There are some crops that make you wait a long time. I’m thinking asparagus, fruit trees, and honey. I got the first beehive over a year ago. Sometimes you get honey from a first year hive, but everything has to go perfectly. That first year, things did not. The first batch of bees (a “package” of bees and a queen) absconded. That’s beekeeper talk for they all hit the high-road and didn’t look back despite the lovely home I’d provided. The beekeepers said, “They do that sometimes.”
Then I was given a wild swarm and they settled in and began happy bee homemaking. I also bought a nuc (several frames-full of bees and their comb and their queen) from a conventional beekeeper in the area. They were troublesome and had continuing problems. The beekeepers said, “They do that sometimes. It can be difficult to transition them to organic.”
Most folks have no idea the boatloads of chemicals used on bees by conventional growers. Once you know, you will never buy storebought honey again…. even if you hadn’t already heard that most of the commerical honey, when tested, contains corn syrup as well as chemicals forbidden even by the lax US standards. (China & India ship honey to other countries to then sneak it into the US market which bars it due to the chemical and antibiotic load..) Don’t get me started…
The short answer is: buy local, naturally-grown honey from a beekeeper you trust. You want one who only uses at most “soft treatments” to control the many ills—mites in particular—honeybees are prone to in this modern world. Natural beekeepers are glad to tell you how they manage their bees. (In Northwest Arkansas, I can highly recommend Crosses Creek Farm, where the beekeeper is my mentor’s mentor and is he is all about natural beekeeping. We were very lucky to get him to bring his honey to the new Green Fork Farmers Market.)
Anyway! The wild swarm who was by then named “East” was still doing great and the nuc named “West” was at least holding its own last year when the heat dome hit. Temps above a hundred and no rain for more than a month will dry up every source of nectar and make the bees really, really grumpy besides. East Hive weathered it, so to speak, but the nuc was toast, though they held on till early winter, may they rest in peace…The beekeepers said, “They do that sometimes. Sorry”
This year has been totally, utterly different. The winter was mild. Ok, it was so mild it barely counts. Spring came early and stayed. Everything bloomed crazy early and just kept blooming. Bee nirvana. East Hive crammed their hive with honey so fast I had to stack more and more supers on top to try to keep up. The beekeepers said, “They do that sometimes! Isn’t it great!”
They were SO prosperous they threw a swarm (that’s the bee version of the birds & the bees – hive reproduction) which was lovely to see except that I couldn’t get to it in the tip top of a tree, and so alas for the beekeeper, but happy for the world that another colony of bees ventured into the forest not so far from where the original swarm was found. You guessed it: They do that sometimes.
There were still loads of bees left in the hive though, lucky for me. While that seems fair this time—to return one swarm since I took one swarm— but next spring I will try yet more tricks to keep the swarms at home! Let me emphasize that beekeeping is THE most challenging hobby (ok, obsession) I’ve ever chosen. In hindsight, I’m not sure who chose whom! But I’m hooked, and this spring added two new hives—West II and the SugarBs— plus did a split (split off a “baby” hive from East, which was supposed to keep them from swarming but didn’t! Named the baby hive “Rose” because so many roses were blooming at time.) So now there are four.
Even I won’t get as much honey as I would have if East-Hive hadn’t swarmed, there’s still plenty to get. I suspect I can do a full spring harvest from East next week. This week, I just took one small frame as a sampler and got this lovely jar pictured at top. I had just poured it—those are air bubbles in the honey. It has since settled into the loveliest amber and is light and delicious beyond description. Partly because it’s the nectar of our own land and bees. Or perhaps because we are their humans and ruled by the whims of four ruling queens. Either way, it’s golden.
9 Comments
Wonderful!
We had bee hives when I was a child. Children had to sit quietly on the porch while the bees were robbed. Then our mother would bring us the first taste of honey straight from the hive.
Have a great day!
Lea
Lea’s Menagerie
Applause and congratulations on being an absolutely wonderful beekeeper! And your honey, the nectar of Goddesses! 🙂
Thank you Charity!! I could not have done it without you!
Best blog post ever and you have some great ones! Downright poetic, as are both the bees and the beekeeper! And yes, we are not only ruled by 4 queen bees, but 3 wiener dog types, too! Totally reposting..
Mendy: That means a LOT coming from a writer like you. And yes, we are ruled by many beasties! Thank you for this comment. 🙂
They are addictive that’s for sure. Once you embrace them there is no tuning back. I can just sit and watch their comings and goings forever. They are endearing, a little dangerous, beautiful, hard working, entertaining companions who occasionally transport us to another dimension, and even give us wonderful presents. They also require some work. Kind of like my relationship 😀 Barbara
Well put Barbara! And thank you for commenting. I know you fully understand!! Yes, I sit and watch them often. You can tell a lot about what’s going on with them there! We have two chairs set up for “Bee TV.” HAHA! My boss, who recently took up beekeeping with her husband, said to me in a hushed voice the other day, “We just sit and watch them. I had no idea they’d be so interesting…” I said welcome to the club. I guess you know they have you hooked when you set up the Bee TV chairs!!
WOW! I’ve toyed with the idea of becoming a beekeeper but didn’t realize how much work it could be and how many things could go awry. And I didn’t know about the chemicals in conventional honey so I will make sure to always buy organic from now on. It’s so expensive, but now I understand why!
Bria, it’s far more challenging than it used to be, from what I’m told. As for buying honey, if you can locate a beekeeper who uses natural methods to buy direct from — the price is much better! I don’t know if any honey could be fully “organic” (given that they range up to 3miles in each direction!!) but what’s most important is that the beekeeper is not applying synthetic chemicals that get into the comb and the honey….antibiotics and miticides being the most common. Real honey is worth the price difference, I promise!