I know the feeling all too well—the overwhelming urge to pull “just one” frame of honey off a hive that is a first-year hive and still growing. Although you’ve been told to leave everything for the bees the first-year, I’m going to give you permission to do just that—take a frame or two. Be prepared to feed, but don’t worry—the bees won’t mind.

Watch this short video I made showing just exactly how I remove a frame and extract the honey from it.

Video Summary:

• Common Scenario for New Beekeepers: In the first year, new beekeepers often don't produce much honey as most efforts go into filling brood boxes and drawing out comb.

• Unpredictable Honey Yields: Honey production can be affected by various factors like weather conditions, resulting in low yields even in subsequent years.

• Harvesting a Single Frame: If honey production is low, it's possible to harvest a single frame by locating a frame with mostly capped honey, scraping it into a bowl, and squeezing out the honey.

• Using Kitchen Tools: Instead of buying an extractor for a small amount of honey, use kitchen tools like a hive tool to scrape and squeeze the honey out of the comb.

• Reward and Hive Maintenance: Harvesting a couple of frames won't harm the hive; replace the frame and feed the hive syrup to help them draw out new wax, giving a small reward of honey in the first year.