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Thread: Weight of a poly super

  1. #1
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    Default Weight of a poly super

    Dressed with 8 Manley frames a Swienty super empty as just weight comes in at 6lbs.

    Might be a handy snippet for some.

    Super I took off yesterday thus has some 33 lbs of honey in it. Ish of course allowing for the comb weight.

    PH

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    Thanks for the info.
    Why only 8 frames? Did you mean 9?

    I'd be delighted if I was getting 33lb honey per swienty super. I estimate around 20 lb max per 9 manley frames with a small amount more to be drained from the cappings.
    I rarely get supers where there is only a single (or double) bee space between opposing frames - am I giving my bees too much space for the strength of the nectar flow?
    Last edited by James O; 23-09-2017 at 08:04 AM.

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    I mean 8. I will take a pic.

    Full super weighed on Thursday came in at 39 lbs on the same scale.

    No idea what you are doing (obviously) but a good National super will or should give over 30lbs at least. Langstroth of course that much more say nearer 40. That's my experience over the years and backed up by weighing. I have a vague recollection of full Nats being cited at 40lbs but I have never achieved that, that I know of and that would have been timber sups not poly.



    PH

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    Quote Originally Posted by Poly Hive View Post
    I mean 8. I will take a pic.

    Full super weighed on Thursday came in at 39 lbs on the same scale.

    No idea what you are doing (obviously) but a good National super will or should give over 30lbs at least. Langstroth of course that much more say nearer 40. That's my experience over the years and backed up by weighing. I have a vague recollection of full Nats being cited at 40lbs but I have never achieved that, that I know of and that would have been timber sups not poly.



    PH
    No idea what I'm doing either then Pete. Cant get close to your figures, even in wood with a frame more.

    The amount that can be got from a single box seems to be a bit fanciful. 1. They are rarely totally full anyway. 2. There is invariably clingage. (unrecovered honey)

    Our rule of thumb for a pallet of decent BS shallows is 22lb/box and for deeps, at a push 35lb........................averaged over a sizeable number. We cant just take the heaviest ones, extrapolate, and say that's our crop. Only person we deceive is ourselves if we do.

    FWIW...a lot of our production is in Langstroth deeps. If it is FULL and goes for cut comb we can get 140 pieces from it and they work out at 200g per piece so a full deep (with a tiny amount of offcuts), including the wax, is ONLY 28Kg. Have seen people on lists and forums claim to EXTRACT 30Kg, even 35KG.............that is impossible.

    Have you weighed your 39lb super after extracting? The residual weight might surprise you.


    Added later.....son just run it through his calculator....given the Lang figure to be correct...the max a BS shallow can hold is 36lb............every cell at max depth, full, sealed through the whole box, and includes the wax.
    Last edited by Calluna4u; 24-09-2017 at 07:30 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Poly Hive View Post
    No idea what you are doing (obviously) but a good National super will or should give over 30lbs at least.
    Do tell what bees you are using...30lbs per super. Wow! Was told 30lbs was to be expected on my first beekeeping course..but never saw it.
    Possibly get up to 25lbs/super on Heather but 20-22 is more realistic.

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    Murray it is a super of CC which I am going to crush and spin out in the spin drier. I am hoping for 30 lbs from it but we will see. Scales used are luggage scales so may well be misreading but only ones I have that can do that job.

    Thymallus the queen was from Canula4u.

    PH

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    Poly Hive - For more context, I am interested in what the main nectar sources for the bees were? - and was the super the only one on the hive? Alan.

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    Attached is how I use manley frames in a Swienty poly super.20170924_133636.jpg

    I went for Manleys as no need for castellations/spacers.
    PH - how are you spacing them with 8 frames in a super?

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    Sure. Yes it was one super and they are working HB. Also rather to my surprise they are a very strong colony, as until mid July they were dreadful and the first requeen was rejected but thankfully they took the 2nd one. Amazing the difference a good queen makes.

    They yesterday I found another hive have done the same and they are really strong. I was really taken aback at the numbers and with the weather breaking here least night I will see if they are hanging out the entrance or not this morning. If so I will give them an empty super for space if nothing else. the super looks to be pretty full so I will weigh it too and see what's what.

    PH

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Poly Hive View Post
    Murray it is a super of CC which I am going to crush and spin out in the spin drier. I am hoping for 30 lbs from it but we will see. Scales used are luggage scales so may well be misreading but only ones I have that can do that job.

    Thymallus the queen was from Canula4u.

    PH
    Then you have a chance of getting close to that figure. There will be virtually zero clingage left and the wax is a commodity too.

    If it was as full as that maybe you wrote down which line number it was that heads that colony? I am sure Jolanta would like to know.

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