1st year honey harvest total for the class of 2012 newbees. Results?

[beecrazy101]

Started out with 2 nucs on April 20 this year. One week after split the two nucs and made a third. Let them go and split again around June into two more hives so got up to five. So far only took three quarts here and there to mostly feed back in my bee tea. Haven't fed but at-home 75 pounds of sugar all year. I now have three hives three deep full of honey, all deeps, another two deep and one with a brood box. I figure I have around 100 pounds I could take from each of the three and about 50 from the fourth but been reluctant to take it for what my plans are for next spring. I will probly take some because every once in a while I bring some comb to work and let people try it and everyone wants to buy comb honey. Will wait and see if I decide to take some or not.

[mulesii]

Started one package of Italians on 31 March which gave me 12 pounds of honey. Started one nuc of Carniolans end of April which gave me no excess honey. I didn't expect any honey this year, so I was happy with the 12 pounds.

[NewJoe]

I started with a nuc in mid June. Caught a swarm from that hive in mid- August.

I harvested about 12 lbs. Probably could have taken a few more pounds, but didn't want to take too much.

[JRG13]

Got 4 frames worth, left the rest for the bees for Winter.

[Michael B]

If you guys keep hive healthy and happy..............wait till next year.

I started out with 3 hives about 5 years ago and now I have over 30.

Havested 1500lbs of honey off of only 10 of those hives.

[Sam Fugate]

30 pounds from one super in July, started with two hives, took honeyfrom only one super, left the rest for winter emergencies.

[d-amick]

San Mateo, CA (Northern Calif. near San Francisco) Joined and bought a package from our Beekeepers Guild, installed it April 1st. Extracted 87 pounds mid-June. Urban wildflower honey. Extracted 78 pounds mid-August. Different flavor urban wildflower honey. Total 165 pounds from the one hive. Still left plenty of honey in brood boxes.

Does not get too cold here and not for too long, locally. We do have "seasons" here but not like most other states! We have different blooms and flows here as well, with times of short dearths, locally. Cailfornia is a big state and even in each county there are micro-climates were the blossoms and flows are different. Many parts of the state have mono-crop (ie, almonds) where there is almost nothing for the bees afterwards. Commercial and more experienced beekeepers can speak better on this.

[Colleen O.]

1 drowned package early May didn't make it, the replacement package didn't build well but turned around after I re-queened late August. Nuc hive bought August 25th built a few new combs but still weak. I've fed around 38 lbs of sugar in bee tea, harvested 4 oz from the first package that died out when the queen didn't lay but fed it back in the bee tea.

[psfred]

I lost my hive from last year, didn't feed it enough and it died from EFB. Got two swarms this year that have a deep full of bees and two mediums of honey (only four frames in the "small" hive in the top box). Had to feed the "small" hive, they sorta piddled along all summer until I put some vinegar in their syrup, after which they sucked down about 9 gallons in a couple weeks!

No surplus honey myself, but my brother's weak hive last year overwinterer in a single deep with a mostly empty deep of foundation on top. We got 50 lbs of honey off that hive. His strong hive died out in the spring, probably mites since there was a large amount of white crusty material in tiny spots in the comb. We'll split all the hives this spring that survive, hopefully we will get a decent honey crop next year. I would have taken some, but figured the bees needed it more than I did.

Peter

[fishin coyote]

Started on April 2nd with 1 package and a starter kit. Harvested 32.5 lbs in August.
In mid Sept. the hive came under heavy attack from yellow jackets and another local hive. I reduced the opening to 3/4" and they seemed to be holding their own. 1st week of Oct. on a 70* day there was no activity, opened it up and they were gone. Absconed/killed off I'm not sure but I harvested the rest of the honey left from the robbing and got another 35lbs.
Although I suffered a set back in my endeavors I learned more than I ever hoped to and will start next season with a much better grasp of the entire process.
Mike

[ralittlefield]

Although I suffered a set back in my endeavors I learned more than I ever hoped to and will start next season with a much better grasp of the entire process.
Mike

You will also have some drawn comb for your start next year. That will be a big advantage. Good luck next year!

[giroux68]

One nuc I put into a 10 frame deep. And a package I put into a topbar. The topbar made 3 bars of comb and dies out. The langstroth did great. Got 30+ lbs. They has a full deep on top of the brood nest for winter. Very happy with year one!

[Splatt]

I got nothing this year, but I didn't really expect anything, what with the lack of rain and the fact that I started early July. I've had to feed to get them ready for winter.

[rhetoric]

I have 4 hives. Three new this year and one I've had for two summers. This year is the first I've taken honey (only off of the oldest hive) and I got about 3 gallons. So what's that... about 20lbs? Plenty for us, but I'm looking forward to having lots more next year.

[JRG13]

Rhetoric,

A gallon is about 12lbs. Good job.

[SueBeeTN]

I have one hive that I started with a nuc the end of April. The did really well at first and we were thinking of splitting the hive. But then came the long drought and high temperatures and my bees ate all their honey in the supers for all their babies so we did not get to split and I had to start feeding heavy to build for the winter. When we checked them two weeks ago they were doing well and had one super 80% full of capped honey from the nice goldenrod flow we had. Hopefully they will do well over the winter and I plan on getting another nuc in the spring. Love having the bees!!