Treatment Free

[B+.]

Interesting - what is your average honey crop (per hive)?

Sorry...almost missed your question.
I haven't calculated the average yet. Most colonies were like this though (https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=751&pictureid=3907 https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=751&pictureid=3906). Some a little bigger. By the end of summer, they had filled all except the bottom box (Langstroth deeps - gross weight ~30Kg) so the queen had been pushed down and laid up the bottom box.

 

[beebopper]

I don't have a very high opinion of what Prof Ratniek is doing. He allows twice the permitted time: 48 hours instead of the standard 24 hours (http://www.coloss.org/standard-methods-for-rearing-and-selection-of-apis-mellifera-queens/#3.3.4.2.) after administering liquid nitrogen before assessing the clearance rate. This artificially inflates the hygiene percentage so is not comparable with other researchers.
To put this in perspective, my bees are assessed after 8 hours (http://www.coloss.org/standard-methods-for-rearing-and-selection-of-apis-mellifera-queens/#3.3.4.3.)

So yes similar but you are doing it better?

 

[beebopper]

No need to fib...below is a picture of about half of my summer yield approx 30lbs per bucket. I've already sold 1000 lb's of summer honey at wholesale prices just to make some room. There is approx the same amount again in my honey room which is my spring and heather and borage harvest. I'll leave you to work out how much there was/is. I started with 12 production hives in spring, that rose to 16 production in summer as last winters Nuc's came on line. This also includes one production hive that for reasons best known only to itself yielded a paltry single super over the entire season....and that was only after re-queening . I don't count this years nucs that are now in hives.

I'm also a migratory beekeeper so my yields will be much higher than many static beekeepers. I could also add that my spring, borage and heather honey harvest where all down on previous years...but hell the summer yield was incredible!

Anybody can stack containers but do they actually have honey in them?

 

[B+.]

So yes similar but you are doing it better?

Yes, but not just mine. Everyones are.
Let me put it this way: one of the core principles (comparability, consistency, repeatability) in any scientific experiment is that the results should be comparable. To do that, you have to follow the same protocol. By doubling the time (Edit: add link https://youtu.be/1yKYuBvUQVE?t=595), LASI are artificially enhancing the hygiene figures they quote (so they are not comparable with other results).

 

[Beefriendly]

Anybody can stack containers but do they actually have honey in them?

Pop round and see for yourself.

 

[Eyeman]

no need to fib...below is a picture of about half of my summer yield approx 30lbs per bucket. I've already sold 1000 lb's of summer honey at wholesale prices just to make some room. There is approx the same amount again in my honey room which is my spring and heather and borage harvest. I'll leave you to work out how much there was/is. I started with 12 production hives in spring, that rose to 16 production in summer as last winters nuc's came on line. This also includes one production hive that for reasons best known only to itself yielded a paltry single super over the entire season....and that was only after re-queening . I don't count this years nucs that are now in hives.

I'm also a migratory beekeeper so my yields will be much higher than many static beekeepers. I could also add that my spring, borage and heather honey harvest where all down on previous years...but hell the summer yield was incredible!

Some of my stash and these are 'man size' 50lbs buckets with a few rows of 70 pounders. My main harvest now comes from trees during the spring flow- rest of the season is spent rearing queens and managing nucs.

 

[domino]

I'm suffering from honey bucket envy.

 

[Beefriendly]

Some of my stash and these are 'man size' 50lbs buckets with a few rows of 70 pounders. *

I shall go squeak under the table....LOL

 

[SDM]

Some of my stash and these are 'man size' 50lbs buckets with a few rows of 70 pounders. ]

Girly buckets, my man size are 90 pounders

 

[beebopper]

I am now waiting for Finman's picture.

 

[beebopper]

Pop round and see for yourself.

OK, see you in a mo!

 

[B+.]

I am now waiting for Finman's picture.

I wonder if they're as big as ITLDs ? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DpSpc2EVAAA1NBE.jpg

 

[BMH]

I made zero honey this year but expanded from 12 to 60 colonies and and sold another 20 odd.

Not a drop of honey though and had to feed at various intervals.

 

[beebopper]

I made zero honey this year but expanded from 12 to 60 colonies and and sold another 20 odd.

Not a drop of honey though and had to feed at various intervals.

Good luck next year.

 

[BMH]

Next year will be a challenge but aiming to maintain numbers and get a decent honey crop!

Probably rain from Aptil to September and I'll have to remortgage to cover the spiralling cost of sugar

 

[SDM]

Next year will be a challenge but aiming to maintain numbers and get a decent honey crop!

Probably rain from Aptil to September and I'll have to remortgage to cover the spiralling cost of sugar

Dont worry sugar should fall in price.
A pity you were expanding hard though, you may have just missed the best honey season youll see.

 

[For want of a better word]

You are naughty.

NO he is a trill looking for a reaction!

Mytten da

 

[Finman]

.

You need really much new frames. And you need to seek for new pastures.

How many boxes each hive needs next summer, that they can produce honey.

To add hives 5 fold in one year is huge, when you calculate what happens then. But to sell those hives is good job too.

 

[BMH]

Dont worry sugar should fall in price.
A pity you were expanding hard though, you may have just missed the best honey season youll see.

Yep. Annoying isnt it! Saying that, I made some 2 frame splits in June/July that now occupy three stories of a nuc box, so Im hoping the colonies I do have are plenty strong enough and give a reasonable return next year.

 

[SDM]

NO he is a trill looking for a reaction!

Mytten da

.the reaction we'd like is an explanation of why you cant keep two of tbe hardier races of bees alive in the softest climate in tbe U.K.
We'd also like to see how your claims about your cornish Amm stack up alongside the best of the rest, but on neither count are we expecting that reaction.