How Much Honey Will Your Hive Produce?
Use our free honey yield calculator to estimate your annual harvest by state, hive stage, and number of colonies — then see what that honey is worth.
A healthy, overwintered colony in an average season.
How our honey yield calculator works
We start from a baseline of 40 lb of surplus honey for an established hive in an average season — in line with USDA per-colony figures and backyard-beekeeper surveys — then adjust for two things:
- Region: season length and forage vary by part of the country, so we scale the baseline up or down by region.
- Hive stage: first-year colonies make little or no surplus, established colonies hit the baseline, and strong double-deep colonies in a good flow produce well above it.
The result is a range, because honey yield is genuinely unpredictable — a single great or poor nectar flow can swing your harvest by half. Treat it as a planning estimate, not a promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much honey does one hive produce per year?
A healthy, established backyard hive in an average season typically produces about 30-50 pounds of surplus honey, with the US average around 40-50 pounds per colony. Strong double-deep colonies in a good nectar flow can exceed 80-100 pounds, while weak or poorly located hives may make far less.
How much honey does a hive produce in its first year?
Very little, and often none. A first-year package or nuc spends most of the season drawing out comb and building up enough stores to survive winter, so most beekeepers do not harvest surplus honey until the colony is established in its second year.
What affects how much honey a hive produces?
The biggest factors are local forage and nectar flow, season length (which is why yields vary by region), colony strength and health, the age of the colony, weather during the flow, and your management — adding supers in time, controlling swarming, and keeping mites in check.
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Calculate CostsHow Much Honey Does a Hive Produce?
The full guide to realistic yields by year, region, and colony strength — the data behind this calculator.
Read the Guide