# Murphy's Law



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

It always happens, doesn't it?

So I'm harvesting a yard in NY. What a crop...4600 lbs from 21 colonies. We ran out of supers for the last round of supering, so I had to put on deeps. When it comes to harvest, of course they're always on top...Murphy's Law! 










Gettin' em down is a bit more difficult than puttin' em up. Put yer chest into it, boy!










I swear, if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to get rid of those deep honey supers.


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## nursebee (Sep 29, 2003)

And I am moving to NY!


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

give me the full ones and I'll lighten them up for you


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## JPK (May 24, 2008)

nursebee said:


> And I am moving to NY!


NY has a lot going for it....unfortunately NYC, Albany and most anything within 50 miles of NYC are pretty much rotten to the core.

The east side of Lk Champlain is gorgeous country.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Nice harvest Michael, Woohoo!


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## Brent Bean (Jun 30, 2005)

Excellent harvest for 21 hives good job,:thumbsup: but now that my back and knees are out of warranty. When supers get nose high I just extract and give them back to refill.


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## JPK (May 24, 2008)

JPK1NH said:


> NY has a lot going for it....unfortunately NYC, Albany and most anything within 50 miles of NYC are pretty much rotten to the core.
> 
> The east side of Lk Champlain is gorgeous country.


Edit, I MEANT to say West side of the lake but it looks like my subconcious mind got the better of me


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

man that's average at 220# pounds a hive, very nice out yard, you might should put some more hives around there, OH and the deeps go on bottom


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

JPK1NH said:


> The east side of Lk Champlain is gorgeous country.


Yep...better known as the right side. That's where I live. I just go to the NY side to steal their honey.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Brent Bean said:


> When supers get nose high I just extract and give them back to refill.


That would be nice, but I just don't have time to extract early. Too many queens to raise, nucs to set up, and other bee work to do.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

JPK1NH said:


> Edit, I MEANT to say West side of the lake but it looks like my subconcious mind got the better of me


Heee, heee, heee. You got it right the first time. Everyone knows that the Vermont side is the best side.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Mike,
You certainly don't need any advice from me fro what I've seen and know about you and your bees, but I have a suggestion.

One year Bill Bertram and I went to inspect Larry Wayne Winters' hives near Lowville. Two of his workers laid the hive down on the ground on its' back and then broke the honey supers apart and stood up the two deeps that made up the brood chamber. Maybe you and your crew could do something like that when it's time to harvest.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

sqkcrk said:


> Two of his workers laid the hive down on the ground on its' back and then broke the honey supers apart and stood up the two deeps that made up the brood chamber. Maybe you and your crew could do something like that when it's time to harvest.


Hey Mark. Uhh...first off...I have a helper with me that's an old drunk. He trips on a flat concrete floor. All he'll really do is stack supers on the truck, and smoke cigs. And, second...With a colony weighing 220+ in the supers, and 160 in the brood chamber, I doubt anyone could tip a colony like that on its back.

Maybe with a smaller crop, and before they had packed the broodnest for winter.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

So do you work these hives from the back of your truck? Or do you use a ladder?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

sqkcrk said:


> So do you work these hives from the back of your truck? Or do you use a ladder?


Nah...levitation.

Once the bee work is done in the spring, it's just put supers on like mad for two months, and take supers off in August and September. The bees pretty much take care of themselves.


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## mobees (Jul 26, 2004)

*Harvest*

Michael

What was the main crop? 

The fall flow here was excellent this year! Spring was good also. Summer was lousy!!
Did you see similar?

mo


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

thank somebody for the fall flow. Things were looking a little scary. Then it finally stopped raining every day.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

mobees said:


> Michael
> 
> What was the main crop?
> 
> ...


Many colonies did well on Dandelion/fruit bloom/Honeysuckle/brambles. A few made 2 mediums. Then June happened. 24 days of rain. Lots of empty supers. We had a bunch of rain in July...7th wettest. Basswood/Sweet Clover flow in July was huge! Most of the crop came in at that time...last week of June, first three weeks of July. Then a dearth. Nucs were bone dry...unless there was Loosetrife nearby. Goldenrod started mid-August. One of the best fall flows I have seen. Light yards went to heavy! Feeding should be minimal this year.


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