Our First “Itty Bitty” Honey Harvest

So we have waited..days…..weeks…months…waited for the first glimpse of the golden elixir we call honey and finally the day came where we could at least harvest a wee bit of honey because one of our hives became “honey bound” a term beekeepers use when you need to create more space for the queen to lay eggs.

So because we use store bought foundation we had to proceed with this process very carefully.  A good friend of ours loaned us his honey extractor even though he needed it the very next day so timing is everything we had to hurry to get what we could get the frames back in the hive and return the Honey Extractor not only that but we did it all in the greenhouse with a heater on so it was a “Hot, Sticky, Messy” event but the thrill of seeing the beautiful golden honey did not discourage me.

To make sure we did not damage the foundation we had to cut the capped comb off with a serrated knife and did not have to do that to the uncapped comb this means that this honey is not really “Shelf” stable because the moisture was not at complete optimum.   We also had to spin the extractor fairly gently and slowly so as not to damage the comb already built on the foundation.   My friend at recommended we keep it in the fridge to help with this although I am thinking we should just eat it more quickly 😉

There is no feeling on this earth like raising your own bees for honey.  Chickens are fun to raise and I love it but my husband has had to really get to know his bees and since they are unpredictable I really think there is an art to raising bees.  The bee keeper has to have an intuition, a 6th sense I guess to be able to predict their next move and also has to pay extreme attention to detail to watch for swarm cells, and queen cells too.

Thanks for coming by to see our first Honey Harvest Pictures!  By the way I consider honey to be the ideal sweetener used in moderation.  When it is raw and unfiltered it is loaded with lots of pollen and enzymes that are so good for you.  Since I switched to eating local honey from local bee keepers two years ago prior to raising our own I no longer have seasonal allergies anymore when the pollen hits locally it does not bother me at all.

Have a great Thursday everyone!
Fondly,