Some beekeepers believe that, if you leave a lot of honey for your bees after the primary nectar flow stops, everything will be OK and that’s the best thing to do for them. While having their own honey to eat rather than syrup is a little better for them, it actually doesn’t help as much as you would think. Things like handling mites and feeding properly are far more important to the long-term health of your hive.

I encourage beekeepers to always leave all the honey the bees have in the bottom brood box for the bees. Then, if you have a second box, you can leave all the honey in that box as well or harvest about half of it along with all the honey out of the supers above it. After you harvest, you just have to ensure that you feed properly to replenish the stores you took. Oftentimes, summer feeding is great for the bees and encourages them to continue growing and thriving—far better for them than just sitting around with nothing to do.

Follow the guidelines on trickle feeding and your hive will be fine, even if you take all the honey out of the supers. If you don’t want to feed at all, then you will need to leave at least 40 pounds of honey in the second box above the first brood box. Do not extract from the brood nest.

"After you harvest, you just have to ensure that you feed properly to replenish the stores you took."

People always ask, "How much honey should I leave?" Blake helps answer that question in this video.

Video Summary: How Much Honey Should I Leave?

In the informative video from Texas Bee Supply, the question of how much honey to harvest from a beehive is explored, especially for new beekeepers. The video provides a practical look into managing a hive and making decisions about harvesting honey while ensuring the health and sustainability of the bee colony.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding Hive Structure: The hive consists of a deep box and a medium box stacked on top, with the medium box typically used for honey storage.
• Assessing Hive Health: A healthy hive often shows bees covering the inner cover, indicating good honey production.
• Honey Capacity of a Medium Box: A fully packed medium box can contain about 40 pounds of honey.
• Deciding How Much Honey to Harvest: For new hives, you might decide to leave the honey to sustain the bees over the summer or choose to harvest it.
• Harvesting Process: If you decide to harvest, you can remove the entire top box of honey but must replace it afterward to avoid depleting the bees’ resources.
• Feeding After Harvesting: It's crucial to feed the bees immediately after harvesting to ensure they do not starve, especially over the summer months.
• Maintaining the Brood Nest: The bottom box, or the brood nest, should never be harvested from, as it is essential for the bees' reproductive health and well-being.
• Alternative Approaches: If not focusing on harvesting, additional boxes can be added for the bees to use over the summer.
• Educational Resources: Further guidance on feeding bees and encouraging them to draw out new foundation can be found through additional videos and resources at TexasBeeSupply.com.

Harvesting honey from a beehive requires careful consideration of the hive's health and the bees' future needs. For new beekeepers, it's vital to balance the desire for honey with the responsibility to maintain a sustainable environment for the bees. By following best practices for harvesting and immediately compensating with adequate feeding, beekeepers can enjoy the fruits of their labor without compromising the hive's health.