"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.