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How much honey do we leave for overwintering SE TX?

4K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  texanbelchers 
#1 ·
We are in SE Texas. New to beekeeping, have had 3 hives for a little over a 1/2 year now.
We have not harvested yet, but have some full deeps and then some.
Can you tell us... is there a formula, if you will, for knowing how much honey to leave for the hive overwinter so we don't need to feed
Is the rule of thumb to leave a certain % (of what they have thus far)?
...or
x # of full frames per hive?
Any help would be greatly appreciated as we want to leave enough for our hives.
Thank you~Bz
 
#2 ·
Hey Bz, Welcome to Beesource. There are a couple of members a few miles north of you in Spring and Cleveland that I am aware of. To answer your question, no, there is no formula as different areas need differing amounts to successfully overwinter. As a rule of thumb for the Gulf coast, I think 40# would be sufficient for most winters. Contrast that to the folks up north that worry if they dont have 100#+. One full deep per hive (about 75#) is plenty. I overwinter here on one medium of stores, but also have syrup on all winter and provide suplemental sugar bricks just in case.
 
#3 · (Edited)
It depends on your bees and what "winter" is. Mine generally are fairly dormant in early December. I try to get in an OAV before Christmas because that is the least brood. Often pollen and brood hit mid January and were off to the races. I have put sugar water on the hives in February because they were burning through supplies.

Where in the county are you? Mine are all in Alvin right now. I also have an apiary behind Greatwood.

Direct answer, shoot for a medium box full. But, it always depends...
 
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