Very little honey

[bpmurray]

I visited an apiary yesterday and all the hives there have three or even four supers. Evenm taking into account that these are in an area with OSR, the difference between these and mine is quite enormous. Two of my four hives have started drawing the super comb, although there is very little honey in the brood boxes, to the extent that I had to feed two last week.

I know we have had really bad weather up to this week, but I expected them to harvest at least something. What on earth is going on? Is this normal?

 

[aberreef]

Perfectly normal I'd say, depending on local forage. My bees, for example, are pretty high on a mountain and with the poor weather haven't produced any surplus yet (they rarely do early season due to no cultivated crops nearby). We are just entering the June gap so will likely need to feed very lightly to keep brood rearing going strong ready for July/august.

 

[bpmurray]

Thanks for the information - I don't feel so concerned now.

Yes, I blame the local weather hurting the foraging - it was so bad that they didn't work the chestnut tree in the garden whose flowers were obviously devoid of anything remotely interesting this year.

 

[wessexmario]

you'll find the same differences occur even with different hives in the same apiary.

 

[Thymallus]

you'll find the same differences occur even with different hives in the same apiary.

Concur on that. Last heather season took four identical hives, each was a single brood box 9 frames of brood + 2 stores; made up this way at end of June and they still had 9 frames of BIAS when took to the moors at the end of July. 2 produced 2 supers crammed full, one did 1 and that was not completely full. The other did nothing not a drop. All hives within feet of each other.

 

[Samurailord]

My hive had less than one frame of stores and virtually no pollen when I inspected last weekend. The weather here has been appalling which has obviously kept the workers in.

I fed them a litre of 1:1 syrup, and another half litre today.

The frames were absolutely bursting with brood, though, and I actually managed to see eggs in cells for the first time ever in my Hive!

Andy

Sent from my D2303 using Tapatalk

 

[Galaxy55]

Don't think you have anything to worry about, very little honey stored here yet. The summer flower are just beginning to bloom and the bees are waiting for better weather which also seems to be arriving. Lets hope things are changing, last year mine were still storing a surplus of honey at the end of October mainly I think due to Himalayan Balsam.

 

[La Folie]

We have 2 hives next to each other and although we have not needed to feed during the bad weather one has just about adequate stores and the other will be extracted this weekend as I can barely lift the super! You can never tell.

 

[YorkshireBees]

I visited an apiary yesterday and all the hives there have three or even four supers. Evenm taking into account that these are in an area with OSR, the difference between these and mine is quite enormous. Two of my four hives have started drawing the super comb, although there is very little honey in the brood boxes, to the extent that I had to feed two last week.

I know we have had really bad weather up to this week, but I expected them to harvest at least something. What on earth is going on? Is this normal?

IMHO 3 things affect how much is stored in supers (surplus)

1. Weather - both in terms of bees being able to forage and the plants producing nectar.
2. Amount of decent forage nearby.
3. The number of bees (of the right age) in your colony. A big colony can fill supers fast. Building colonies up early is the only way to get a decent Spring crop imo and this requires points 1+2 to cooperate and possibly feeding.

And one last point you mention "Two of my four hives have started drawing the super comb"
Producing wax to draw comb costs a lot of Nectar / honey. Depending on which book you read anything from 6-12 lbs of honey = 1lb of wax !!
Which is why having drawn combs in supers is like gold dust in terms of honey producion.