Honey Harvest Calculator
Total pounds from hive count and yield.
What it does
Honey harvest planning multiplies colony count by realistic yield per colony, then holds back winter stores before jarring a drop. Forage, mites, swarms, and crowding swing real yards far from national averages.
The tool above takes producing hives with pounds per colony. It returns total harvest with the per hive figure beside it, so hobby yards and sideline outfits plan the same line.
The defaults run 4 hives at 40 lbs: 160 lbs of honey. At the USDA recent 48 lb average the same yard gives 192 lbs, while a 25 colony yard in good flow can pass 90 lbs a hive.
Yields follow USDA NASS honey reports with Mississippi State extension matching the spread: national per colony near 48 lbs lately, yards ranging 30 to 100 lbs with density and season.
How to use
- Enter producing hives, new packages excluded.
- Enter realistic pounds per hive.
- Read total harvest first.
- Subtract winter stores next.
- Read jars from what remains.
- Replan after swarm or dearth years.
Formula
- hives
- Producing colonies, packages excluded.
- lbs
- Surplus pounds per colony per year.
National averages blend strong and weak yards, so local flow decides your number inside the 25 to 60 planning band. Colonies counted across states can understate USDA yield per colony, and winter stores never count as harvest.
Worked example
Example: 4 hives at 40 lbs
Defaults: 4 producing hives, 40 lbs each.
- Total: 4 x 40 = 160 lbs.
- Tool shows 160 lbs honey, 40 lbs per hive.
- USDA check: 4 x 48 = 192 lbs.
- Hold back winter stores before jarring.
- New packages often harvest near zero.
Reference table
| Per hive | Total | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 25 lbs | 100 lbs | Poor |
| 40 lbs | 160 lbs | Fair |
| 48 lbs | 192 lbs | USDA recent |
| 60 lbs | 240 lbs | Strong |
Limits
- Averages hide yard to yard spread.
- First year packages harvest little.
- Mites and swarms cut surplus fast.
- Winter stores excluded from jars.
Common mistakes
- Jarring winter stores too.
- Budgeting record flow every year.
- Counting packages as producers.
- Overstocking one apiary.
- Skipping mite checks until crash.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
2 hives at 48 lbs?
96 lbs of honey.
6 hives at 30 lbs?
180 lbs of honey.
Why hold stores back?
Bees winter on honey; jars take surplus only.
Questions
How much honey per hive?
Often 25 to 60 lbs surplus; USDA recent averages sit near 48 lbs.
New hive first year?
Often near zero while comb and stores build.
What raises yield?
Strong flows, low density, young queens, mite control.
How many hives per yard?
Crowding cuts per hive surplus; spread yards in good flow.
When to harvest?
Capped frames past winter needs, before dearth robbing.
Leave how much for winter?
Local guidance rules; northern yards leave far more.