# We robbed honey for the first time!



## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Last weekend my husband and I robbed honey for the very first time. Our poor hives have been fairly weak this year, so we only took from the strongest. We only got 2 supers full - but after processing it, that was plenty! It took us several hours, even with an extractor. Of course, it did take us a little while to figure it all out and develop a "rythem".

We ended up with 45 16 oz. jars, 1 gallon jug, and 8 quarts of honey. We were tickled! I've been using it every morning in my coffee and I can't believe how wonderful it tastes! I know this sounds wierd, but it tastes like our bees smell. I could tell that flavor anywhere in the world. I got a "sugar high" the night we processed it because I couldn't stop licking my fingers!

Penny


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

That's 7 quarts more than average for 2 supers. Congratulations!!!

That's the difference you get when you care for something as well as you have those hives. I'm sure it will be even better next year if we don't repeat the late freeze and summer drought we had this year.


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Thanks Iddee. I really thought that was a lot of honey - Those supers weighed a ton! We took one whose super from one hive, and then frames from 4 of the others. 

I have a question - for the winter, should we leave a super on if it has 3 or 4 full frames so they'll have extra food? We always see hives with no supers in the winter, but our hives have struggled this year, so we thought it made more sense to leave them with extra honey. Should we remove the frames that are empty and just leave the full ones, or just leave the whole super there? Or is leaving the super just not a good idea for some reason?

We're considering removing empty frames and pushing the full frames to either side so we can fit a feeding jar in the middle of them if needed. 

We've been checking and so far no sign of mites. It seems a lot of people treat for mites anyway in the winter. What do the people on this list do? Do you treat whether you see mites or not?

Sorry for all the questions - these are questions we haven't really found clear answers on in our searching.

Thanks! 
Penny


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

For the winter, you want to leave 40 to 60 lbs. of stores in as few boxes as possible. You want to leave as little as possible empty space for the bees to protect and warm.

Now, after saying that, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, leave a box with less than all it's frames. They will hang comb from the top and you will have an impossible mess to deal with. If you robbed a few frames and didn't put frames in the boxes to replace the ones you robbed, get them in immediately.

Any feeding jar should be outside the brood nest. Either in a box above the nest or outside the hive. Only frame feeders should be used inside.

Never treat for anything until needed. Unneeded treating will lead to resistance.


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

That makes sense Iddee. And we did replace each frame we robbed.

Thanks for the treatment advice. I wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing. We don't intend to treat for mites if we continue not seeing them.


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## drypond (Nov 4, 2006)

I'll can say it taste that good. I done ate a pint by myself already.
It was a super nice when my other half Tex came home with honey form a visit out see Penny and Bernie. They are family to us. 
charlotte


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Glad you are enjoying it Charlotte. Bernie grabbed a gallon jug to fill with honey and declared it yours and Tex's right away! You'll not have to worry about having honey as long as we can keep those girls happy! And heaven knows we are trying to keep them happy.

Penny


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## kens (Aug 25, 2007)

This was also my first crop and like you it was great.And also another great thing about all that honey thats in your cubbard is that you will not have to ration yourself at the breakfast table POUR IT ON :1pig:That saying here's to many more great harvests to you.


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## Batt (Sep 8, 2006)

Congratulations on your first honey harvest!!! Just ask any beekeeper and they will tell you that there is none sweeter than your own.

One question...How are your checking for mites? Sugar roll? Screened bottom board? Sometimes they are tricky little devils to see.

Again Congratulations!


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## notaclue (Sep 23, 2005)

Congrats on the mega honey harvest. 

So far we have only used powdered sugar. The mite count was high for me on one hive (84 in 72 hours) so I powdered sugared it and got a mite count of 15 in one hour.  I did it again one week later and had 80 mites in an hour and on the third I got a mite count of 55 again. This has been the highest I have ever seen a count in eight hives and this was in a hive that I inherited quite by accident. The counts after the first hour on each time was more but due to my messing up I couldn't get an accurate count. That was last fall. The hive is going real well this year. All hives will have screened bottom boards and by fall '09 all will be on natural cell. I would prefer to lose a hive to mites and hopefully get strong pest resistant bees. Hopefully this plan will work.


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

Just out of curiosity, BasicLiving, how are the hives now? How are their winter stores?


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Well, not great. I posted about it here http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=212919

When we checked the surviving 3 hives a couple weeks ago, they had plenty of winter stores - but we started feeding them anyway. Two days ago we noticed one of the hives had a large amount of yellow jackets coming and going from the bottom entrance - it has a hive reducer on it too. We screened up the bottom entrance yesterday in the hopes that the girls hanging at the top entrance would have a better chance of keeping the yellow jackets out. 

The other two hives were gathered around the top and bottom entrances and seemed to have no trouble warding off the wasps. All have hive reducers, but the one hive just didn't seem to be able to keep them out. Like I said, we screened up the bottom entrance, so we'll see how they do with that.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Make some yellow jacket traps and take some of the heat off the bees.

Water bottles work great. A few inches below the top drill a 3/8" hole, fill the water bottlae about half way with a 1:1 mix of dish soap (dollar store stuff works great.) place jam or jelly in the cap and screw it on. Set them around the bee yard (mine go in the outer cover mostly.).
the yellow jackets go in to rob the sweet stuff, can't find their way back out and end up drowning in the water which the soap relieved the tention of.

 Al


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

No worries that the honey bees will go after it too and drown?


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Just got back from checking the hives. The two that were doing well earlier, are still doing well at keeping the yellow jackets out. A couple tried to get in there while I was watching, but they were chased away. That poor third hive is still really battling the yellow jackets though.

I did as Al suggested - I made 4 wasp traps and put them around the apiary, closest to the hive with the issues. I really hope it works. I didn't have jam, so I substituted canned chocolate icing I found and didn't even know I had. I hope they like chocolate. It had a strong smell, so hopefully they'll check it out soon. They didn't while I was there - but I left shortly after putting them out.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Normally no worries about the honey bees being scavangers. Still not going to my traps YET.

But as I said in another post this mornning I am starting to worry since Yesterdays not normal weather, high was 68F yesterday and has been for several weeks now. Not any thing except stray plants blooming so the girls are trying to get what they can from what ever.
I checked hives yesterday again. Queens in many hive laying like it was May in the top and bottom box.
If the weather don't change soon I am going to feed the extra honey we were going to whole sale back to the girls.

 Al


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

We're warm here too. And we had lots of girls up by our sea container where we store the hive supplies trying to get in. 

I checked the hives tonight - the weakest with the yellow jacket issues seems to be doing better at keeping the wasp out. I watched for a while - not as many wasps around the hive and the ones that tried going in the upper entrance, got chased off. I really hope they'll be ok. The other two hives are kicking wasp butt - hardly any wasps approached and when they did they were chased off.

I didn't see anyone inside the wasp trap tonight. I'd love to find a few of those little buggers floating. I never did like wasps - I like them even less now.

Penny


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