harvest totals 2004

[scsasdsa]

Hi all not trying to brag or upset anyone, but how was the harvest for the rest of you this year?
I extracted in june and just finished my fall extraction and totaled 240 lbs from two hives that had overwintered, most of this was harvested in june.We had a wetter than normal summer and lower than normal temps. I was begining to think we were in England instead of NewEngland.

[Tia]

Yike! I harvested only 90 lbs from my two overwintered hives! Congratulations. What's your secret?

[scsasdsa]

Tia Just a good year I guess?
I started feeding in March during a warm spell and gave them starter patties at the same time. They started right in raising brood and didn't stop, but did slow during late july Im going to overwinter in three deeps there are just too many bees to force them into two.

[abeille]

Here we had a wet and cold spring, but the weather improved just for the honeyflow (around june 24th in my neck of the woods).

I have 4 hives. Two overwintered nucs from last summer, and two newly installed nucs from this year. Two deeps with queen excluders. The (deep) honey supers were all plastic foundation frames to be drawn.

I did my first extraction july 10th. One deep each from my two hives: 108 pounds.

One of the two producing hives swarmed after that, even though they didn't lack room to store the honey. I guess it was a "swarmy" queen...

I did another extraction on august 8th. Two deeps from the only producing hive left (the one that swarmed didn't fill the supers that were on): 111 pounds.

I had a check yesterday, and will extract for the last time around september 15. From what honey there already is in the supers, I expect to harvest about 75-100 pounds from the producing colony, 50 pounds from the "swarmy" one, 50-75 pounds from one of the nucs and 35-50 pounds from the other nuc (that was damaged by a bear in july...).

So I am pretty happy with that harvest, my first one, and I can't wait to see next year when I will be using drawn honey supers.

Hugo