An empty 2-story colony with bees but no honey weighs about 70 lbs. Add
to that the honey they need for the winter. I lift them right off the
ground with my scales to get a true reading. 2-story colony must weigh
140 lbs here in NW Vermont.
 
Mike Pheysey wrote:
 
> How heavy should a hive be going into winter?  I'm a bit
> worried that mine are a bit on the light side.
>
> When weighing a hive with a spring guage, do you weigh
> each side of the hive in turn, with the other side still
> resting on the hive stand and add the two weights together,
> or do you take the average?
>
> Also, have I left it too late for feeding?
>
> Cheers, Mike. (Bristol, UK)
> (PS: My bees are in BS Nationals)