Last Batch of Honey for this Season

Well, it's sad almost - this is it - the last honey extraction for this season.  But it feels good too - we extract, take the frames back and let the bees clean them off, and then we are ready for a fresh start next spring.

 Frames in the extractor ready to spin!

Lonely bee trying to get the last of that honey.

 All capped and ready to go.

 

 Scraping off the cappings to let the honey flow.

Uncapping in action!

Honey coming out of the extractor....

 

 Spun and empty - I think they look furry.

 Lovely Honey!

 One of our bees that took a ride to the extractor with us.  She so badly wants to suck up as much as she can before it's gone!

She loves her honey!

 Ready to bottle up!

Activity After Dark

We got the call - the bees had to move from their holiday spot since the crop dusters were on the way.  Well, the best way to move a hive is after dark, when they are all back home for the night.  So we went out, taped the openings closed, tucked them in the van, and went for a drive to their new home.

 

You could hear the hives humming - they weren't too happy with us.  But not one came out to get a drink before bed!  We gently put them in their new home and out they came to see what was going on!  Not too many people can say they have taken a road trip with bees!

In the News

This was kind of fun...it was in our local paper today.  Great publicity for bees!

 

(Click on it to make it larger.)

Cut Comb

As a kid, this was a favorite of mine!  I LOVE cut comb!
And ours is ready!!!  We have a limited quantity this time around.
We are selling them for $10.00 each.

Read more about cut comb - this is a great site!

My favorite part of the article:

Why eat comb honey?
Try this: If you can get some honey in the comb, cut off a piece and place it in your mouth.
Just let it rest on your tongue for a moment, savoring the bit of honey dribbling from the cells that were just cut.
Now, slowly crush the comb between your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
One by one, the delicate, gossamer-thin walls of the wax cells burst, releasing their treasure of flavor and aroma.
The last living things to touch that honey were the bees that made it.
The last time that honey was exposed to the air was in the atmosphere of the hive.

Yes Mom, I have yours saved so it won't get sold.  :)

Honey is Ready!

More honey is ready!
This time we have a 1 lb. size for $8.00.  (Our other sizes are sold with our wait list.)

Let us know if you'd like some!
bbilby7@gmail.com

August Hive Happenings

 Bees, Bees Everywhere

 It cracks me up when they are head-first in the cells. It means they are working hard, but it still makes me chuckle when I see it.

 Checking things out

 The colors are amazing...see that gal in the middle??

 Here she is close up!  Hard at work!

 I imagine they are playing telephone in there....

 Coming in from a long, busy day.

 

The bees coming in the hive....SO much activity....

Busy Bees

Bees work hard to make honey!  

Our next batch of honey should be ready SOON!  Let us know if you would like to be first to know - we will add you to our list!

I also have lists going for creamed honey or honeycomb.

Bee Vacation

We sent two of our hives on a bee vacation.  They are visiting Pumpkinland to help with a little pollination!  This was their excitement after we let them free.

(slow motion effect so you can see their dance.)

Honey is Here!

Our honey is bottled, labeled, and ready!

We have two sizes:
8 oz. for $5.00
1 1/2 lbs. for $9.00
Feel free to send an email if you are interested.  bbilby7@gmail.com

Stay Tuned..........Coming soon:
Creamed Honey
Honey in the Comb

Nothing like the Smell of Fresh Honey

Our honey supers were full to the gills - so you either buy more or you harvest.  We opted for harvest.  We took some of our full frames and borrowed a beekeeper pal's extractor and saw the golden juices flow.  When you have a good year with the bees - it sure feels rewarding!

Stay tuned - honey will be available soon!  We are creating our logo and buying our containers to fill!

  

Uncapping the honey to let the gooey goodness flow

 Straining it well...

And there it is in all of it's glory......not sure one gets tired of seeing that golden sun come pouring out of the extractor.

Late June at the Hives

The bees were busy tonight....and a little mad that we were disturbing their work...who can blame them??

They were everywhere!  They wanted to be out of the hive playing!

This one was riding on our shoulder - cute little guy.

These two look like they are up to no good!  Pranksters

Chloe caught this one - loved it!

One busy hive!  Lots of them coming in for the night.

I took this one just so I could hear them all - what a sound!!  (They weren't super happy at us as we were going in to see how full our frames were.)

Checking Us Out

More Bee Antics.....

Chloe and I had our bee socks on....ready for our visit today.

Greeting us at the top.

Chloe working the camera, Dad working the hive.

The colors are what amaze me.

A Natural

She was covered in glistening honey.

Amazing Little Creatures

Ready or not.....Here we come!

A Busy Hive

We didn't realize that bees were such acrobats.

See our acrobat again??

The bees needed a lesson in comb building so we took some out so they could start over.  They weren't so happy with us and didn't want to leave their hard work.

Beekeepers will tell you this is not great comb formation - BUT it sure made for a fun picture!

Finishing touches before we headed out.