We've got labels, yes we do!

We've got honey, how 'bout you?

Can you tell I've been to some high school football games lately?

We have labels for our honey jars and can now officially sell it.

Didn't the bees do a great job? It's so pretty!

New jars have deluxe no-drip lids and can be inverted so you never have to wait for your honey to flow down to the bottom.  I'll give you three guesses on which Lewis does not like to wait for his/her honey.

Like you need three guesses.

Large jars are three pounds and cost $15. Small jars are one pound and are $7.50.  Give Mark a call if you want to come by and pick it up, 662-418-4422. I'll bring in a box to work next week, and I'll be contacting those of you who are "on my list" to see if you're still interested. Or, feel free to leave a comment.

Mark's Homemade Bulk Bee Feeder

A summer drought resulted in no nectar for the bees.  After we harvested honey, we found they were eating the stores we'd planned for them to have for the winter. Mark had some honey from a tear-out to feed them, but wanted to feed them in bulk rather than using top feeders in each individual hive.

He cut holes in a bucket, inserted sticks so the bees could climb out of the liquid if needed, and strapped it down on a stand a short distance from Bee Hill. Putting it in the bee yard might encourage robbing -- when stronger bees attack a weaker colony to steal their stores.
 

Aster

It didn't take long for our colonies to devour the bucket of honey, and he refilled it at least once before the fall-blooming wildflowers began to appear.

Lately the bees have had some serious pollen packed on their bodies to bring back to the hive!

September is National Honey Month!

The National Honey Board website has recipes and other information.  If you have a favorite honey recipe, please consider sharing it in the comments.

Hive in a House Video

This YouTube link comes from friend and follower Troy (or Tee-Roy as we like to call him).  It shows what can happen when bees are left to build their colony inside a house . . . for years on end.  Please note: these are exterminators at work.  Not only did they literally tear the house apart (which will have to be repaired at the home owner's expense), they literally ripped out the combs  and watched the ceiling fall in as bees fill the house.

I'm not saying beekeepers will always do a better job in terms of having to tear apart the house to get to the hive, but most will try to trap bees first to reduce the number in the house, use a bee vacuum to remove them while also preserving them for a colony in another location, and do their best to preserve the comb and brood.

I can't imagine anyone was happy when this day was over, as the bees would shortly be exterminated, the house was a mess, and everyone was covered in honey. I suspect the homeowners had to live somewhere else for a day or two.

But the exterminators walked off with some money, that I can promise you. Again, I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid for working, but I'd rather give the money, bees, and comb to someone who would appreciate them and not dump it all in the trash.

Thanks, Troy!

Introducing Beekeeping to the Next Generation

One day this summer while Mark was at the Barhams' Bee Yard, their granddaughter Elizabeth expressed an interest in learning more about the bees. Sarah served as the documentary photographer from a distance, and Elizabeth suited up in my gear to get a closer look at the hives.  She is adorable!

 Mark loves to talk about bees, and was thrilled with her interest.  She had a great time and found the process intriguing.  Even if she never becomes a beekeeper, she hopefully left with a better understanding of the role bees play in pollination and a new appreciation for honey.

Unfortunately for Sarah, one of the hives swarmed while they were there and came flying straight towards her . . . and she didn't have any gear on.  Even though she knows bees aren't aggressive while swarming she was unnerved. For those who know Sarah you understand that "unnerved" means completely freaked out and screaming. When I asked her if she followed them into the woods to see where they went she looked at me like I was insane.

I guess she won't be apprenticing any time soon.

August Honey Harvest

It's been a busy week, especially for Mark.

He noticed a break in the weather in the forecast, so on Monday he pulled eight supers from Barhams' Bee Yard.  He was up late processing and cleaning up to prepare for the next day.  Late meaning 11:30 p.m., which is two hours after I was asleep.  :-)

Each frame is uncapped by hand on both sides. Each super has 10 frames. 

The extractor holds 20 frames.  The extractor runs for 30-40 minutes. Multiply that times four batches. Then, on Tuesday, he pulled eight supers from Mayhew! (He'd perfected his process and Sarah and I helped uncap, so we were in bed by 9:30 p.m. . . . only an hour later than usual!)

At first, the honey and wax flows out in a small stream. Then the flow increases as the extractor gains speed and centrifugal force pushes the honey out of the combs.

If you're not careful, you can end up with a full bucket relatively quickly!

We had several buckets full, but needed them empty for Day 2. 

Mark was prepared with handy storage containers that could be fitted with spouts for bottling. Now, we have about 5 large containers and at least 3 buckets full of honey, almost 500 pounds.  We're so blessed!

The empty frames went back into supers. Initially they were left outside for bees to rob out the remaining traces of honey. When I left for work, a cloud of bees buzzed busily around the stacks, but there appeared to be severe bee carnage from fighting -- bee bodies littered the concrete.  Today Mark put the supers back on the hives for the bees to clean up. He was afraid wax moths would take up residence in the comb. Once he finished up the clean-up job this afternoon, the major work of harvesting was over. 

This weekend I hope to bottle and label, so I should have honey available for sale next week.  I'll keep you posted!

Update on Influx of Imported Honey

Would you knowingly ingest or feed your children a food contaminated with heavy metals and known carcinogens, just to save a few cents?  Of course not.  But that's what millions of Americans are doing -- unknowingly -- when they purchase honey from major retailers instead of their local beekeepers.

This insightful article from Food Safety News explains -- in easy to understand terms -- why some imported honey poses a health risk.