Harvest your Honey, Honey!

If you haven't harvested your honey, the bees have been eating it by the pounds because of the cool temperatures. I have taken all frames that are at least 75% capped and storing those that are 25% uncapped in totes with no lids so the honey can evaporate to the correct moisture content (17%). This keeps it from sugaring as fast. Eventually, all honey crystallizes. I never heat my honey because I don't want to kill the amazing enzymes. Some people say heating honey to around 100* is ok, however, I won't take any chances. After extracting, I give the sticky frames back to the bees and they polish everything up, consolidating the honey on one frame. Some of my colonies will have had the queen caged for three weeks next Monday which means no eggs or larva. After frames have been polished, the bees can be shop vacuumed anytime. This is done best when it is cold an crisp outside (early morning or evening) because the bees can't fly as much when it is cold.
Don't forget to dump dead bees in the compost for organic vermiculite! The soft organs make rich garden soil and the exoskeletons don't decompose as fast so they aerate the soil.

Responsible Fall Beekeeping

Now that July is behind us and the honey flow is nearing the end of the beekeeping season, beekeepers must continue regular hive checks after the queen is caged. Especially after the queen is caged, the bees may try to create new queens which may increase the risk of swarming. It is our responsibility to keep colonies from spending a winter in someone's attic or eaves. I continue to perform hive checks every 10 days until the day I shop-vac my bees. Right now, I'm waiting for the bees to finish capping all the honeycomb. When most of it is capped, I will rob the frames, extract, and give sticky frames back to the bees to clean up for winter storage.