>
>This year I will weigh the colonies in September to record each colonies
>weight.  This would be good
>information for many beekeepers to gather for their locations.
>
>Keith Malone


I've been weighing my colonies now for more than 20 years. I can't imagine
trying to judge their weight, for winter, any other way. Just hefting the
back of the hives never worked well for me...they all feel heavy after a
yard or two. Feeding until they won't take any more can be expensive. Just
one extra gallon per colony would cost me a couple thousand dollars.

A two story colony, and bees...with no honey...cover off...weighs about 70
pounds. Add to that what honey you need in your area to winter, and make
that be your target weight. My target weight is 150 lbs...northwest Vermont.

Mike

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