Has this been an "average" honey flow?

[dhamiltn]

I got my first two hives in 2009. The last two years have been pretty demoralizing for a novice. However, it looks like I may get enough honey to try extracting this year.

This year, there's been some rain and next week may be rained out but it seems like an "average" year overall.

What is the typical yield per hive in the Piedmont? I have one unswarmed hive, two splits, two packages, and one multi-swarmed hive. I'm thinking 3 supers for the former, 1-2 for the middle four, and probably one for the latter.

The unswarmed hive has two nearly fully capped supers. I put another super on top last week, but they haven't done anything to that one yet (which worries me a bit).

I should also add that I have only been in North Carolina for 4 years now, so I am not yet a good judge of spring weather here. Until this year, I thought we're either in severe drought or monsoon season during April and May!

[Zulu]

I was told today this is a good year - one of the better years. I am a new bee so have nothing to go on.

My hive already has 3 fully drawn honey supers - 2 almost full of honey. 1 I will extract soon as 90% capped Second super fully drawn and full ( by weight) but only 20% capped.

3 rd is about 65% honey rest pollen - so will leave on the hive. 1 x deep and 1 x super have brood. So the hive is now 5 boxes tall - adding # 6 tomorrow

[Wally]

This is not a good honey area. This year is about as good as I have seen. Most years are much worse.

[Locust&Honey]

I agree with Wally. I haven't had much success getting the honey that "I" wanted but this year has been by far my best year. My understanding is that getting honey is not our natural born right but depends on several factors....one being the weather. I feel like the weather this year has been pretty good for producing honey. Also, I did feed my bees more and earlier this year in hopes of having them nice and big for the potential flow. I think that helped a lot but it has been a very frustrating task. I have had 21 swarms, yes 21, just out of my hives alone. It has been a juggling act and I have learned alot but the extra bees seem to have helped with the honey production. I hope I haven't spoke too soon because it isn't over yet!!

[Kurt Bower]

This year has been a great dissapointment as far as the honey flow goes.
At this point I expect to get about 1/3 of the honey that I should be getting.
I would be interested to hear what other's experiences are this year.

Kurt

[Jacobs]

This has been my best year for honey by volume. More hives at the same location as in years past. I have been pulling frames as capped rather than waiting for complete supers to be capped.

[Zulu]

I have nothing to compare to , but my hive that was given to me March 21 - deep and one super - now has 5 supers and we have already pulled 12 frames of honey and there are another 20 half capped. This hive was not fed by me at all. Queen is laying in super #2 at present or third box up. 4 and 5 are both half capped with honey.

Looks good from my novice experience.

[SmithN]

For me this year is an exception.
I will definitely be extracting honey this year!
I have some hives with a deep + 5 mediums on them..bees working in the 5th medium.
Some hives with deep + 4 mediums and I plan to give a couple of them another box this week!
Like Jacobs, I've pulled some capped honey frames and placed them in the freezer until I extract,
I will pull more this week if the bees have capped them.
Looks like my extractor will get a real workout this year.

[p51d]

There was an earlier post of is this a good year for honey. I think it is average.

My results, one one honey super per hive for me for existing hives only. New hives take a year to build up.

Generally I don't have much honey being added from now on.

Wally, Jacobs, when do you guys start to feed? July-August seem to be the danger months for my hives...

[Jacobs]

I'm going to be doing some varroa mite assessments in the near future. I plan on getting a feel for the weight of the hives before I go in and then assess resources while I am in the hives. If hives have little in the way of stores or get significantly lighter I will look to feed. I still have quite a bit of uncapped nectar on some hives that I can move from hive to hive and some sugar water "honey" in the freezer from past feedings. I hope to use sugar water only on the packages at the Ag Center and maybe on the one package I have at home.

[p51d]

Thanks Jacobs. I am leaving my supers on- the ones with honey but not capped without feeding those hives. Maybe they will cap out as Wally does, later in the year.

I watch mine carfully this time of year - there seems to be less for the bees and I have lost hives in late July as they ate their stores up... don't want that mistake again.

[Locust&Honey]

Just pulled my 7th medium super(Wednesday)......still have 2 left on the hives but not expecting them to finish them off. Those frames are 100% complete on 1 side but the other side is at most 25% complete. This has exceeded all my expectations for the year......wish I could get this every year!!! So all in all I pulled honey from everyone of my hives. Yeah!!! Good job girls!!!

[Jacobs]

2011 was a good year for swarms and for honey. It was my best yield in my 5 spring flows. If I don't get honey in 2012, I still have enough for my extended family and for my own enjoyment.