"When Will You Have More Honey?"

People are already asking us when we will have honey again this year.  We were fortunate enough to harvest seven gallons of liquid gold last year.  Ruth was afraid we would be stuck with lots of honey, but we quickly sold most of what we had (we did keep some for ourselves).  I take that as a compliment on the quality of our honey.  I mean, I knew it was the best honey in the world, and now other people are saying the same thing. 

Of course, all the credit goes to the bees.  They are the ones going out and bringing in the nectar, adding their own special enzymes, patiently fanning it to lower the moisture content, then covering each cell with a cap of fresh beeswax.  It helps, I think, that we live at the edge of the Shawnee National Forest, and the bees have a wide range (bees travel up to three miles in every direction) of mostly forest and hayfields, with very little by way of row crops. 

Spring finally arrived (I was beginning to wonder), but so far it's been cold and wet, bad flying weather for bees.I'm hoping for a long stretch of the glorious spring days we all live for, with abundant sunshine, warm temperatures, and gentle breezes.  Then the bees can really go to work.  With the right conditions, they can fill a box in the beehive with honey in as little as a week. 

You can help us in our quest to bring you this wonderful stuff.  If you see a swarm of bees, call me ASAP, 618-713-4101.  The more hives we have, the more honey we will have

So back to the original question. When will we have honey again?  I'll tell you what I tell everyone who asks that question; it's up to the bees.  They're hard at work, and their numbers are booming, so I'm hopeful for a bountiful honey crop.  But first we have to make sure we leave enough honey for the bees to make it through the coming year and only take from the excess.  Once they have sufficient stores laid in, we can harvest some for ourselves and for you.  When will that be?  Ask the bees.

It's Swarm Season!

Now that it looks as if Spring has come to stay, we're at the beginning of swarm season for honeybees.  Honey bees make new colonies by swarming.  About half of the worker bees and the old queen fly out of the hive to find a new place to live, leaving the remaining workers to raise a new queen.  The departing bees are a swarm, and they land somewhere, typically a tree branch or some other resting place, and form a clump or ball, where they will will stay for as little as fifteen minutes, or as long as three days.  While they are in this clump, scout bees go out looking for a new place to live, some suitable hollow or cavity where the swarm can take up residence and build a new colony. 

 If you see one of these swarms, don't panic.  They aren't looking to attack you, and in fact, are fairly docile, as they have no stores or brood to defend.  But the one thing you should do is call or text me immediately at 618-713-4101.  I will be over ASAP with a hive body to give the swarm the home that they are looking for.


By hiving the swarm, we are actually increasing their odds of survival.  Numbers vary, but only about 25% of wild colonies survive their first year.  While beekeepers lose colonies every year as well, the survival rate in an apiary tends to be much higher.  So do the bees a favor and let us know as soon as you see a swarm.  We - and the bees - will be very grateful.