On December 15 we had an opportunity to get out and harvest some honey from our hives so we went for it.It's been raining here pretty much all year - I'm not joking!
Miserable for us stuck inside and miserable for the bees too I imagine. The rain washes the nectar and honey from the hives and they just don't get the runs of fine days to work their magic.
But the break in the weather gave us the chance to harvest many kilograms of honey from their hives and still leave plenty for them.
We used the plastic tub again with the lid on it to move the frames from the hives inside for spinning and that worked really well. With two people you can keep the bees out, which makes the whole process so much more pleasant.
You can see the fully laden frames - with all the cells capped.
On the left is our other batch of honey - this is a very diverse blend from our permaculture garden with honey from vegetables, flowers, herbs, fruit and nut trees, legumes, ground covers and much, much plus the added bonus of the surrounding rainforest and bush.
On the right we have honey that is predominantly from the Mexican Tree Fern. Its much lighter (this batch still needed to sit for a while to settle) and the taste is lighter too.
And here is our wonderful bargain hand spun extractor - working a treat.cheers,
Sonya
The Novice Beekeeper
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Sonya, I think you are mistaken when you say the nectar and honey are washed from the hive by the rain, the bees collect the nectar from the flowers return to the hive and regurgitate it into the cells as honey, one of the marvels of nature. It is not possible for the rain to enter the hives for it to be washed away. Also I think you will find that the bees do not gain much pollen and nectar from fruit and vegetables grown in the garden and that the honey it predominantly from native eucalypts.
ReplyDeleteI just checked my hive yesterday and found the frames bursting with honey. Nearly time for my first extraction...very exciting.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised to read your comment about nectar and honey washing away in the rain. You do have a top weather proof lid on your hive don't you?
Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made hives, by humans. Most such bees are honey bee garden in the genus Apis, but other honey-producing bees such as Melipona stingless bees are also kept.
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