Fall Honey...

Sep 15, 2018

It was a busy weekend at Wildwood. The list of things to do because “winter is coming” was so long we started into listing things off and quickly gave up with head shaking and cynical chuckles at our folly.

So instead we just did what we could…and of course it was another shouldn’t-be-out-in-this-much-sun sweltering weekend!

M wasn’t feeling well, so J really stepped up and we couldn’t have gotten so much done without her. I tended to the back woods for most of the morning while Cath started into the trim work in the bunky. We made trips for wood and worked on the shutters to close up the screen windows for the winter.

Jane took about a bushel of tomatoes in from the garden. Assorted hot peppers as well. Unfortunately there were a lot that rotted as the plants were folded over. We really have to rethink the trellis system for next year. We ground most of it into a tomato sauce and chopped up a bunch for an excellent salsa.

Cath took the fall honey from the bees. We might take more…or might leave them be (haha) for the winter. This time the bees were on us right away to get their honey back. Not the frantic chasing and stings like last year but they found the pergola where we were setup in the shade and promptly told all their buddies where there was a buffet of easy food. While Cath donned all her gear to take the frames, I decapped/spun/dewaxed the frames in crocs and shorts.

To be honest, the bees weren’t interested in attacking us…more so they were focused on gorging themselves on the readily available honey. The only stings I got (3) were because I grabbed/picked up something that had a bee underneath that thought I was trying to grab it.

It was actually quite sad to see the bees go into the spinner or into the bucket to get the honey and end up trapped like dinosaurs in tar pits.

Separating any uncapped honey (just bits here and there on some frames) from fully capped honey was quickly abandoned as we worked in the swarm of bees and in the heat. We de-waxed the frames and laid them out in the grass so the bees could have that honey back. I hope they don’t get abused by the racoons and other wildlife.

We ended up with a very full 5gallon bucket to take home for jarring. That brought our total take this year from 4 hives to just about 120 KG (~260lbs). There might be a bit left as we prep the hives for winter.

What a difference between spring vs. mid-season vs. fall honey!

We purified the wax we collected, adding back in the first bit of wax we took earlier, and ended up with some very nice bricks & pucks. I’m hoping that our artist friend, Kevin Ghiglione https://ghiglione.ca/ , will use it for his great encaustic artwork.

Very few pictures…too hot…too frantic….

….it’s rumoured that some people spend their time relaxing and lounging about in the county….