It’s summer and the bees are doing what they do best. Bringing in the nectar!
When they start building and filling comb in between boxes and frames you know it’s time to provide them more room to put away the nectar.
Soon, once again, there will be bottles of freshly pulled honey from the area available in my store located in the village of Webster. The backyard apiary alone is going to provide many beautiful pounds, or bottles, of sweet, local honey. It will be in a nice pour-able consistency - straight from the hive and into the jar!
Well, we do have to remove the honey from the hives and then from each frame. From there we will strain or spin out the honey before it goes into bottles.
Some of you prefer the crystallized honey, or the peanut butter texture as I describe it usually. Honey becomes solid over time due to the type and amount of sugars in the nectar. The sugar breaks down at different rates depending on the type of nectar and this causes the crystallization. I do still have a few jars of solid honey at the store, if that’s your preference. When honey crystallizes this is also a sign of raw honey.
The basswood has been in bloom as of late, and I know our yard has been a blooming field of clover! Don’t forget to throw in some dandelion, sumac and black locust. Please, thank the bees and lick your lips, and sticky fingers, too!
I will be restocking honey this year at Lamora Farm Market Gazebos on rte 350, Ontario Center road in Ontario. Last year I was able to provide some great fall honey. This year I am happy to be able to offer you both summer and fall honey during the market season. Make sure to stop by for some fresh, local fruits and vegetables.
The photo below is a group of bees cleaning up the honey that was exposed when a box was removed during inspection. They love to make wax in the spring and summer. When bees build wax where it doesn’t belong that’s a great sign to add a box and give them room to pack away the nectar!
