Here we are closing out 2023. We hope you had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to the buzz to come in 2024. As we reflect on 2023 and beekeeping, it’s a little sad to know we had four hives this spring and are currently down to two. We lost one nuc this spring and I regret that we didn’t feed it more. That’s the one that the queen was in there (we spotted her) but she was not laying. That hive collapsed and I was unable to salvage any of it. The other hive up and left and I’m convinced it’s because it was so strong. There were so many bees in that box. It was an odd time (late in the season) for them to up and go but my inexperienced gut feeling is they were strong and fine. Maybe I missed something but mostly I’m missing those bees! All that being said, we have two hives…one eight frame and one ten frame that we are hoping to bring through winter. They were treated for mites in December and have sugar boards placed on each. I’m hoping they are snuggly tucked away until spring when they will pop and thrive with new brood. Time will tell.
We’re still enjoying the honey from the last harvest. If the two hives come through winter and produce for a second year, I’ll feel good about our honey supply. We were able to gift some jars for Christmas this year. With time and colder temps the honey will often thicken and crystallize. If you experience this with your honey, know that it is not bad. It simply needs to be warmed. If you do so slowly it’s less likely to zap any of the good qualities honey has to offer. If it’s in a glass jar you could impatiently microwave it but I don’t believe that is recommended. When crystalizing happens here I’ll simply place a pot of water on the stove on the lowest heat…place the bottles of honey in it and patiently give it time to slowly warm. Depending on the time of year, I’ve also been known to take a jar bottle of crystalized honey and place it by the fireplace (winter) or on the dash of the car (summer). Any warm space will heat that honey up and thin it out again for easy usage.
Here’s a little more info on crystallization if you are interested…https://dowgardens.org/honey-crystallization-why-does-it-happen-and-how-to-use-it-anyway/
As 2023 comes to a close it’s crazy to think that three years ago during a lock-down pandemic when we chose to homeschool for one year to avoid the drama, we also found our way into beekeeping. In three years, we have spent a lot, learned a lot, rode the highs and lows and made some wonderful friendships along the way. As I look to 2024, I’m concerned my little bee keeper is losing interest. He’ll soon be twelve and while he understands a lot of bee biology, he is also seeing that hive management is time consuming and often hot. He’s also in school during the days when it’s most convenient to get into the hives. He says he will continue to help with the honey harvest but will likely no longer be participating in hive management. While I appreciate his willingness to help with the heavy lifting of honey supers, I’m not giving up on him just yet as a beekeeper. I’m hoping to invest in a bee suit that is more comfortable and easier to get in/out of than he has had in the past. He’s out grown his first bee suit. I’ll hold onto it as you just never know who might need a little beekeeper suit in the future. He has been stung twice which has also worked against me. I personally will be working to remain sting free in 2024. All in all, maybe I can get him hooked on setting swarm traps this spring – that would be a good thing for him to master. Who doesn’t love free bees?!?!?!?
As I was looking for a fun Happy New Year image I stumbled across this and a new fun website. Check out this beekeeper and all she is doing. Wish she lived closer…and I totally have and enjoyed her queen spotting book! https://girlnextdoorhoney.com/
From our hive to yours…HAPPY NEW YEAR!
-Worker Bee 2021
Howards' Hives and Honey 