does size matter

[wightbees]

what are your thoughts on this ?
More bees in a colony = more honey or more mouths to feed ?
less bees in a colony = more honey or less bees = less honey ?

Just wondering your views on colony size or maybe more of queen type.
Been doing a little reading and there are mixed views on size of colony ( queen type) and amount of honey taken.

 

[BeeJayBee]

From a talk last year :-

"More bees; more honey."

 

[moo]

Most bees at the right time, doing the right thing= more honey

Loads of bees during a nectar drought = sad beekeeper

___________________________________
brothermoo.wordpress.com

 

[Finman]

Some Basic facts about good honey yield

- good queens (the whole yeard)
- big hives
- joining weak hives for main yield
- big winter cluster that rippening of colony is fast to forage (minimum 6 weeks)
- small start consumes first all foraged food to larvae and it takes time to rear the colony ready for storing extra food.
- swarming happenings---big hives swarm first

Good pastures
- not too much foragers in same flowers
- flying distance
- nor too much hives yours and others on same pastures
- total blooming time when each species blooms only 2 weeks,
- number of nectar plants over summer

Weather
- over 20C , long periods. 25C is better
- moisture of soil

 

[Finman]

.
One super has 15 kg capped honey.
That amount needs 2 more supers to handle the nectar to make that honey

A big hive 6-7 boxes can get 7 kg/day honey and in 7 days 50 kg .
A small hive have not even space to that even if it robs a next door hive..

- that needs first of all good pastures very near. Flying distance 1 under km
- boath foragers and home bees
- handling nectar inside the hive is as essential as foraging ...(...bearding)
- much free comb space where to rippen nectar before it can be capped

Huge nectar flow developes easily swarming fewer. It is more easy in a small colony because it will be filled in one week. Then swarm goes.


Where to get huge nectar flows? - You must find good pastures and move hives. It is lotto if it comes to your backdoor.


How to get a poor yields....all have experiences about that
- What you can do first is to split you hives in spring

.

 

[Roola]

Really good analysis Finman. Thanks.

 

[sipa]

I agree with Finman, mostly.

Management of stores for overwintering and spring buildup is of critical importance when you want a large early foraging force.

Overstocking relative to available forage is also to be avoided.