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Author Topic: How may trips to fill one honey comb?  (Read 1359 times)

Offline Dr. B in Wisconsin

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How may trips to fill one honey comb?
« on: August 13, 2018, 09:53:02 pm »
Hello
I was just wondering about how many trips for one average bee to fill one comb?

Offline Skeggley

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Re: How may trips to fill one honey comb?
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2018, 10:44:20 am »
I heard one bee produces one match head of honey in its life.
Not sure where I got this figure from....

Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: How may trips to fill one honey comb?
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2018, 02:09:24 pm »
I heard one bee produces one match head of honey in its life.
Not sure where I got this figure from....

I've read one bee produces 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, so it takes 12 bees to produce 1 teaspoon of honey.  As to filling a comb, are we talking about a shallow super, a medium or a deep?  Measure the honey from extraction of each and convert to the number of teaspoons in the result and I suppose you'd have an approximate number to start from.  I've seen a figure somewhere on the distance a bee flies in its life.  Keep in mind there are some bees collecting water, pollen, scouting, etc.  I don't have any idea how you'd account for their activity.
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: How may trips to fill one honey comb?
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2018, 02:34:30 pm »
Additional thing to consider:  how far do they have to travel to reach a prime source of nectar.  As Van (I think) said in response to another question, no to be a wise guy, but it's like asking how long is a piece of string.  Too many variables to consider to come up with an answer.  Good question to ponder when finding an answer really is not that important, but I guess "one heck of a lot." is about the best I can come up with.
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

 

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