The Honey Process
an annual timeline of activity in the bee yard.
Honey is extracted at the end of August. The honey supers are taken from the hives and stacked inside the honey house for extraction. The comb is shaved with a hot knife and then loaded into the extractor. The drum spins for several minutes while the honey drips from the drum into a filter. Once filtered; the honey is bottled, capped and labeled. Extraction is an all-hands-on-deck event. The process is slow, hot and sticky.
After extraction the supers are placed back on the hives for the bees to clean the comb. After the first frost we remove the empty honey supers for winter storage. At the winter solstice (between December 20-23), the hives are winterized and the winter candy boards and ventilation system is placed on the hives.
“One can no more approach people without love than one can approach bees without care. Such is the quality of bees…” — Leo Tolstoy