Michael Moroney <[log in to unmask]> queries: > ... Could someone give me an > estimate how many "boxes" I'll need from now until winter, assuming a > "good" year?.... How much room depends on a number of things (your geographic location, climate, feeding, etc.). If you continue feeding your bees regularly, they will need room sooner than if you let them fend for themselves. Regular feeding will require a second hive body in 6 to 8 weeks. If you continue feeding after you add the second hive body you will need honey super(s) 4 to 6 weeks after that. This also depends on the kind of forage season your area is having. If it's good (nice days with no drought like conditions, nice enough to have plenty of forage days, but not so nice that vegetation dries out) then your hive will build up quickly and you MAY need two honey supers. For the first year, starting from a package, you don't want to take too much honey from your bees. Your goal should be to get them established rather than expecting copious yields. In my area (Upstate New York), I aim for a single super harvest from a first year package, and this usually requires continuous feeding until the second hive body is occupied and nearly completely drawn. Time-wise this is usually 8 to 10 weeks after I start the package, which is usually a couple of weeks into the early summer honey flow (clovers and such). This leaves the tail end of the summer flow and all of the fall flow for the bees to produce the harvest honey. Again, your goal in the first year should be to get your bees established, not maximum honey harvest (taking too much the first summer can lead to starvation during the first winter). Be patient and go for the flow next year! Finally, the best advice anyone can offer is to find and join a local beekeepers association. The advice you will get will be from beekeepers familiar with your area and will be more valuable than the information you will get from the literature or this list. Check with your local cooperative extension for information on a beekeepers association near you. Good luck!