How many jars of honey in a year?

[Fiona in South View]

Rather than the huge stacks of supers, wouldn't it make sense to extract a few during the season and give the bees the empties back. Use less equipment and easier to access?

I am a 3-7 colony beekeeper so, although I am have a stack, it is never that big. To be honest, the main thing for me is that extraction is such a messy, long process, setting up, clearing up, cleaning the extractor and equipment used, that I can only face doing it once a year! I only have a manual extractor and I do it in my kitchen as I don’t have anywhere else.

 

[amandaj57]

I am a 3-7 colony beekeeper so, although I am have a stack, it is never that big. To be honest, the main thing for me is that extraction is such a messy, long process, setting up, clearing up, cleaning the extractor and equipment used, that I can only face doing it once a year! I only have a manual extractor and I do it in my kitchen as I don’t have anywhere else.

Same here, but I store the frames full frames in airtight boxes and just put the super back on with fresh frames.
They all get extracted together and once that is done they go back to the bees to remove any residual honey then go back into the boxes to overwinter, ready to be put back in supers when they are needed next year. The boxes are numbered so the same colony gets their own frames back each year. That way I have more pulled comb than I have supers for.
I rarely take off a full super at a time (I can't cope with the weight with my arthritis) so if a super has three or 4 combs looking full and sealed, I will take a couple out when I do an inspection, shake the bees off and pop them into the sealed box that always comes with me, so I never have to lift a full super to get into the BB. The bees are also never faced with a full super of foundation to draw either, if I don't have drawn comb available.
Probably not the right way to do things but I have to make it work round my limitations.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Rather than the huge stacks of supers, wouldn't it make sense to extract a few during the season and give the bees the empties back. Use less equipment and easier to access?

Sometimes you can’t because the bees bring the nectar in fast and don’t cap it.

 

[The Poot]

Same here, but I store the frames full frames in airtight boxes and just put the super back on with fresh frames.
They all get extracted together and once that is done they go back to the bees to remove any residual honey then go back into the boxes to overwinter, ready to be put back in supers when they are needed next year. The boxes are numbered so the same colony gets their own frames back each year. That way I have more pulled comb than I have supers for.
I rarely take off a full super at a time (I can't cope with the weight with my arthritis) so if a super has three or 4 combs looking full and sealed, I will take a couple out when I do an inspection, shake the bees off and pop them into the sealed box that always comes with me, so I never have to lift a full super to get into the BB. The bees are also never faced with a full super of foundation to draw either, if I don't have drawn comb available.
Probably not the right way to do things but I have to make it work round my limitations.

That seems really sensible

 

[Brendan14]

Rather than the huge stacks of supers, wouldn't it make sense to extract a few during the season and give the bees the empties back. Use less equipment and easier to access?

Yes that’s what I did, certainly saved the arms from cranking the extractor and the bees got to clean the empty frames.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Rather than the huge stacks of supers, wouldn't it make sense to extract a few during the season and give the bees the empties back. Use less equipment and easier to access?

Valid point. it can work well. I ran out of supers last year and had to use brood boxes, no fun lifting them when up a stepladder.
Sometimes multiple supers on a hive may not be capped though.

For me removing only a few supers isn't practical. The extractor holds 60 frames and the sump about 300 kg. Any extracted honey can sit in the tank in the corner but if I'm not extracting 30 supers it isn't worth turning the lights on really. The uncapper and sump are heated so it saves on electricity to do more at once.
I'll need to be more organised this year as I don't have enough supers really. 350 isn't going to go far.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Last season was a bit crap.

Worse in Europe.

BBKA News had a summary of the Copa Cogeca (Euro agri. interest org.) report of 40% average drop in yields. Hungary lost 90% of the acacia crop, Portugal 80% drop, parts of Italy 70-80%.

 

[madasafish]

I have only 29 supers over 6-7 production hives. Each super when fill weighs just over 20KG.
After 4 supers high, I need steps to remove and replace supers - a bit scary when standing at the top and rotating your body with a full super to come down.

So I extract when any hive gets to 5 supers. Usually a minimum of 4 supers.
I don't mind cleaning up. My kitchen floor and all working surfaces are covered with cardboard - so disposable and I clean the extractor using a garden hose in the yard -which takes at most 30 minutes.

 

[Antipodes]

Sometimes you can’t because the bees bring the nectar in fast and don’t cap it.

And sometimes they cap it too wet and then continue drying it once it is capped.

 

[Ash-Rhea]

What would be a rough estimate of how many jars of honey and what size jars do you produce in a good year. What's been your bumper year?

I started with a hive kept in my garden by a friend who promptly moved to Wales. After 3 years seeing it swarm I decided it needed to be taken care of, I had no experience, no training . That summer I took 70lb, the next year nothing then 135, 219, 120.
I started with 8oz jars but use 12oz now.

 

[Erichalfbee]

And sometimes they cap it too wet and then continue drying it once it is capped.

How can the bees dry capped honey?

 

[Antipodes]

How can the bees dry capped honey?

The same way they dry uncapped honey I guess..... (capped honey can absorb water from the air...so the reverse of that).

 

[pargyle]

The same way they dry uncapped honey I guess..... (capped honey can absorb water from the air...so the reverse of that).

Beeswax is impervious to water.. capped honey cannot be ripened further ? I've never seen anywhere that suggests it can...

 

[Antipodes]

Beeswax is impervious to water.. capped honey cannot be ripened further ? I've never seen anywhere that suggests it can...

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/robbing-of-old-honey-comb-fermentation.45073/post-682904
Here is one suggestion that you might have seen?

 

[Antipodes]

And another one....post number 182 by Jenkins.

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/quick-questions-quick-answers.45091/post-699453

 

[Antipodes]

Duplicate

 

[pargyle]

And another one....post number 182 by Jenkins.

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/quick-questions-quick-answers.45091/post-699453

I'm sorry... theres a world of difference between capped honey being left around either in a hive that has died out or a frame being left somewhere in the open and your statement that bees can reduce the water content of honey further in an occupied hive after it has been capped. You cannot equate honey that had fermented in a situation outside of an occupied hive in order to support a statement that is patently not true. There is no evidence in either of those posts to support your theory ...

 

[Antipodes]

Hi Pargyle,
It's obvious to me that what you need to consider pondering further, is how the capped honey can absorb water, (I assume you agree with Jenkins about that), if, as you assert, it is impervious to it?

 

[BigAshW]

I'm sorry... theres a world of difference between capped honey being left around either in a hive that has died out or a frame being left somewhere in the open and your statement that bees can reduce the water content of honey further in an occupied hive after it has been capped. You cannot equate honey that had fermented in a situation outside of an occupied hive in order to support a statement that is patently not true. There is no evidence in either of those posts to support your theory ...

One of Bob binnies videos he mentions that it is possible but I think it was in his drying room and it took a very long time.

 

[pargyle]

One of Bob binnies videos he mentions that it is possible but I think it was in his drying room and it took a very long time.

Well again ... I'm not sure bees in the hive would be able to replicate the conditions in a drying room...even if it did happen in Bob Binnies place ?

Beeswax is impervious to water ... even in a thin layer... there is no hard evidence that says honey can be reduced in water content through completed cappings that I can find... but I await someone to show me some and I'll stand correction ...