How many jars of honey in a year?

[Nannysbees]

I know last year was tough for many beeks, but 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?

 

[tonyofarr]

2018 was a good year, but bumper year was 2019, if I can find the figures I will let you know. In 2019 everything came together perfectly, we produced loads of honey and filled a large chest freezer with cut comb honey, in fact having such a large crop that year helped us get through last year which was dismal.

We mostly use pound jars, but do some 12oz jars for the tourist season.

We need a good year this year though, let's hope 2021 is the perfect year for everyone.

 

[pargyle]

How long is a piece of string ? ... the question is too wide to be of any value... look at the average colony production figures published and divide that by the size of jar. I sell in 12oz and 8oz. Last year, against the national trend was a good year for me but we are in a microclimate and the foraging around my area is a very broad mix that extends from spring through to late autumn without any serious gaps in nectar availability...

Just too many factors that will influence the answers to the question.

 

[Amari]

How long is a piece of string ? ... the question is too wide to be of any value... look at the average colony production figures published and divide that by the size of jar. I sell in 12oz and 8oz. Last year, against the national trend was a good year for me but we are in a microclimate and the foraging around my area is a very broad mix that extends from spring through to late autumn without any serious gaps in nectar availability...

Just too many factors that will influence the answers to the question.

Yes, I agree. However in a spirit of cooperation:
1 lb jars. Best year 2019: 800 lbs. 2020: 600 lbs. Approx same number of productive colonies - c. 10-12

 

[MerryBee]

Best year 2020
1050 lb of honey from 6-8 colonies: average 150lb per colony.
Expect much less this year as OSR no longer being grown in my area

 

[user 819]

The bit of string is too long to make too many comparisons, even in the same apiary hives will vary from year to year locally. A good year for some will poor year for others, the following year or preceding year could be totally the opposite.

Take a look at the BBKA figures pretty rubbish when I compare my returns, if forum members were to add there returns to the BBKA figures then an almighty leap in the average would see a huge jump.
Static hives of mine vary from about 50 - 125lbs per hive location.

When I first started a BBKA master beek at the LA said if a colony manages 30- 40lbs you are on to a winner, my first year with little experience and my sole production colony returned 53lbs and I made many a mistake.

Last year one of my village colonies returned 120lb by early June , the year before they struggled to mid June and then returned 80lb by August end, lots of variables to put a figure on.

 

[madasafish]

We live in the Staffordshire Moorlands. No arable land within 5 miles. Perpetual rain in July August is a feature of our summers.

Honey crops as follows:
2016 54lbs (after AFB near wipe out)
2017 184lbs 3-4 hives
2018 463lbs 5-6 hives and gorgeous weather left approx 100lbs on hives for winter (exhausted through manual extraction)
2019 370lbs 6-7 hives and poor summer (bought electric extractor)
2020 309lbs 5 hives and terrible summer

So make of that what you will.

edit: the number of hives is production hives. I have others for QR or where I take no crop.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Weather weather weather
2018 6 production hives gave us nearly 1000 lbs and a few supers of cut comb.
2020 6 production hives gave us just short of 100..... between them.

 

[Curly green finger's]

2020 12 production. = 760 lbs.
The summer crop from 5 colonys was
Poor. But we had the best ivy flow I've ever known and we had more colonys going into winter on there own stores due to local farmers leaving the hedges untill November instead of cutting them in early October.

Best colony last year.

 

[enrico]

2020 12 production. = 760 lbs.
The summer crop from 5 colonys was
Poor. But we had the best ivy flow I've ever known and we had more colonys going into winter on there own stores due to local farmers leaving the hedges untill November instead of cutting them in early October.
View attachment 24810
Best colony last year.

For a minute there I thought that was a slab of wax....it was a brick!

 

[Curly green finger's]

For a minute there I thought that was a slab of wax....it was a brick!

They are local bricks and what the house is built of
The clay they are made from is yellow if you dig in the garden you hit this layer of yellow clay about 2ft down.

 

[WoodenBeam]

Weather weather weather
2018 6 production hives gave us nearly 1000 lbs and a few supers of cut comb.
2020 6 production hives gave us just short of 100..... between them.

I think you’ve summed that up pretty well
The streets are paved in gold..........(or golden liquid in this case) ..........or not as happens many a year.
How do you make a small fortune in beekeeping.............start with a large one

Don't put down the deposit on a fully automated extraction line just yet Nannysbees

 

[Nannysbees]

2020 12 production. = 760 lbs.
The summer crop from 5 colonys was
Poor. But we had the best ivy flow I've ever known and we had more colonys going into winter on there own stores due to local farmers leaving the hedges untill November instead of cutting them in early October.
View attachment 24810
Best colony last year.

What a lovely looking apiary, look at the number of supers, that would be my dream hive

 

[Erichalfbee]

look at the number of supers, that would be my dream hive

Another one went on top before I’d finished

 

[Curly green finger's]

Another one went on top before I’d finished View attachment 24812

Are the brood boxes warm way? that's a lovely demaree colony dani.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are the brood boxes warm way? that's a lovely demaree colony dani.

Yes warm. As was the year. 2018. A year that will be forever in my beekeeping memory

 

[Nige.Coll]

Too may variables to be accurate.
Average published in the BBKA news was about 35lbs per hive.
Average for bee farmers is about 150 lbs per colony, I know people that have had 175 lbs per colony for several years.

Picture from last year. Not a great season from all accounts.
Second pic the first 2 hives were nucs I had raised early that season.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Too may variables to be accurate.
Average published in the BBKA news was about 35lbs per hive.
Average for bee farmers is about 150 lbs per colony, I know people that have had 175 lbs per colony for several years.

Picture from last year. Not a great season from all accounts.

Double brood and six supers

 

[Nige.Coll]

Double brood and six supers

Some bees in there, added another picture now to show it wasn't a one off lol.

 

[nantmoel]

I know last year was tough for many beeks, but 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?

Last year was another bumper year for me, it equalled 2019 that's for sure.