# question about honey flow



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I stop feeding when the brood box is drawn and full and I'm adding a honey super.


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## praxis178 (Dec 26, 2012)

Do they have some capped stores now? If so I'd be inclined to stop or seriously taper off the feed so they become self sufficient.


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## BayHighlandBees (Feb 13, 2012)

its your first year and your frames are all undrawn so I'd say to feed them until they stop taking it. Your limiting factor in the first year is basically how much wax they will draw. Once they stop, thats the limit to their honey storage, size of their population. They will stop drawling it in a couple of months when we hit the summer solstice.

The second year when you have all these drawn frames they will be unbounded and go straight away to their core activities of drawling nectar, pollen, and building brood and will be much more productive honey-wise. You won't need to feed them the second year like you did the first year


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## BayHighlandBees (Feb 13, 2012)

it takes 8 pounds of nectar to make 1 pound of wax


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## firecap302 (Mar 18, 2013)

Just wanted to thank you guys for all your answers.It is a great help.Thank you.


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## beeman2009 (Aug 23, 2012)

BayHighlandBees said:


> it takes 8 pounds of nectar to make 1 pound of wax


Where did you find this info? I have been looking for it and can't find it.

Thanks


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## praxis178 (Dec 26, 2012)

I think (vague memory) that is was from A-Z of beekeeping, but I heard that here in a thread...... But I believe some studies have been done that appear (also vaguely remembered from that thread) to back those numbers up.

Ok so I got curious and did some digging on google scholar: the numbers from two studies in 1978, one by Dietz the other by Witherell both give a figure of ~9.32kg honey/kg wax produced over a season (actual numbers are 51,000Kcal to produce 1.8kg wax, so at 3040Kcal/kg of honey that's 16.776kg of honey required for those 1.8kg of wax). 

So that 8Lb/lb of wax isn't too far off......

Thomas.


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## HappyBeeing (Apr 6, 2013)

And thank YOU firecap for asking this!:thumbsup: These answers have been helpful to me too! HB


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I believe that 1 pound of wax can hold 22 pounds of honey.


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## praxis178 (Dec 26, 2012)

I've heard from 16lb to 22lb, so there is a bit of a range, but I suspect that's due to how thick the bees drew the comb. I've noticed some of mine will make them as thick as they can near the top, I had one where the wide of the capped comb was over 2"! 

I bet that would both add to the load baring capacity, and to the volume contained......


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