[Kate and her Ducks]

The honey production in my hive is definately tailing off. They have almost a full capped supper and have started putting down in the next super but very slowly. I'm currently debating whether to take the full super and run the risk of having to feed them or just leave it to them. I have a couple of supers to extract to if things are going well will extract the 3 supers and then they will have all the frames to clear and its amazing how much extra they manage to clear from them when you think you have extracted all the honey. I think that should fill up the super they are working on.

Nice to have a lovely day here today. As I work all week znd it hasn't been the best weather I have barely seen the girls this week so lovely to sit in the garden and watch them coming and going.

[Guzzik]

As long as you feed them fondant of sugar solution Kate, they should be ok for the winter.  One lady I know feeds her bees fondant ALL the time and takes the honey.  She is a commercial grower as well!

[kevinp]

You could always try doing what we do leave the honey for the bees and only take what you need next year, this way they get to eat what they require during the winter rather than a sugar mix and we take what is not required next year.
And if there is no honey left at the start of the next season then the bees needed it.

[darren64]

I got less honey in mine now,than I had in the spring.

Have you been taking honey frames out then?  Or are your bees eating an aweful lot of honey??

they have eaten it

[Kate and her Ducks]

I'm hoping that I won't have to feed my main colony and they can live on their own honey. They have worked so hard they deserve it. They have produced me about 100 lbs of honey this year and although I will feed if necessary would rather let them keep some of their own.

My nuc has nextr to no stores so I have already started feeding them so they have plenty to get through the winter.

[darren64]

A chap who lives a couple of miles from me has about 100lb of honey on his main hive,his bees have drawn out the comb on another super and its nearly full of honey since last monday.

[darren64]

A chap who lives a couple of miles from me has about 100lb of honey on his main hive,his bees have drawn out the comb on another super and its nearly full of honey since last monday.

he has just put it into jars and he has 73,1/2 lb and he has left a super on each hive.

[Kate and her Ducks]

I extracted my honey at the weekend and got 60lbs so a total of 106lbs for the year. The main colony has a full super of their own honey to keep them going and the nuc has a super of fed stores so they should be ok.

Have to say I have been very lucky this year to get so much in my first year. My Mum was warning me not to get too excited as 100lb from a hive won't happen often. My response it that I am going to be even more excited as it might not happen again!

It's all jarred up, the mead is bubbling away and I have a fab candle and a lot of wax to make polish out of

Despite the sting on the finger this afternoon, I'm a happy Beek.

[Yorkie]

Wonderful.  I think we need a photo of all 106 jars together 

[darren64]

I extracted my honey at the weekend and got 60lbs so a total of 106lbs for the year. The main colony has a full super of their own honey to keep them going and the nuc has a super of fed stores so they should be ok.

Have to say I have been very lucky this year to get so much in my first year. My Mum was warning me not to get too excited as 100lb from a hive won't happen often. My response it that I am going to be even more excited as it might not happen again!

It's all jarred up, the mead is bubbling away and I have a fab candle and a lot of wax to make polish out of

Despite the sting on the finger this afternoon, I'm a happy Beek.

have you made mead before?is it easy to make?

[Chrysalis]

I extracted my honey at the weekend and got 60lbs so a total of 106lbs for the year. The main colony has a full super of their own honey to keep them going and the nuc has a super of fed stores so they should be ok.


Despite the sting on the finger this afternoon, I'm a happy Beek.

  Congratulations!   It's been great following your bee-story.  Thanks for sharing it.  I'm even more keen to try now!  I may go for the less invasive warre/topbar stuff to avoid disturbing the bees and getting stung
But it's been an inspiration, thanks Kate

[kerry-n-rob]

Hi all,

we're new beekeepers this year too, we bought our hive and nuc with our wedding present money, Rob ahs done a beginners beekeeping course at our local bka.

they certainly are fascinating creatures, can sit for hours just watching them go in and out and when you open the hive its quite magical to see them all about their business.

been stung twice, only very mild reactions so far.

we had a little dig with a spoon into a couple of our supers and the honey is gorgeous,
got our apiguard treatment on now and started feeding them some sugar syrup so they can start filling the brood box with stores for the winter.

isn't it nerve wracking wondering if they'll survive the winter...... we're doing all we can to ensure they do

we've got our hive on our allotment and had to ask permission from the parish council, which we got, then someone phoned them up after we got them and said they weren't happy about it because they're dog is allergic to bee stings. not sure what they do to protect the dog from wild bumble bees and wasps etc,

never mind, things goind well so far

[darren64]

Hi all,

we're new beekeepers this year too, we bought our hive and nuc with our wedding present money, Rob ahs done a beginners beekeeping course at our local bka.

they certainly are fascinating creatures, can sit for hours just watching them go in and out and when you open the hive its quite magical to see them all about their business.

been stung twice, only very mild reactions so far.

we had a little dig with a spoon into a couple of our supers and the honey is gorgeous,
got our apiguard treatment on now and started feeding them some sugar syrup so they can start filling the brood box with stores for the winter.

isn't it nerve wracking wondering if they'll survive the winter...... we're doing all we can to ensure they do

we've got our hive on our allotment and had to ask permission from the parish council, which we got, then someone phoned them up after we got them and said they weren't happy about it because they're dog is allergic to bee stings. not sure what they do to protect the dog from wild bumble bees and wasps etc,

never mind, things goind well so far

how near is the dog ever likely to get to the hive?the problem is whenever their dog gets stung they will insist its one of your bees,you could also try giving them some of your first honey batch.

[Kate and her Ducks]

have you made mead before?is it easy to make?

I've made mead before and it is pretty easy.

It can be pretty confusing as there are about a thousand different ways of doing it whether you want wine or beer strength, to boil or not first and have gone for a couple of different ways that have always seemed to work. I think yeast is a bit like other plants. It wants to grow and if you give it a chance it will do it,s thing. I had a bit of a headstart as I have made wine before so really not that different. The first time I made it was before the bees so I bought the honey and followed the instructions to the letter. The second time fudged it a little and it was still fine. this time I am using the cappings washings (as tradition dictates  ) and all is bubbling away fantastically. Found a recipe that said rather than a specific amount of honey, just make sure that the water tasted sweet and of hone and that it would be ok so will see how that goes ( actulla had to dilute it as it was too strong).

[Kate and her Ducks]

  Congratulations!   It's been great following your bee-story.  Thanks for sharing it.  I'm even more keen to try now!  I may go for the less invasive warre/topbar stuff to avoid disturbing the bees and getting stung
But it's been an inspiration, thanks Kate

 My mum has a top bar and the thing she has found is that watching them is amazing but it is almost impossible to do anthing to them as they have just filled the hive with comb and propolis! They are doing really well but they are doing their own thing ( no bad thing but stressful when you worr you can't help them). Also little honey as no way to stop HRH laying in the stores although mum is happy for them to do what the like and just observe.