I can't believe it has taken me so long to get around to blogging about this. I've been so excited and pleased..........you'd almost think I made some important contribution to the end product. Back some months ago, Sara (Happy Birthday to Sara today) gave me a few frames from her "mean" hive (her words-not mine) because the hive I started with last summer did not survive the winter. Amazingly, those mean bees settled right in and concentrated on the task at hand. They raised a bunch of workers and started filling my hive bodies and then the two supers that were eventually added. Almost a month ago, Sara came over for the afternoon and brought her honey extractor and showed me how to spin out the frames of honey from one of the supers. That one super gave me 2 1/2 gallons of honey. I'm so proud! (and, if I do say so, it is some of the best tasting honey I've ever had----not that I'm one bit prejudiced) I'm hopeful that the second super is ready to be spun out now. If so, that will be the last honey I will take from them this year. The rest will be left for them to support themselves though the winter that's coming. (someone please tell me that winter is coming this year)
We've finally had some cooler days (80's) and even cooler nights (60's---yay!), though it is supposed to be 90 degrees today. I'm feeling encouraged that my animals and I are going to survive this summer because there has been a change in the light that tells me fall is on it's way. And that makes me very, very happy.
I hope you all have a reason to be happy today. Enjoy the weekend!
(thanks to Sara for the pictures taken on honey harvesting day!)
I haven't opened the honey I got from Sara yet, but I KNOW I'm going to enjoy it! Congrats on your first harvest!
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous; I want bees, but I'm pretty sure our city is not zoned for them. And I really hope winter is coming too. I can barely go outside without needing a shower. Someone told me that climatologists say the past 4 months have been the hottest in the history of the earth.
ReplyDeleteHaley-don't know where you live, but unless there is a specific ordinanace about bees, you might be okay. My grandson has a hive in his backyard in Lexington. The bees are fascinating.They lead very complex and organized lives!
ReplyDeleteYour honey is beautiful and I love those jars! Stella and I worked the honey booth at the state fair today. Learned all sorts of interesting stuff. Good birthday treat :-).
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! Aren't bees amazing? I can't wait until after Labor Day when we can peek in on our two new hives to see if they will have any honey for us...
ReplyDeleteThat's just as beautiful to look at as it is to eat. are you selling your honey or is your friend? I like to buy local honey and I'm in Versailles!
ReplyDeleteOh how wonderful for you. My bees have eaten all of their honey and I have to start feeding them now! I'm not having such great luck with my first hive...
ReplyDeleteBonnie Jo