Yesterday was harvest time for my bees at the farm. Assisted by my long suffering partner, we drove the twenty miles from Birmingham. As usual, blue sky quickly turned to grey, then positively dark! Rain was not far behind and we nearly turned back. However, we decided to press on. Lucky we did, as it did eventually stop. We ended up with a window of a few hours to work with before the 'real' rain arrived.
I cannot say that it was the easiest harvest I have ever done, as two hives were particularly nasty. I think that the weather was the reason. It was not raining during this period, but had been before we arrived. The the main bulk came in later, just after I had called a halt. The bees obviously knew heavier rain was coming and were not at all happy having their roofs taken off. We got five hives sorted, with no stings and brought back over a hundred pounds of honey. Processing has begun!
I cannot say that it was the easiest harvest I have ever done, as two hives were particularly nasty. I think that the weather was the reason. It was not raining during this period, but had been before we arrived. The the main bulk came in later, just after I had called a halt. The bees obviously knew heavier rain was coming and were not at all happy having their roofs taken off. We got five hives sorted, with no stings and brought back over a hundred pounds of honey. Processing has begun!
