I extracted my bees' honey today.  I did one super at a time as my 10 frame
radial conveniently coincides with my (generally) 10 frame supers.  Each super
is marked with the apiary from which it came and will be returned to that
apiary.  Not all hives in each apiary yielded honey as some are fresh swarms,
nucs, etc but each will be given at least one super to clean.  They will be
placed on top of the crown board with an open feed hole in the evening when
flying has ceased or earlier in the day if the forecast rain materialises.
This procedure minimises the risk of disease transfer between apiaries and
also reduces the risk of robbing.  If I suspected that a hive in an apiary had
AFB or EFB I would not be extracting from that apiary in any case.
After a week or two I shall remove the supers and inspect each hive to assess
its winter food needs.  Most years I don't need to feed at all and get very
few winter losses, but this year has been poor in forage and rich in swarms so
I will probably have to feed some of them with syrup.
I keep no more than four hives to an apiary.  This reduces competition for
available forage in times of dearth; reduces beekeeper's back as I get plenty
of breaks from leaning over hives and gives me more pleasant places in which
to spend my time.
In passing, somebody recently mentioned working with a smoker between the
knees and referred to it as a shackle or hobble or a similar word indicating
constraint to movement.  It is a thing I do myself sometimes for convenience
but I think it probably contributes to back problems if one cannot spread the
legs when bending over or lifting.  My smoker has a hook on the back of the
bellows which enables it to be hung on the side of the hive or on my clothing.
Always in reach, never in the way.
Chris Slade