frames, what do you do? hold them in your lap?

 

[pargyle]

i move supers out to site before I need them so they’re not transported as 10s or 9s.
There would be a right mess other wise.

That's because you don't use castellations ... if you use castellations in your supers you can virtually tip the super on its side without the frames knocking together.

 

[user 819]

The 22lb - 32lb is the normal range all depending on frame spacing , last year quite a lot of mine were 30/32lbs on a 10 frame spacing.
My garden colony esp had an exceptional year and I harvested 237lbs with spring giving a bumper crop .