Honey Harvest Calculator

Divide your total frames by how many fit in your extractor, then by how many batches you can spin per hour. Betterbee's sizing equation uses about 3 batches per hour. Tangential extractors spin faster but you flip each frame by hand; radial extractors are hands-off. Experienced beekeepers often beat 3 batches per hour - adjust the field to match your pace.

It scales with your hive count and how much time you want to spend. As a rough guide: 1-5 hives, a 4-frame extractor; up to 15 hives, a 12- or 20-frame radial; up to 40 hives, a 20- or 30-frame motorized; over 100 hives, a 40-frame extracting line. See Betterbee's guides on sizing and choosing harvesting equipment, or call 800-632-3379 for help.

A fully drawn, capped deep frame holds roughly 6 to 8 lbs of honey, a medium about 4 to 6 lbs, and a shallow about 2.5 to 4 lbs. Partially filled frames yield less, and you typically lose 5 to 10% of the comb weight during extraction.

Divide your total frames by the number of frames that fit in your extractor, then round up - you can't run a partial spin. For example, a 12-frame extractor clears 120 frames in 10 loads.

The estimate assumes frames are uncapped and ready and that you have storage for extracted frames. In practice, uncapping is often the bottleneck, especially by hand. Cold honey also extracts slowly - warm supers to about 90-95 degrees F first for faster, more complete extraction. Tangential frames need flipping, and working without a helper slows things down.