The amount of honey a beekeeper can expect from a single “super” is highly variable, determined by the box’s physical size and the honeybee colony’s biological activity. A super is the wooden box placed on top of the main brood chamber where bees store surplus honey. Capacity is influenced by the super’s dimensions, the bees’ ability to fill it completely, and losses during extraction. Understanding the difference between the maximum theoretical weight and the actual harvestable yield is important.
Defining Super Types and Capacities
Supers are categorized by height, which directly dictates their maximum volume and capacity for honey storage. The three standard sizes in Langstroth hives are deep, medium, and shallow. A deep super, the largest, measures 9 5/8 inches tall and is often used for the brood nest. The medium super, which is 6 5/8 inches tall, is a popular choice for honey production because it offers a balance of capacity and manageable weight. The shallow super, measuring around 5 5/8 inches tall, is favored for ease of handling.
Supers are also classified by the number of frames they hold, typically either eight or ten. The ten-frame super is the traditional standard, providing the maximum possible volume. The eight-frame super is a lighter option that reduces the total weight a beekeeper must lift. Both the height and the frame count establish the baseline for the maximum amount of honey the container can physically hold.
Calculating Gross Honey Weight
Gross honey weight refers to the theoretical maximum weight of the honey, comb, and frames when the super is completely full. This calculation assumes every cell is filled with capped honey, providing the upper limit of the super’s capacity. A full, ten-frame deep super, the largest option, can have a total gross weight between 80 and 90 pounds. This substantial weight is why many beekeepers avoid using deeps solely for honey storage.
The medium super, the most common size for honey harvesting, can reach a gross weight of approximately 40 to 60 pounds when fully drawn and capped. The shallow super typically weighs around 35 to 45 pounds when full. These weights are estimates based on the volume of the box, as honey density is about 12 pounds per gallon.
Factors Affecting Actual Yield
The theoretical gross weight is often not met in reality due to several biological and environmental factors. The strength and population of the bee colony are major variables, as a vigorous hive is able to collect and process nectar more efficiently. Local environmental conditions, such as the timing and volume of the nectar flow from available flora, are equally impactful on the final yield.
Bees must reduce the moisture content of the nectar to less than 18.6% before it is considered honey and sealed with a wax cap. If the bees have not fully capped the frames, the honey is not ready for harvest and would have too high a water content. Furthermore, beekeepers sometimes use fewer frames in a ten-frame super—such as nine—to encourage the bees to build thicker combs, which are easier to uncap for extraction. This means the weight calculated in the previous section is a maximum that is rarely achieved perfectly in practice.
Determining Net Harvestable Honey
The final step for the beekeeper is determining the net harvestable honey, which is the actual amount of liquid product extracted. This calculation requires subtracting the tare weight, which is the weight of the empty super box, the frames, and the wax comb. For example, a ten-frame medium super that weighs 50 pounds gross may have a tare weight of 10 to 15 pounds, leaving 35 to 40 pounds of honey and comb.
A small amount of honey is also lost during the extraction process itself. When the wax cappings are removed and the frames are spun in the extractor, a thin film of honey remains on the comb. This small residue, along with the honey that clings to the extraction equipment, means the final bottled product will be slightly less than the calculated net weight. Therefore, a full medium super typically yields a realistic net harvest of 30 to 40 pounds of liquid honey.