It’s time for the late summer harvest, and what a challenging year it has been. Poor weather has led to subpar forage and very low honey stores throughout the season. However, in this last warm stretch of August, things have turned around, and the bees have been busier than ever. As you can see in the photo, the hives are getting smaller now. This happens as we remove the honey-filled boxes, known as supers or shallows. During the peak months of June and July, the hives expand to accommodate up to 150,000 bees. Since that many bees can’t fit into just the brood box—the box at the bottom where the queen lays her eggs and the nurse bees care for the larvae—we add extra space. Now, it’s time to remove those heavy honey-laden boxes and take them to the honey room to begin the long, sticky, and messy process of extracting honey. With any luck, this year’s harvest will exceed our expectations, and we may even have some summer honey for 2024.
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Tags: bees, honey, honey bees