Guilfordbeekeepers.org

How much honey could one expect from a single colony in our area? How much honey should I leave for the bees?

I have read that the North Carolina average is 35 lbs/hive. Some produce none-others much more than the average. I have been told that you want the equivalent of a medium box of honey over the bees going into winter-about 40lbs. That being said, I remember Wally's question to me long ago before droughts/inflation sent sugar prices up; what would you rather feed your bees, $5.00/pound honey or $.50/pound sugar water? Although sugar may not be quite as good for the bees as honey, feeding 1:1 after taking honey may encourage the queen to keep up a higher level of brood production during the dearth, and feeding 2:1 starting some time in October can help them put weight on a hive that is easier for them to cap.

My best colonies here in Greensboro will typically produce a 5 gal bucket of honey (50-60 lbs?).

I started out following the "leave one medium super of honey for winter" approach, but have definitely switched over to harvesting all honey, putting a wet super back on after extracting, feeder sugar syrup through the fall, and then using dry sugar as emergency feed during the winter.

This.