Link to Farmweek episode, comb honey, and an update

If you want to see the Farmweek TV segment featuring Mississippi beekeepers, click here.

It's mid-October, and Mark is finally harvesting honey, which is so late it's crazy. It's been a tough year, with an incredibly long, cool spring, several hive failures, and difficulty getting the weather needed to harvest.

Last week he pulled 12 supers. One of those was an experiment from last fall: a super with wax foundation instead of plasticell, with the hope the bees would give us solid honeycomb.

Mark managed to cut about 35 squares weighing about 14 oz. each. The honey is dark and robust, with pollen evident. If you want one of these boxes of comb honey, call or text Mark at 662.418.4422. Once they're gone, they're gone. $9 each, refill discount does not apply.

Today he left early to go to the Delta bee yard and harvest there. It will be fun to see and taste the differences in the varieties.

Filming for Farmweek

On Wednesday my colleague, Amy, asked if Mark would consent to be interviewed for Farmweek, a TV show produced by MSU's Office of Agricultural Communications, where I work in media relations. She said she was in a bind and really needed someone to help her out with finishing her beekeeping story.

 

I said yes. (We checked with our bosses about conflict of interest. I'm not on camera.)

Then Thursday night I stayed up way past my bedtime -- til 10:30 p.m.! -- making soaps and candles to show that side of our beekeeping adventure.

She came over this afternoon, though there was a chance of rain.

Mark thought it would pass by south of us.

Watching the sky

Once she got him hooked up with a microphone and the interview began . . .

it started sprinkling.

 

But we pressed on.

Then the sky opened up and it poured. We grabbed all of the camera equipment and rode the 4-wheeler back to the house. We were drenched from head to toe.

Amy looked like an orphan wearing my clothes while hers dried. 

She filmed Mark in the honey room.

 

She is going to have to come back next week and film again. Originally I was going to be in the B-roll of the hive inspections, but now I'm not so sure. ;-)

On the positive side, I have several candles and bars of soap I can sell.

Bee Yard Inspection at Prairie Wildlife

Yesterday Mark drove out to Prairie Wildlife in West Point to add honey supers in anticipation of the soybeans blooming. He was upset to find that since his last visit two or three of the hives' lids had been blown off in the recent storms. We have no idea how long the bees had to put up with all of that light, wind, and rain! Not their favorite way to live.

So today, after the rain storm and power outage (!) he loaded the 4-wheeler onto the trailer, put heavier lids in the back of the truck, and we headed out. Thankfully, it was only 75 degrees! Not that it lasted . . .

We looked through all of the hives except the "tower of power" on the end. For the most part, they're doing well, though growing more slowly than we anticipated. Most are not generating excess honey stores yet.

We found one hive that was queenless but loaded with honey and pollen. We combined it with one of the hives that had been exposed to the elements, but still had a healthy queen. We hope they'll join forces and create a strong, healthy colony.

It was nice to be out with Mark, working the bees together. I've missed it.

Photo highlights:

It wasn't smoky . . . my lens fogged up when I got out of the truck. ;-)

All of the hives, before we inspected.

Snack time!

If you can't see the queen here, folks, I can't help you.

These bees are making use of every cell -- pollen is interspersed with uncapped and capped brood.

Pretty, fresh brood comb. Well done, Queenie!

Newspaper combining a healthy colony with a queenless colony.

Honey snobs and fine dining establishments.

We recently celebrated the birthday of DeLois, Mark's mom, by traveling to Meridian and eating at the famous Weidmann's Restaurant, established in 1870. DeLois is a big fan of Prairie Blossom Bee Farm honey, so we bottled some of our new harvest and brought it with us.

Happy Birthday, DeLois! See the honey bottle, already being emptied?!

Without shame we asked for extra bread, and used our own honey on it. (Don't worry, we'll see her again in 2 weeks and will refill her bottle!)

I realized that we were like those people I used to see in California, those winemaker types who would bring their own wine to restaurants because their wine was better than anyone else's.

Look out, world, we've become honey snobs.

For those of you who wonder, on occasion, what we look like without bee suits on, here we are!

To my left is half of the charming Fred, who is half of the charming Fred and Olga, longtime friends of DeLois.

Thanks, Commercial Dispatch!

Today the lovely and talented Jan Swoope made Mark famous on the cover of the Lifestyles section in the Columbus paper, The Commercial Dispatch.  We were also mentioned on the "Roses & Thorns" section. We've enjoyed the hive painting project so much! We hope you'll take the time to vote in our contest.