# How much honey from two medium supers?



## NonTypicalCPA (Jul 12, 2012)

It looks like I will have two 10 frame medium supers to extract in a couple weeks. I expect to have 18 frames filled and capped with two more partial frames. I'm curious how much honey I will end up with (in gallons, optimistically thinking). Also, in my two deep brood nest the top box is fully capped honey as well. Can I extract some of this and feed syrup back in the fall to get them to weight, or would doing that risk the health of the colony?


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## barberberryfarm (Feb 16, 2013)

I did my first pull from 3 hives the middle of July and got 244 lbs from 75 full medium frames which works out to about 3.25 lbs per frame. As far as weight goes, I believe there are 12 lbs per gallon of honey. As far as your two-box brood nest goes, don't be greedy and leave their honey alone as honey IS MUCH MORE HEALTHY for the bees than sugar water.


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## NonTypicalCPA (Jul 12, 2012)

So that example puts me around 5 gallons. :applause:


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## Riskybizz (Mar 12, 2010)

I generally extract about 35 lbs. from a med. shallow using 9 frames fully drawn with frame spacers. In my opinion, I get more honey using 9 frames with spacers as opposed to a 10 frame box. 9 frames fully drawn are easier for me to uncap. I'm not sure what type of an extractor you will be using but that makes a difference. I extracted a few boxes Saturday and running my Dadant 20 frame at 75% the comb was were coming out really dry.


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

Ceneraly speaking a good full med frame will be 4.5- 5lbs of honey per frame.


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## NonTypicalCPA (Jul 12, 2012)

Keep it up guys, my harvest keeps getting larger!


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

if all 18 frames are pulled out fat and full, and if you are efficient at recovering all of the honey from the extractor and cappings, you should have close to 6 gallons.

i agree with leaving enough honey and not feeding back syrup.


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

honey is better for bees, but why be a beekkeeper if your going to let them keep all the honey.??

Take what you want and feed them. they are bugs......But hey just my opinion........


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## schmism (Feb 7, 2009)

my extraction a couple of weeks ago lead to 3-4 lbs per frame on 10 frames per 10 frame box. I had several frames from a 10 frame box with 9 frames and they put out ~5lbs each. 

from my experience a good avg number is ~40lbs per med super. which is roughly a 5 gal bucket


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## Robbin (May 26, 2013)

They are pets charlie...  Always leave the workers some of their own goodies.... Or they might go on Strike.


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## druthebeek (Apr 17, 2013)

I just extracted one full medium super 10 frames and got 32 pounds.


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

gmcharlie said:


> Take what you want and feed them. they are bugs......But hey just my opinion........


Anything in supers above 2 deeps (or 3 mediums if you prefer) is yours. Anything in the brood boxes is theirs. Pretty easy rule of thumb to live by.


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## rniles (Oct 10, 2012)

...is that a good rule to live by here in the Pacific Northwest?

I use 8 frame mediums.


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

Robbin said:


> They are pets charlie...  Always leave the workers some of their own goodies.... Or they might go on Strike.


bOY THAT EXPLAINS A LOT..... NO WONDER THEY STING ME!


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

gmcharlie said:


> Take what you want and feed them. they are bugs......But hey just my opinion........


Just saying ... might be why your nucs have a low percentage of making to spring.


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## mmiller (Jun 17, 2010)

rniles said:


> ...is that a good rule to live by here in the Pacific Northwest?
> 
> I use 8 frame mediums.


Thats what I do here in the Pac NW.


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

maybe. might also be why we retail so much honey.......


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

"_Anything in supers above 2 deeps (or 3 mediums if you prefer) is yours. Anything in the brood boxes is theirs._"

I like the simplicity of that, but is that a universal rule applicable most anywhere? Or does it vary from one region to the next? 

I am in Denver, Colorado, and run 8-frame mediums. How much do I need to leave my bees to survive the Winter and then have enough to start their Spring build-up?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

shinbone said:


> I like the simplicity of that, but is that a universal rule applicable most anywhere? Or does it vary from one region to the next?


No it will vary. You will have to be the judge for your apiary how much you need. It will depend on how much risk you want to take and how much the weather varies from year to year.


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

Its a safe rule of thumb. The bees should be keeping enough in the brood boxes (however big or numerous they are) to take care of themselves through the winter. What gets put in the supers is pretty much always excess that you can safely take.

Can you take honey frames out of the brood boxes safely? Yes, you can, if you know what you're doing. I prefer to err on the side of caution though. If its in the brood boxes, it belongs to them, no questions asked.


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

one rule I heard this year, that makes a lot of sense is 1-1/2 frames of bees need 2 frames of food......might let you balance the hive accordingly. if your short on food shakeing out some bees early might save the hive.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

I would rather keep all the bees and feed if needed, even if you have to mountaincamp, fondant, sugar bricks, whatever, right from the start of winter. Large clusters are better than small clusters for wintering in my area, I don't know about yours.


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## Beelosopher (Sep 6, 2012)

Acebird said:


> No it will vary. You will have to be the judge for your apiary how much you need. It will depend on how much risk you want to take and how much the weather varies from year to year.


Agree with the above. Many beekeepers in my area go by 4 mediums or 2 deeps and 1 medium to overwinter. That tends to be a more conservative approach taken by "feed back honey" bee keepers. I have been told some winters the bees don't use as much as 3/4 of the last medium. Some winters they nearly go through it. 




gmcharlie said:


> maybe. might also be why we retail so much honey.......


Very short sighted IMO. Abraham Lincoln has a great quote about this....


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## rsjohnson2u (Apr 23, 2012)

Not sure the "leave what's in the brood boxes for them" will work for me this year. August 12th, and our main flow is over and the only capped honey of any amount is in the supers. The second deep is 8 frames of brood/pollen/honey, the two outside frames, honey. The first deep is some brood, but the rest pollen, mixed with a little honey. I try to run 10 frame double deeps, but the bees must want three boxes-they stored all the honey in the third deep. There simply is not enough honey in the first two boxes for them to winter on. There's still lots of drones, and no sign the bees are pushing the queen down, backfilling the brood nest, or that the queen is slowing down yet. This time last year, I had 10 capped frames in the second box, 4 in the bottom, 2 of pollen/honey mixed in the bottom, but no super(first year packages last year-granted, some was capped syrup until I stopped feeding prior to blackberries).


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

Beelosopher said:


> Very short sighted IMO. Abraham Lincoln has a great quote about this....


Really Abraham Lincoln quoted about feeding bees HFCS instead of Honey??? wow....I need to read more history.


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

gmcharlie said:


> Ceneraly speaking a good full med frame will be 4.5- 5lbs of honey per frame.


I try to get my frames drawn properly so I can use 8 frames in 10 frame medium honey supers. I'm not looking to start a debate about if 8 frames holds more honey. I get at least 60 lbs IF all 8 frames are drawn as far out as bee space allows. This doesn't happen often because it takes some manipulation of the frames to get all drawn out & filled to maximum capacity.
I otherwise use 9 frames and I'd say when filled a 9 frame medium has to have 50 lbs.
Of course some simple volume calculations will prove the weight but no time for that right now.
Good luck.


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