Tuesday, August 14, 2018

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.

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