Today I stopped at Stonehurst to check on the bees. I had added a new super to the hives last week. Once again, they had filled every frame and needed new boxes. Here's an example of the gorgeous honey they are putting up. I don't know what the source of this very light nectar is - could be clover or something that is blooming at the Botanical Garden just up the road from the Inn.
We only have one more box for these hives. If they fill up another super before the end of the nectar flow, I'll either need to harvest or we'll have to order new boxes!~
At home I found the same thing. The bees in both boxes had built out the comb in all the frames in the boxes on the hives.
I added a new box to each of my home hives as well. I lit the smoker as I usually do to knock at the door and announce my presence. As soon as I put the hive back together and moved the smoker which had been sitting by the entry, the bees tumbled over each other to get into the hive with their nectar loads.
Here's Colony Square, the tallest of the two hives. The honey in these hives is light just like that at Stonehurst. I'll need to do some reading to determine what might be the source of this light, lovely honey.
We only have one more box for these hives. If they fill up another super before the end of the nectar flow, I'll either need to harvest or we'll have to order new boxes!~
At home I found the same thing. The bees in both boxes had built out the comb in all the frames in the boxes on the hives.
I added a new box to each of my home hives as well. I lit the smoker as I usually do to knock at the door and announce my presence. As soon as I put the hive back together and moved the smoker which had been sitting by the entry, the bees tumbled over each other to get into the hive with their nectar loads.
Here's Colony Square, the tallest of the two hives. The honey in these hives is light just like that at Stonehurst. I'll need to do some reading to determine what might be the source of this light, lovely honey.
I have a few large sour wood trees here in Atlanta that are just beginning to bloom.
ReplyDeleteWow! Sounds like the bees are doing great in Georgia. Here in California the bees (at least in my area) are getting a slow start due to a cold and rainy Spring. I'm not expecting a very good honey harvest this year unless things really pick up. I checked the hives yesterday and very little honey has been capped and I even took off an empty super on one hive. Hoping things turn around soon.
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