# How much honey will an average hive produce? **URL:** \ **Category:** Mmm Honey\ **Created:** [March 21, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859 "2016-03-21T22:29:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ecobeeremoval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@ecobeeremoval](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/ecobeeremoval)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 10:25am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/21 "2016-03-30T10:25:21Z")
You can easily get 50-60 lbs honey from a single honey bee hives. ---
**Author:** ![Benny\_Binette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecb155/32.png) [@Benny\_Binette](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Benny_Binette)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/22 "2018-03-09T16:38:25Z")
A strong hive can produce up to 40 to 50 pounds in a good year. ---
**Author:** ![JeffH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/jeffh/32/7192_2.png) [@JeffH](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/JeffH)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/23 "2018-03-09T22:28:19Z")
@BigBadBob harvested around 70 liters, by my calculations. At around 1.5 kilos of honey per liter, that means he got over 100 kilos. That equals over 220 pounds. Where I live you can average a hundred kilos of honey per year per hive, if you work your bees right. ---
**Author:** ![Dan2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dan2/32/10463_2.png) [@Dan2](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dan2)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/24 "2018-03-09T22:42:45Z")
Hi Jeff, it is interesting to note that both you and @BigBadBob are in the subtropics. Buderim is an incredibly wet place too, but rain days per month is not high, giving the bees time to gather nectar I guess. ---
**Author:** ![skeggley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/skeggley/32/27522_2.png) [@skeggley](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/skeggley)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 12:25am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/25 "2018-03-10T00:25:38Z")
Ok Jeff I appreciate that you’re coming around to the metric system which is great but, it’s ‘litre’ dude! Not the silly imperialistic easy spelling ‘liter’! 🤓 ---
**Author:** ![JeffH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/jeffh/32/7192_2.png) [@JeffH](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/JeffH)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 7:18am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/26 "2018-03-10T07:18:34Z")
Hi Skegg, I take the easy way & go along with whatever “spell check” likes. It likes flavor, but dislikes flavour. So I just type flavor. I know the proper spelling is flavour, the same as the proper spelling for litre is litre. ---
**Author:** ![JeffH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/jeffh/32/7192_2.png) [@JeffH](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/JeffH)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 7:37am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/27 "2018-03-10T07:37:38Z")
PS, generally speaking, my spelling at atrotious, therefore I need “spell check” so that my spelling is not so atrocious. ---
**Author:** ![sandyfreckle](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/sandyfreckle/32/20362_2.png) [@sandyfreckle](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/sandyfreckle)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 1:03am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/28 "2019-12-11T01:03:37Z")
A couple of months ago at our monthly Southern Capes Apiarist Society meeting a Dr Liz Barbour gave a very interesting talk…, within which(unless memory fails me) she mentioned that the world record for honey production for 1 hive in 1 year was 400kg…, of Karri Honey(in S/W W.A). Seems unbelievable…, but now I have just read in ‘[Honeybee.org](http://Honeybee.org)’ that another record for honey production in 1 year, was also in WA and was recorded by a commercial apiarist of 357kg of honey for ‘each’ or 400 hives ! If these are correct figures…, I’m guessing that was also for Karri…, and it was during a Karri heavy ‘flow’ year. Anyone care to comment ? ---
**Author:** ![Numbatino](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/numbatino/32/20258_2.png) [@Numbatino](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Numbatino)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 5:08am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/29 "2019-12-11T05:08:09Z")
> [@sandyfreckle](#): > > world record for honey production …400kg…, (in S/W W.A)…unbelievable… another record … also in WA Shhhhh. Don’t tell those guys in the eastern states Malcolm, they’ll come here and bring their beetles with them. ---
**Author:** ![Peter48](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/peter48/32/14625_2.png) [@Peter48](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Peter48)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/30 "2019-12-11T16:58:18Z")
Commercial bee keepers have to go chasing any honey flow, even up to a few hundred K’s away from the extractor shed. So those guys need a high hive yield. Hobby bee keepers usually have the hives in one location year round and the colony get flows and the odd dearth so the bee keeper is never going to set any records. There is no average yield of honey to expect but with good hive management and a reasonable year then you can expect a harvest that will give you more honey than your family needs, some extra for neighbors and friends, and if you have more than that then you have done pretty well. I’m talking there of a person having a couple of hives at home. Then in between is guys like me who are addicted to bee keeping and have the time available to put the time into doing it, if I extract an average of 100 kilos of honey from my hives over a year I’m happy. Cheers ---
**Author:** ![AdamMaskew](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/adammaskew/32/16818_2.png) [@AdamMaskew](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/AdamMaskew)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2019, 5:35am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/31 "2019-12-18T05:35:56Z")
I have just had a look at my notes from a talk by John Karasinski, Curtin Uni, gave earlier this year. In it he estimated that in WA the average honey production of WA hobbyists is ~20kg per hive per year and commercial 250-300kg per hive per year. Interestingly back in the 1940s’ the average commercial production of a commercial UK Beekeeper was 20kg per hive per year. I wonder what it is now? ---
**Author:** ![anon20442494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@anon20442494](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/anon20442494)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 1:03pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/32 "2019-12-23T13:03:52Z")
> [@AdamMaskew](#): > > WA hobbyists is ~20kg per hive per year and commercial 250-300kg per hive per year. How do they do it? it is more that 10 times the yield. Migratory hives? ---
**Author:** ![Doug1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/doug1/32/12603_2.png) [@Doug1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Doug1)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/33 "2019-12-23T17:12:10Z")
> [@anon20442494](#): > > **How do they do it? it is more that 10 times the yield.** When I first started out beekeeping…1976…with two hives I couldn’t figure it out how commercial guys in my area pulled off the big yields. So instead of using 2 lb packages, I switched up to 4 lb packages…my way of addressing my beekeeping management incompetence. That opened a new world for me. Beekeeping…in my estimation…is the most specialized form of animal husbandry. And not only is the actual hands on work with the hive important…but an understanding of the biome and climate in your area is equally important. Very little of this knowledge is found in textbooks…and it’s my experience that production conditions for bees can vary dramatically within just 20 miles. What are the optimal conditions for those honeybees…a lifelong quest? And then when you finally think you have it all figured out, this happens in your backyard: ![unnamed](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/1/9/198997154a598d03af6d21aa0cd8da28db7bbe70.jpeg) Looking for used Polaris snowmobiles now 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/34 "2019-12-23T17:54:11Z")
What a great post @Doug1. I agree, it is the local details that really matter, once you have the bee biology concepts. Very nicely explained. 😊 ---
**Author:** ![skeggley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/skeggley/32/27522_2.png) [@skeggley](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/skeggley)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 11:08pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/35 "2019-12-23T23:08:43Z")
Yes, well put as usual Doug. And, it seems, you’re taking migratory beekeeping to a new level. ---
**Author:** ![anon20442494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@anon20442494](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/anon20442494)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/36 "2019-12-23T23:21:18Z")
Thanks Doug for the info. > [@Doug1](#): > > Very little of this knowledge is found in textbooks So true, as I am finding that out. ---
**Author:** ![JeffH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/jeffh/32/7192_2.png) [@JeffH](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/JeffH)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/37 "2019-12-24T04:24:42Z")
A good thing would be to find a local mentor. One who is successful with his/her own bees. You’ll get an idea from how much honey his/her hives are producing. That will give you a yardstick to aim for. There is a myriad of variables to consider before determining the average amount of honey a hive can produce in a year. Too many to list. Dawn could be correct in saying probably no honey in the first year, however someone in West Australia recently harvested honey within only 3 months of installing some bees. It’s the classic piece of string question. It depends on the size of the colony to start with, the quality of the queen, the time of season & available resources for the bees to forage on. ---
**Author:** ![AdamMaskew](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/adammaskew/32/16818_2.png) [@AdamMaskew](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/AdamMaskew)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 9:21am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/38 "2019-12-24T09:21:34Z")
Part of it is knowing the flows and locations, having the hives ready for the flow (bee numbers) and chasing the flow. ---
**Author:** ![Doug1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/doug1/32/12603_2.png) [@Doug1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Doug1)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859/39 "2019-12-24T20:01:24Z")
> [@Dawn\_SD](#): > > **it is the local details that really matter,** Thanks Dawn…what amazes me is how many seasons one can burn through trying to figure out the details. About three years ago, commercial guys just north of me were claiming they were getting a honeyflow off goldenrod…I was skeptical because I used to run bees in that area when I was commercial and there sure wasn’t any flow off goldenrod and I found out through my botany training that the species of goldenrod we had wasn’t known to secrete nectar. Not only that, I wasn’t aware of any beekeepers in the whole province ever getting honey from goldenrod…ever. But here those neighboring beekeepers were saying the opposite. So I happened to travel through that area and I found that a another insect…the tent caterpillar…had totally defoiliaged huge tracts of the forest canopy so now sunlight penetrated and hit the florest floor where goldenrod grew and for once the goldenrod really flourished…nectar and all. The cause and effect of insects (tent caterpillar) on other insects (honeybees) took me totally offguard…who would of expected that! Sure keeps one humble. > [@skeggley](#): > > **And, it seems, you’re taking migratory beekeeping to a new level.** 😂 **So true, as I am finding that out.** [/quote] Watch out! You’re about to become hopelessly addicted. > [@JeffH](#): > > **however someone in West Australia recently harvested honey within only 3 months of installing some bees** Our 1kg New Zealand packages are installed the first week of May…boosted with bulk bees from our wintered colonies after there is capped brood in the NZ package units. Dandelion and significant willow honey starts around the 3rd week of May…dandelion granulates easily…willow finally finishes 6 weeks later…there are many varietals of willow. But that mixture of spring nectar honey (40kg to 80kg/hive) has to be removed before the main flow from clovers/alfalfa start…usually by the end of June. The bees are working close to 18 hrs/day…if the temperatures are warm enough. If we get 3 weeks of flying weather out of the total 6 weeks we…and the bees…are happy. Here’s a video of our wintered colonies that we later get bulk bees from…note the snow on the ground. We treat those wintered colonies as a source for bulk bees and nucs…not honey production directly…the queens have already put in one season last year and will last only a couple of months more. [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/1/e/1ef03c915d5fb31c514dc18b86d21322df6522bd.jpeg "March 20 inspection 2019") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZgZl4lazcI) [Previous page](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-much-honey-will-an-average-hive-produce/5859.md?page=1)