# How much honey to leave for winter if I'm trying to not feed



## meganmarie (Aug 26, 2016)

I'm new to this and trying treatment free including no feeding sugar or syrup unless absolutely needed. I use all 8 frame mediums, have 4 hives, and I'm in the Pacific northwest. I'm trying to figure out how much honey I need to leave each hive before I get too excited and harvest it all. I do realize I have a bit before I need to know this. But I love planning ahead.


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

Beekeeping is very localized, where are you located?


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## meganmarie (Aug 26, 2016)

I'm in southern oregon. We have a mild winter. It goes below freezing at night every once in a while. I have read about 70-80 pounds of honey, but I assume that is for 10 frame deeps. Can I leave less for 8 frame mediums--or is the remaining winter cluster about the same regardless of size of summer hive?


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

Size of equipment doesn't dictate how much to leave. With 8-frame mediums you'll need to leave more frames, than you would in 10-frame boxes/frames.

For example, if you do need 70-80 lbs of honey, that's 10 deep frames or 13 or 14 medium frames. Medium frames being roughly 2/3 the size of a deep. If using 8-frame medium equipment that means you'd need to leave nearly two boxes full of just honey.

Now a much smaller colony, say the size of a nuc (or even a double nuc) might need less chow simply because there are fewer mouths to feed. 

Frankly, I think the health of bees well-supplied with calories from sugar is better than bees that teeter on the edge of starvation all winter due to short supplies of honey. Honey, is of course a more natural, complex, food, and thus presumably better for them in the long run than cane sugar. But lack of calories is worse, than the use of sugar. And it is very cheap insurance in case of unexpectedly high needs. For the cost of a nuc in my area (~$175) you can buy nearly _four hundred pounds_ of Domino's cane sugar.

Nancy


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## KGB (Jun 25, 2014)

Find out your area's rule of thumb from a local bee club for weight. Your mild temperatures are not necessarily requiring less stores for over winter success. Also dependent upon cluster size/breed, brood rearing (breed), the length of time with no forage (4 months vs. 6 months), etc. 

I generally winter 4 high.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

meganmarie said:


> I'm new to this and trying treatment free including no feeding sugar or syrup unless absolutely needed....


I think you need to figure out the definition of "treatment free" vs. "chemical free" first.
It is being discussed.

I am "chemical free" and will feed sugar (hard or liquid) without a second thought if need to set/save a worthy colony.


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