How well do you remember your first harvest?

[enrico]

My first harvest was from mainly balsam on a small river near Hartley Wintney in Hampshire. I think I threw it all in a muslin sheet and put it in an old spin dryer to extract it! It had no speed control so I had to chase it all round the kitchen. Never used it again!

 

[Parsonage Bees]

First hive, 2016 swarm in mid-June (silver spoon, ie. cost me more in sugar?!), didn't take any honey till 2017. Four frames. Took photos of it pouring out of the association's extractor. Jarred in various recycled glassware (lots of bubbles, no clue) Discovered that using a jug to fill jars from the tub didn't work well. And because of the amount of interest in my new hobby mostly given away to friends and family.
Won best novice class at association honey show. Never done any good in the liquid class since.
. . . . Ben

 

[nantmoel]

I remember my first harvest (1984), I eat so much honey I was sick - took me years to start liking it again.

 

[E&MBees]

My first harvest was 2020, having got my first colony June 2019.

 

[Erichalfbee]

My first harvest was 2020, having got my first colony June 2019.

That looks a cracking jar of honey

 

[elainemary]

August 2017. 2 Nucs bought May 2017 after the beginners course. Im
Sooooo proud of my lovely new WBCs,
Aren’t the bees nice and black!

Went to the association extraction training. Radial extraction. No one mentioned heather! balsam balsam balsam.

Ooh the excitement of the first super. Ooh the amazing smell and look at the amazing really white cappings
Felt guilty taking too much so I took 5 frames and left 5 frames for the bees.

Why won’t it spin out? Right let’s crank up the extractor. What’s happening!!!!!???? Where’s my mentor? What do you mean you’ve never had it like that? Why can’t you come up And take a look ….please,
Pretty please.

Right, better ring an expert in Yorkshire beekeepers. Oh heather what’s that like then. Where’s the kitchen sieve.
Bought far too many jars (glass half full, literally)

First jar delicious!

 

[Moobee]

any balsam in it? I had honey exactly like that one year from an apiary down at Penllergaer

Not that I know of - no major watercourses around here (just the sea!) and no ghost bees spotted.

 

[Curly green finger's]

First harvest for me was 2017 , I’ve managed to keep some back in 1 oz jars .
I used a 10 frame radial and had two of the children sitting on the extractor to stop it moving.
I would say though that my first heather harvest last season was the best from my own bees moved to st Mary’s common clee hill , fresh warm heather honey straight from the hive nothing quite like it .

 

[StephenT]

2019 was our first harvest from one hive and had enough for gifts and to keep a jar back, which we have done each year since. It’s starting to crystallise but not that much. By comparison, this years honey is the palest we have ever had but has an amazing zing to it.

 

[peterbees]

My first honey crop, Rowen village, Conwy Valley, North Wales 1978.