Chicken boarders

[Daphne]

We did ours at the weekend and got 60lb

 

The bees were a dream, they were so docile

 

Unfortunately operator error with the extractor meant I spent 4.5 hours in A&E and now have 5 stitches in my hand, so do be careful everybody (well you are unlikely to be as stupid as me, but even so...)

[Old Speckled Hen]

I am

How can I wait till next year?

Where's the patience these bees are supposed to be teaching me

Seriously, great congrats.

[Olly]

Ouch! What on earth did you do? 60lbs sounds a fabulous harvest though, was that off one colony? I hope the thought of all that honey is consoling you while you recover. Did you put your hand in while it was still spinning?

 

I got 22lbs first time round, was hoping for the same again but the nectar flow really dried up here in July when the weather got very dry. Given the recent rain, I'm hoping I might get a bit more, ironically I've been waiting for a dry day to inspect them.

[Daphne]

Most of it was from one colony (the first swarm from our original hive which went into Hive2). 8 frames were off the colony left in the original hive. We are the most excited beeks! We've decided our honey has a very slight lemony-type tang, its very light. My co-beek's wife is going to make polish and lip balm from the wax.

 

I got my hand trapped between the spinning handle which I was trying to stop and the extractor. I'm very lucky - it didn't hurt and I only have 5 stitches. I know it could have been much worse. My OH took a look and thought it needed stitches whilst I didn't want to go and waste the Bank Holiday in hospital. He said I'll get the vet to come and have a look (our neighbour who gave us the bees in the first place) for his professional opinion. I thought this was a good idea. Neither of us had the thought that it would be a better idea to ask our other neighbour to take a look at my hand ....she's a nurse who used to work in A&E! She did see it and sent me straight off.

 

The only good news is that I can't do the washing up

[MedusA]

Ouch!!!! Hope your hand heals soon Daphne.

 

Well done on the excellent honey harvest though.

 

I anticipate I will end up with about 50+lbs from my one garden hive. 3 of the new allotment bee colonies haven't even got big enough to have a super on this year. The 4th one did have a super but we decided to give it back to the bees as winter stores and to build them up to super strength next spring, all being well.

[Peaches]

60lbs!! That sounds like an amazing haul. Bad luck about your hand - I have heeded your warning as I'm very clumsy and likely to injure myself. We are going to take some honey off next weekend ..... fingers crossed, hoping for 20lbs... have a long list of people I've promised honey too

[Olly]

Disappointingly, I had a look today and I have very little honey and hardly any of that is capped. I'm not going to get any more this year. Boo! Oh well - there's always next year.

[Daphne]

next year....we are already looking out for a cheap spare hive just in case we manage to get our colonies through the winter and have another swarm....its a bit addictive this habit isn't it

[Guest]

Well done, 60 pounds is good; but not amazing. it may be to some, of course. Let me expand a little.....

 

Is this your first season or did you over-winter your colonies?

 

300 pounds from a single hive might be amazing but even that is not 'that special' for a given set of 'suitable' circumstances.

 

If a split was made this year, that may account for a lower figure. Non-migratory beekeeping is assumed here?

 

If I were trying hard, I might get two or three supers from a single productive colony on OSR; maybe a super or two if the field beans followed on nicely. A bonus if I could find some spring rape after the beans and then nicely provisioned for themselves with another super for me by the end of the season.

 

I might actually try this one year - I usually get a couple of the flows, but not all, and not usually all with the one colony (too much effort to keep moving the hive!) and I don't weigh individual hive output.

 

There could be clover and heather to follow. Borage might be slipped in place for a good flow too. So plenty to choose from, if one is that way inclined (bee farmers!) and chase the flows.

 

I have seen a report of 600 pounds taken from a single colony in a good season. That was Australia, I think. Better forage than in modern-day UK conditions and agricultural practices!

 

I am not boasting any records this year as splitting colonies seriously reduces any harvest. Further, the oil seed rape caught up (after a late start) but my bees were behind, with regard to colony foragers, by about a brood cycle. Most now have well provisioned brood boxes, and I could have removed another 10kg from some for extraction if I were inclined to collect as much as possible and replace with sugar syrup.

 

However, 60 pounds is enough to keep you going for the year? Probably not with family and friends! Cooking with it (to replace refined sugar) is what we do. Honey in porridge gets through a fair amount! You will do better than that although some this year are struggling in some areas, while others have collected impressive amounts.

 

Hope this does not cool your enthusiasm, but just puts things in perspective.

 

Regards, RAB

[MedusA]

60 pounds is enough to keep you going for the year? Probably not with family and friends!

 

Tell me about it! I must have given away at least 20 jars so far. Still, it was my first ever honey harvest and I was proud of my bees' achievements. I doubt it will last me the year at the rate it's being consumed.

 

Next year they will all have to wait for a Christmas present jar and that's it.!

[Lesley]

That sounds like a much better idea

 

As we're building up new colonies all I've taken off is enough to exhibit at the local Honey Show and I took one frame earlier in summer which I've used as cut comb - all boxed and ready for Christmas presents.

[Kermit]

Peaches and I extracted on Wed evening and I bottled it this morning - 26lbs. However, we have also muched our way through a few frames and given some more to friends. So, we easily got at least 30lbs this year off one colony. We also left them with a half full super for winter stores. Fi wants them to have honey rather than sugar syrup.

[Guest]

Re wintering - better to be a full super or not there (if only half filled). They have time to fill a super if the autumn actually turns out like the last seven or eight years (not looking too good right now, though). Anything uncapped (unlikely, if not fed sugar) may ferment; any space left will need to be kept warm (so empty frames are best replaced with insulated dummies).

 

Remember bees don't naturally leave empty spaces above their heads, they fill the cavity from the top downwards.

 

Regards, RAB

[Old Speckled Hen]

I am going to leave empty supers under two boxes with the floor between the brood box and super.

The other hive has a partly drawn and filled super, (I suspect most of it is syrup).If all the stores are capped is leaving it under the brood box with the floor at the bottom this time an option?