The Amazing Honey Bee -- Part 9

Honey Bee Fact

Did you know?

A worker bee produces honeycomb by making a series of hexagonal shaped cells from beeswax. To produce just one pound of beeswax, worker bees must consume about eight pounds of honey.

Honey Bee Story

My second year keeping bees, I installed a special box on my beehive that is often referred to as a "Ross Round" frame. The frame has four circles and encourages the bees to create small round sections of honeycomb. At harvest, these honeycomb rounds can be removed and placed in round containers. They are super fun and delicious. My friends and family always love getting one of these special "Ross Round" treats.

Beekeeping Lesson 9

Encouraging your bees to create lots of honeycomb means they will produce less honey. It takes nearly eight pounds of honey to produce just one pound of wax. So some beekeepers try and only collect honey while leaving as much of the wax as possible for reuse while other beekeepers use all the wax and honey.
When you first start beekeeping, your first year harvest will be lighter than subsequent years because your colony will expend a substantial amount of their energy producing beeswax for the brood boxes and for the upper harvest boxes. Depending on your approach to beekeeping, future years the honey harvest should be significantly higher. One way to get around this first year issue is to purchase brood boxes with honeycomb already built out from another beekeeper.
If you decide to do this, be extra careful to only work with a reputable seller. Too many bee diseases are spread through sharing or the sale of boxes and equipment. If you decide to use already make sure to inspect the equipment carefully and ask the seller why they are selling their equipment.
As always, practice safe beekeeping and take care of your bees. If you do, they will produce a magnificent harvest for you and your family to enjoy.

Happy Beekeeping!

Follow me @bigpanda for more beekeeping hints and tips.