Weight of a poly super

[Poly Hive]

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

[James O]

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?

[Poly Hive]

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

[Calluna4u]

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.

[Thymallus]

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.

[Poly Hive]

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

[alancooper]

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.

[James O]

Attached is how I use manley frames in a Swienty poly super.2859

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

[Poly Hive]

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

[Calluna4u]

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.

[Poly Hive]

Sorry but not sure Murray. The cage may still be on site I will have a look.

How do I space them? I pick them up and put them in and it takes 8 as it has always done with a bit of space left over which will not take another frame Manley of Hofman.

I tested the scales with 5 x 2kg bags of sugar this morning and to my surprise it read........................10kg. So dear all the super I weighed was right at 39lbs.

PH28602861

So 8 frames in in a well used super some 10 years old or so with 30 odd mmm left over. Not enough room for a 9th.

PH

[Jimbo]

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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[madasafish]

I use Langstroth shallow supers (approx 15% shallower than normal supers). I weigh each super# before and after extraction so I know roughly the weight of honey per super/hive. (OCD I know)

Maximum honey weight of any filled super 22lbs (not completely full). Average 19lbs. Weight of poly super plus drawn out frames approx 10lbs .. so total weight 32 lbs or 14.5Kg.

# Bathroom digital scales - stand on carrying super...

[Calluna4u]

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Itching to know what you wrote in reply lol......nothing showing up that I can see.

[Poly Hive]

Must be busy today Murray?

Nothing shoing here either so said nothing in reply.

madasafish? Totally different to my experience. A normal full Langstroth super should be weighing north of 40 lbs. Nearer to 50 actually. As said a full nat poly is weighing 39lbs here. I fear your definition of full and mine are a tad different.

PH

[Jimbo]

Sorry Had nothing to say. I was just reading the thread and my fat fingers got in the way and pressed the wrong buttons!


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[Calluna4u]

Must be busy today Murray?

Nothing shoing here either so said nothing in reply.

madasafish? Totally different to my experience. A normal full Langstroth super should be weighing north of 40 lbs. Nearer to 50 actually. As said a full nat poly is weighing 39lbs here. I fear your definition of full and mine are a tad different.

PH

Stuck at base waiting for the electrician to come and fix the extractor...and also had the Belgosuc tanker coming at lunchtime (been and gone).

He did mention Langstroth shallow....that's not the normal depth used in the UK that is actually called a medium throughout the world and a Dadant depth in the UK (we always HAVE to be different). The shallow box is with frames only around 5" tall and is often used for comb honey production. If your exposure is via either of the main historic Scottish users then you are talking mediums, a bigger box altogether.

[Poly Hive]

Ah! Bloody linguistics again. I have heard Lang supers called shallows you see. God it gets confusing.

Over working the extractor eh? Or far too much honey...lol

PH

[madasafish]

Must be busy today Murray?

Nothing shoing here either so said nothing in reply.

madasafish? Totally different to my experience. A normal full Langstroth super should be weighing north of 40 lbs. Nearer to 50 actually. As said a full nat poly is weighing 39lbs here. I fear your definition of full and mine are a tad different.

PH

I wrote ""
Maximum honey weight of any filled super 22lbs (not completely full)"

:-)

[Calluna4u]

Ah! Bloody linguistics again. I have heard Lang supers called shallows you see. God it gets confusing.

Over working the extractor eh? Or far too much honey...lol

PH

Sadly this is us trying to get started. Isn't technology great. Prefer old style ones with manual controls myself. Seems to be a fault in the very involved control box...loads of settings...and one appears to be not allowing power to go to the motor. Involves clearing and resetting a load of parameters and the main programmes are also likely to need reset.

[Poly Hive]

Can't agree more. Overly Complex and prone to breaking down at that and they want us to trust driverless cars.... uh huh. Windows blue screen, Chrome not responding, and the speedo says 70mph with a wall getting closer by the second. Not for me ta.

PH

[busybeephilip]

Can't agree more. Overly Complex and prone to breaking down at that and they want us to trust driverless cars.... uh huh. Windows blue screen, Chrome not responding, and the speedo says 70mph with a wall getting closer by the second. Not for me ta.

PH

Ha.. by the time e-cars are affordable you wont have speedo's just some animated voice "you are now doing 70 mph" Chrome - whats that exactly ...:)? (got chrome on my A35 .. no PC or anything like it there just the way i like it, never needs a reboot)

[Poly Hive]

Chrome browser. Also Chrome book.


PH