Robbing the bees. . .

The honey harvest is upon us. We estimate that our 400,000 or so bees produced 15 gallons, or 180 pounds of honey this year, not including the stacks that were left on the hives to provide winter stores. We still have a few trays of Ross Rounds (trays for comb honey) left to gather. The pissed off honeybees still haven't completely evacuated our garage, but no stings or injuries to report during this process!

Overall, the extraction process took 2 days, but I'm sure it will be about 2 weeks until we uncover every last sticky doorknob and droplet of honey that managed to escape the tarp. Here is Rog's mini-photo-journal of the process:

OK, no matter how many times I edit and re-save these photos, I cannot for the life of me get them to stay vertical. Tip your head to the right for the full effect. . .

These are the boxes of honey trays we collected. Special screens are placed under the honey boxes and above the living quarters of the hives to allow the bees to move down into the hive, but not back up into the trays of honey.

Rog has officially taken over my milk processing corner in the basement. Not one rogue bee managed to make it into the house. . . yet

Three similar weighted trays are selected first. A heated knife is used to un-cap the honeycomb before placing it into the extractor.

Hold on tight! The extractor spins at high speed and the honey is forced out of the combs on to the walls of the extractor, where it runs down the walls and into a collection vessel. The combs are then rotated and the process is repeated for the other side of the tray.

The spigot is opened and the honey flows into a food-grade plastic 5 gallon pail over which a very fine sieve is placed to filter out the flecks of beeswax. The filter is very fine and takes hours to drain, so a lid is placed and it is allowed to sit over night before bottling. The 5 gallon pails also have a spigot to make bottling significantly less sticky and very clean.

We do not pasteurize or process the honey in any way. We do store bottles and combs in the freezer to help delay the crystallization process, which is common with raw honey. Raw honey will last for years if properly stored. Crystallized honey can be gently heated and will be restored to its liquid state.

Raw honey has a few medicinal properties as well. It contains amylase, which occurs naturally in the pollen of many flowers, and helps the body to digest starchy carbohydrates. Raw honey is also gaining popularity as a homeopathic cure for seasonal allergies. It contains residual amounts of plant pollens and molds that, when ingested in small manageable doses, can boost the immune response and eliminate the histamine induced allergic responses to these plants. To get maximal benefits, you have to buy local- ideally within 5 miles of your home.

Info about available honey, ie, sizes, prices will post soon. . . 

"No bees, no honey, no work, no money..." Unknown

“You don't have to have a professor's dome Not to go for the honey when the bee's at home” Unknown


“The pedigree of honey Does not concern the bee; A clover, any time, to him Is aristocracy.”
Emily Dickinson 

“His labor is a chant, His idleness a tune; Oh, for a bee's experience Of clovers and of noon!”
Emily Dickinson 

“The careful insect 'midst his works I view, Now from the flowers exhaust the fragrant dew, With golden treasures load his little thighs, And steer his distant journey through the skies.” John Gay 

“Bees work for man, and yet they never bruise Their Master's flower, but leave it having done, As fair as ever and as fit to use; So both the flower doth stay and honey run.”  George Herbert