How Much Honey Can You Harvest In A Year? [Part 1]

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Subject: How Much Honey Can You Harvest In A Year? [Part 1]

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"How Much Honey Can You Harvest In a Year?"

This is an age-old question that hits high on the frequently asked questions list... We thought we would open the topic and share insights for your input and feedback!

It's not an easy question to answer. There are at least 14 variables we are touching on below which will have influence your harvest in a given 12-month period and beyond...

Buzz along with us on this journey. This is a series of emails. This is part 1!

What Are Major and Minor Honey Producing Variables When You Want To Work Out Honey Production?

1) Your Apiary Location

There's so much in this one variable that can be discussed and interacts with other variables.
Urban locations usually allow for access to more varied gardens and plant food from inside cities. Many gardens will host a selection of plants and trees that bees in the country do not have access to and cannot therefore forage on them. This is a great opportunity for urban bees to collect nectar and pollen from a massive variety when compared to those outside of cities. There is obvious risk and danger with this and in cases where cities have bylaws that control the keeping of bees, it may even be illegal.

Placement of colonies / a colony may influence honey production on a piece of land.
- Hilly areas should see the bees placed in the middle of the elevation versus the valley or top.
- Facing the rising sun is said to be beneficial allowing bees to begin the day earlier than those that don't
- Not facing the direction that the local wind usually blows from helps improve overall colony production as the workers aren't kept busy controlling internal climate.
- Semi-shade is helpful in hot and timid climates
Subtropical versus Arid locations make for very different honey production levels.
- High density subtropical forage areas with a high ratio of densely growing plants, trees and flowers good for bees allow for more honey production than most arid areas
Climate of the location is a major factor. Too wet may result in good plant growth and high density however bees struggle to fly in rain. Similarly, very cold climate at a location also bodes for poor production.
Certain countries make for better overall production due to the natural vegetation available combined with climate. The UK is one country that imports majority of its fruit and vegetables and has a low honey producing ability. Yet, South Africa grows a significant amount of fruit, crops and has a substantial agricultural industry contributing to GDP however the honey production is more or less on par with that of the UK in recent times. Let's compare below:
- UK produced 6,400 tonnes of honey in 2011 but just 2,800 tonnes in 2015
- Romania's Honey production increased from 11.746 tons for the year 2000 to 24.700 tons for 2011. In 2015, Romania alone produced approximately 35,000 tons of honey
- Tanzania is the second largest in Africa (producing approximately 8,000 tonnes annually
- South Africa purports to produce about 2,000 tons.
In summary, location makes a massive difference and somewhat in this order:
- Country > Region > Province / County > Council / Municipality > Zone > Site

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2) Available Forage

It may seem duplicated when considering the location section above includes a point about available forage but when comparing the UK has forage it just isn't high density for bees in many areas when compared to Germany or Romania. Or, Mpumalanga when compared to the Eastern Cape province for example.
This factor also has to be informed by macro and micro considerations when calculating the annual honey harvest potential of an apiary site.
- Macro or "Big Picture" considerations include the annual ebb and flow, the peaks and troughs, of how flora within 5km or 3.1 miles produce food that bees may benefit from. Also, to what extent you would be prepared to move your bees to relocate them to high quality and high density sources of pollen and nectar throughout the year. [Bees need both to thrive.]
- Micro or "Small Picture" includes the quality and density of the forage available throughout the year and even at critical months for brood stimulation, the dearth period during winter and also the variety of the food.
  - Pollen and nectar come in levels of quality for bees. With zero being no nutritional value at all to a rating of four (4) being the best.
  - Bees need pollen for brood and is their source of protein. (Usually appearing the hive on brood frames in colours ranging from yellow, red, orange and more.)
  - They need nectar for consumption for energy and as their carbs.
Pollination can contribute to the production of honey in that in some cases, where there is massive excess of flowering crop, nut or fruit that even placing four to seven hives per hectare (different crops, nuts and fruit require different ratios and density of hives per hectare to qualify for optimal and financial remuneration from farmers) you could harvest a small amount of honey in the process. Say 1 or 2 kilograms at most. (This is not the aim if you charge a farmer for pollination.)
- As a beekeeper not offering pollination services for financial compensation but that farmers would gain some benefit as a byproduct of your bees on their land with a density of one hive per hectare you would most certainly gain strong honey production over the flowering period.
- For example, if a neighbour nearby has planted Canola or Rapeseed and you would like to move your bees on to the farm with permission for the purpose of producing honey, you'd likely aim to place one hive per hectare in manageable nodes. While the rapeseed flowers your bees will produce honey which should amount to a super at least by the end of the flowering period. (There are ways to improve this production.)
  - Your bees produce 10-11kg of honey per hive and the farmer indirectly has pollination for more seed without compensating you.
  - For a 20 hectare farm you could place 20 hives and produce, in this example, 20x 10 kilograms of honey over the flowering period, possibly more with some other steps. This results in potential of 200kg of rapeseed honey.
    - There are costs involved such as the transport to and from the farm.
    - There could be the risk of fire and theft.
    - Risk of injury to animal and farm workers.
    - Some farmers like to get some honey in return for your placing hives on their land. I'd usually offer a 3kg bucket if this comes up. Bear in mind, the farmer in many cases gets a boost in yield with any managed bee colonies being placed on the land.
  - You could either use the honey to sell or leave it with the bees if they require stores for a dearth period for example (although sugar water is a much lower cost than what the honey would cost if you sold it.)

Chasing crops, fruits and nuts as well as indigenous flowering can be lucrative despite numerous risks:
- Sunflowers start flowering in Bloemfontein, Free State earlier than elsewhere. Beekeepers can transport their colonies down to farms with permission and some form of risk management for injury, fire, theft and vandalism.
  - These sunflower crop then continue to flower month after month the more north one travels until reaching all the way up to Levubu, Limpopo Province.
  - Both pollination service may be offered for income or simply honey production
  - Sunflower honey does granulate extremely quickly however so keep this in mind when storing it...it goes hard within a few weeks.
- Aloe Davyana in the Highveld is the best source of winter nectar and pollen for Scutellata bees despite that they become highly defensive when foraging on the flowers.
- Cosmos is a seasonal yet wild source of a light and mild honey which will not be a monocultured honey as it usually is collected with other flowering plants at the same time.
- Avocados and Citrus are other sources of excellent honey production or pollination opportunities.
- Lemon trees flower throughout the year and make for excellent static sites and consistent low level honey production and when combined with other nearby sources it can lead to good productivity throughout the year plus added boost to farm yield!
- Apples in the Western Cape are opportunities for beekeepers
- New almond plantations in the Western Cape are in planting which require bees for pollination.
- Onions need bees for seed production - the honey is really ONLY suitable for cooking and marinades. (Tastes like sweaty feet smell! ;()

More to follow in the series: Size of colony. Quality of queen bee. Type of hive. Weather. Mobile or static hive? Your management or pests, brood space & Supers. Method of extraction. Starter strips or full wax sheets used?

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Subject: How Much Honey Can You Harvest In A Year? [Part 1]

"How Much Honey Can You Harvest In a Year?"

What Are Major and Minor Honey Producing Variables When You Want To Work Out Honey Production?

2) Available Forage