Ernest Gregoire requests information about how much a super of honey weighs.
Beekeepers have a lot of opinions but not much fact unless they actually
weigh the supers.  I don't know of anyone who has regularly weighed supers
or hives.  I do know several commercial beekeepers who used to weigh hives
to get an idea of how much honey should be put into them in October prior to
the move to California.  Mostly they just guess.  By working each hive they
roughly judge the number of combs of honey they think they may need, or they
heft the hive from the front to judge its weight.  By the end of the day,
I'll guarantee you, the hives weigh more than in the morning because they
are tired of lifting.
 
The weight of a super of honey will vary depending on the age and condition
of comb, the number of combs in a box, the dry or wet weight of the super,
cedar vs. pine supers, and weight of the combs.  That is why I have always
prescribed the amount of winter stores in number of full deep Langstroth
combs.
 
Here in Washington, a two-story deep hive, with 20 combs of bees on Sept.
first, needs ten combs of honey between September and March.  Usually the
configuration in the hive will be eight to 8.5 combs in the top deep, with
open comb in the lower center for clustering.  Usually there will be one
deep comb of honey against the hive walls in the lower brood nest, with
honey arches in the other eight combs.  This would add up to 10-12 combs of
honey.
 
If you winter three story deep hives, with 25-28 combs of bees on Sept.
first, they will need about 12-13 deep combs of honey.
 
Western frames are about 2/3rds of a deep comb.  Three westerns equal two
deeps approximately.  You will need roughly 15 western combs of honey to
winter three westerns full of bees on Sept. 1.  If you winter four westerns
full of bees on Sept. 1, you will need 20 western combs of honey.
 
Ernest is in NH so I don't know how his winters equate to ours here in the
real Washington.  Consult your State Apiarist.
 
James C. Bach
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