How long does it take to get actual honey from the hive? I have heard it takes years.
Dextershed is right on target. The beekeeper association I am in recommends new beekeepers to observe their hives for a year before harvesting honey. It is for 2 reasons:
- You learn the life cycles of the bees, their changing temperments, and possible pest/health issues.
- and to observe how much honey they need to survive winter in your area.
I find it so sad when 1st year beekeepers announce they bottled 30 jars of honey and then are upset their bees starved to death in the winter.
1 Like
You can get honey from a hive in a matter of just a couple of months once you get a colony up to full strength. I’d classify full strength at 2 full depth 10 frame supers full of bees. If you get a good size swarm at the start of spring, it wont take long for that colony to fill one box & want to move into the second box. At that point add a queen excluder, a second super full of drawn comb or fresh foundation, within 2 or 3 months, if there’s a honey flow, you’ll get a full box of beautiful raw honey. If all the frames are chock-a-block & fully capped, you should extract around 25 well earned kilos.