On 6/28/2017 2:39 PM, CRNG wrote:
On Wed, 28 Jun 2017 07:00:07 -0500, Terry Coombs
wrote in

but I
do take honey , being sure to leave them enough to feed themselves over
the cold/dearth months when they can't forage for nectar
Just curious. I'm a city boy so know nothing about this. How do you
know how much honey to leave them for the winter? Trial and error?

It depends on the size of the colony , but there are general guidelines
.. With 2 deep and one medium box on , I like to have my hives weighing
around 90-110 lbs in late November . They don't eat so much when it's
cold - under 40° - but it takes a LOT of resources to "brood up" in the
spring . Population contracts in late summer/into fall , then around
late February (here , other places timing might be different) they start
to build up again for the spring nectar "flow" . Peak population in my
hives is probably around 35,000 to 45,000 bees . Takes a lot of bees to
bring in all that nectar and pollen !

--

Snag