As winter is in full swing in Atlanta, I look at my aging beehives and wonder how Martha Stewart keeps her hives so clean and beautiful. One of my friends on Beemaster took the picture above of Martha's hives herself (so this picture is not doctored up for the magazine)! It was in April, but even in April, my bottom box is dingy from the year before.Here's a video of a Martha Stewart show on harvesting honey. She uses an extractor and makes it sound as if that is the only way to harvest, but I don't use the extractor and get great (prize winning) honey. In the video she says she gives her bees all new homes for the winter. Even if mine go through the winter in new boxes, they would look a little done in by spring from the vestiges of the weather.
My bees, if they live through the winter, are in an old box at the beginning of spring. I wonder if it's worth giving them a new box? My bees are on my deck in full view of anyone who visits my house and a new box would certainly be more attractive. But would it be worth it to disturb the hive just for beauty? HMMMMMM.....
i think the important thing is the good harvest
ReplyDeleteI like your blog. I just found out about it. It's pretty cool...
ReplyDeleteShe did not refer to putting her bees in the new English hive just for the sake of making it look nice. (The main difference between Langstroth and English is the peaked outer cover) She was saying how she wanted to clean and repaint her old equipment. She also said she plans to get more bees next year, logically she'll use the hives she's fixing up during the winter. English hives have a peak that can allow burr comb if not screened, and are less stackable so they take up more space in storage when not in use. You can feel free to move your bees to a different box as long as they have not clustered for the winter. I would do it before it gets under 50deg. Otherwise wait for spring. Equipment should get repainted every few years or the wood will rot. Only paint the outside, never the inside walls. Use exterior paint or deck stain with weather protectant.
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The hives in the picture are not English garden hives - the ones in the picture are the ones I am curious about. Even when I repaint my old equipment, it doesn't look this good - Martha is simply a wonder!
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