First year harvest

[MG527]

I read several places that you may get as much as 100 lbs of honey in a season, but that most hives (say from package bees) do not produce much of a crop the first year. Can I expect to take any sort of harvest at all in the first year?

[jmgi]

It depends on alot of factors. Not listed in any particular order:

1) Are you starting with drawn combs, foundation or foundationless frames. Drawn combs are best if you have them, bees building comb from scratch (foundation or foundationless) takes time, and takes food, either honey, nectar or sugar syrup.

2) Quality of the queen, and whether or not they supercede her which is very common in package bees.

3) Location, Location, Location. Having plenty of good honey plant forage within 2 miles or so.

4) Ideal weather during the main honey flow and any other minor flows for that matter.

5) Leaving enough food for them to winter on which in Michigan is around 60 lbs. they say.

So, to sum it all up, if you have drawn combs or at least a few to get the package started on, a good laying queen that doesn't get superceded, lots of forage, great weather, and leave them enough wintering food, what's left over is yours as a surplus, could only be a few frames worth or a shallow super. John

[signalten]

My first year was with undrawn comb and 4 hives. All 3# packages. I harvested 25# of honey total. Your mileage will vary

[tefer2]

Most pkg. bees don't get here early enough to get much of a harvest your first year. Your main concern should be to get your comb drawn out and your brood boxes full. If I were to get some frames in a super filled, I would just hang on to them for winter feed.

[Andrew Dewey]

The old slogan location, location, location certainly applies. Here in Maine we only get to dream about 100lb averages - I've certainly never seen anything close to that. As for what you can expect in
Battle Creek you really need to talk with someone with experience keeping bees there. What we tell students in bee school here is don't expect to make honey your first year. Have supers ready and be pleased if you need them and delighted if the bees draw out the comb AND store surplus there.

[Vance G]

If you are at the Battle Creek up by Chinook, a good package can draw foundation and still make some amount of surplus. IF you are on a good location. You will have a good buildup if you are close to as much chokecherry and caragana as I suspect you are. All the alfalfa in the world does little good though if it is all cut for hay at 5% bloom. Hopefully you will have some crp with some alfalfa for your bees to work. I had great pasture but my first year I drew comb and got a 60 pound surplus but I had a great location. If you got enough fall rains, you may get a good bloom from sweetclover too , but it was too dry down here. Where are you getting your bees?

[nickermire]

MG527,

I got around 20-25lbs my first year (2011). I started with 2 3# packages and didn't have any drawn comb. I did feed my bees sugar in the spring and saved 60lbs each for them during the winter. Both are alive and ticking, ready to explode into Spring Fury!

[psfred]

Mine filled a super about 80% the first year, but moved it back down in September and I ended up feeding -- no rain for almost three months and the local farmers plowed under the soybeans the bees were working.

Have a couple supers ready just in case, but drawing all that wax usually prevents a package hive giving you a surplus. I would also suggest erring on the side of safety when deciding what to leave them -- you can buy a lot of commercial honey for the cost of a new package if you short them and they die out in early March.

Peter

[Vance G]

Spring fury ya say! I want to stay away from there! It was sixty here today and forecast warmer tomorrow. I so want to go play with my furry non ferocious bees! I desperately want to put pollen sub on mine but just can't pull the trigger. It can get and stay so cold for so long yet!