# When to harvest?



## stangardener (Mar 8, 2005)

if you have a bar with no brood and it's mostly capped i say take it. tbh's are great for havesting less more often.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

I have the same question Dave. I put mine in April. And at last weekend's inspection they seem to be storing honey in good numbers. Not a full bar yet but probably 3/4 of a bar on 2 bars. And about 1/2-3/4 is capped. So I plan on checking this weekend or next and seeing what they have done. If I have a full capped bar I might take it. I am covered up in mesquite trees. At least 2000 acers + around me. I think my flow is going good. 

How did you over winter your bees last year. Did you have to feed at all. Or is our winter warm enough where they still work and find food.

Also, Since they have been in there since last summer how many bars to you have drawn out. 

Since your 50 miles from me and have a good head start I wanted to pick your brain alittle.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Anytime it's mostly capped honey.


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## DaveWilliamsTX (Aug 16, 2007)

Derek1 said:


> I have the same question Dave. I put mine in April. And at last weekend's inspection they seem to be storing honey in good numbers. Not a full bar yet but probably 3/4 of a bar on 2 bars. And about 1/2-3/4 is capped. So I plan on checking this weekend or next and seeing what they have done. If I have a full capped bar I might take it. I am covered up in mesquite trees. At least 2000 acers + around me. I think my flow is going good.


I'm in urban Fort Worth, so I imagine we're at the mercy of landscaped yards, so probably won't see many large flows - I assume a more steady flow?



Derek1 said:


> How did you over winter your bees last year. Did you have to feed at all. Or is our winter warm enough where they still work and find food.
> 
> Also, Since they have been in there since last summer how many bars to you have drawn out.


I closed up my extra (ventilation) entrance, and that's about it. No feeding was necessary, and they had maybe 10 - 12 bars drawn out. We even had that freak 8 inch snowfall (my bees were in denton) which they made it through fine. They did fly on some of the warmer days. I'm fairly confident that yours will be fine with minimum work on your part. Just be sure to leave them enough honey. They have filled 3/4 of a 4 foot hive thus far.


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## Tim Hall (Sep 14, 2007)

DaveWilliamsTX said:


> I'm in urban Fort Worth...


Dave, you never told me where you were after I replied to your PM some time back. I'm still curious where (generally) you have your hive(s). Are you actually downtown (urban)?


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

DaveWilliamsTX said:


> Just be sure to leave them enough honey. /QUOTE]
> 
> One of mine has a little less than 1/2 of a 4' drawn out. I started it in late April. The other has a 1/4 +/- just started a few weeks ago. What would you say is enough honey. 3 bars? I'm may only take 1 to 2 bars this year. Just to practice extracting it. And then next year get after it.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

You're in Texas. Worst case you can probably feed all winter.  Here, if they don't have enough, they starve. They can't take syrup in the winter here.


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## DaveWilliamsTX (Aug 16, 2007)

Tim Hall said:


> Dave, you never told me where you were after I replied to your PM some time back. I'm still curious where (generally) you have your hive(s). Are you actually downtown (urban)?


Apologies, Tim. I'm a half mile south of 30, and a mile west of 35, so not downtown, and within pillaging range of the botanic gardens : )


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## Tim Hall (Sep 14, 2007)

DaveWilliamsTX said:


> Apologies, Tim. I'm a half mile south of 30, and a mile west of 35, so not downtown, and within pillaging range of the botanic gardens : )


No worries...bees keep your mind occupied. Sounds like that puts you somewhere just east of the Colonial...probably a good area. You should also have the Zoo and a good section of the Trinity River in your forage zone.


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## DaveWilliamsTX (Aug 16, 2007)

Derek1 said:


> One of mine has a little less than 1/2 of a 4' drawn out. I started it in late April. The other has a 1/4 +/- just started a few weeks ago. What would you say is enough honey. 3 bars? I'm may only take 1 to 2 bars this year. Just to practice extracting it. And then next year get after it.


That's a hard one for me to tell you, I only harvested a comb that was built funny, and left the rest to them (it was mostly stored syrup anyway). I started in mid August, so I think they really didn't have the time to get large stores built up. But they made it fine on whatever they had tucked away in the brood comb. It was a fairly small colony at the time, though.

When I checked after I posted yesterday, I only have about 4 bars that are empty! I might have to build a TBH super.....


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

For most of us in north Texas, the spring flow is over with this heat. I'll likely pull honey this weekend (Lang hives). If you are fortunate enough to have an area with blooming mesquite, you can get a summer flow off of that. The fall flow is always dependent on rain, but should happen this year with decent ground moisture. It will start in mid September on asters and golden rod. Sometimes it goes until Thanksgiving depending on freezes.


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## DaveWilliamsTX (Aug 16, 2007)

I am noticing bees on soap berry in our neighborhood right now, and they seem to be busy as ever...maybe all the landscaped yards.....


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## Tim Hall (Sep 14, 2007)

At my Fort Worth beeyard they are all over the privet...unfortunately I've been told this may not taste so good. I suppose I can feed it to my other colonies.

At one of my other yards the mesquite (the predominant nectar source) has just come into full bloom. I'm not sure if this is it's first or second bloom this year since my colonies there got a much later-than-anticipated start. If I'm lucky I'll get at least one more round of blooms out of them late in the season before the broomweed kicks in.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Went out Sunday and hoped to get a bar or two of honey. Came home with nothing. They are storing very good. But the one bar I wanted to get was only about 70% capped. I added a brood bar 4 bars back and 2 honey bars at the back. I am going to give them two weeks and check again.


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