How much honey can one beehive produce and which beehive model (i.e, Langstroth) produces this result?
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Beehive and Old Faithful actually blew at the same time (which is pretty uncommon)
Question by Mike: How much honey can one beehive produce and which beehive model (i.e, Langstroth) produces this result?
How many beehives can be placed per acre? Also, which hives are the most productive, Langstroth hives, Top-bar hives, etc… ?
How many beehives can be placed per acre? Some websites state that 2 to 5 beehives can be placed in an acre. Is this true and will it increase or decrease productivity?
Also, which hives are the most productive, Langstroth hives, Top-bar hives, etc… ?
Add your own answer in the comments!
2 Responses to How much honey can one beehive produce and which beehive model (i.e, Langstroth) produces this result?
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I used to work with bees..Bees can be very temperamental..depending on the weather..How many per acre depends on their pollen source.Worker bees often travel long distances to find pollen, & they gather pollen from various plants. Clover & other legume fields will provide the most food & the finest flavor of honey. Depending on where you live..If you have an acreage a hive out back would provide you with honey for the table and a very interesting hobby. Supers or extra layers of combs may be added if needed..You should work with some first or read bunches to learn how to handle the bees. You have to care for them.. Some beekeepers are having tough times, trying to keep their bee populations..
Rex K
January 13, 2012 at 11:19 pm
As a hobbyist I have made over 150 pounds of honey from one hive with a good honey flow, using a Langstroth hive. The Langstroth hive would be much more productive, if that is what you are after. Bees make most of their honey when certain nectar producing crops are flowering, which is usually a 2 to 4 week window. The ability to stack several empty boxes on a strong hive, gives the bees room to work. They can fill 2 or 3 boxes in a week or two if there is enough nectar available. I used to leave the bottom brood chamber and one honey super untouched so that I did not have to feed the bees over the winter. I mention this to show that you have some flexibility of management with this type of hive.
I am not sure what you mean by how many hives per acre. Bees forage productively for 2 miles from the hive, thereby covering an area of 12 square miles. As a hobbyist, 2 or 3 hives are probably all you would want to handle. Commercially, I have seen several hundred hives in one bee yard, when there is a good nectar source available. For commercial pollination work, there are recommendations for different crops on the number of hives and the spacing and location around the crop.
Mark T
January 13, 2012 at 11:53 pm