How well do you remember your first harvest?

[BeeAdmin]

How well do you remember your first honey harvest?

What did you do with it?

It would be great if you could share that beautiful experience when you were still an inexperienced beekeeper.

 

[Erichalfbee]

August 2009. Extracted with a Thorne tabletop 4 frame spinner. Still have it. I got 50 jars of amber honey.
It’s darkened over the years.
I’ve kept a jar from every year since then.

 

[Sutty]

Got about 60lb from two hives with a rented extractor, sold some at work & gave some away. I have a small bucket of very old honey that may have been from then! 20ys+

 

[Michael Palmer]

I do remember. October 1974. I had two colonies started from package bees in May. Took one super from each. The honey was extracted by an old timer. old Kermit with a serrated knife and a four frame extractor. I can still see that knife slicing under the cappings. I can't remember the honey. I do remember that both colonies starved that winter. What? You have to feed your bees?

 

[Amari]

1972 for me - two hives in the garden of a cottage hospital in Romsey, Hants. Can't remember the harvest but do remember the joy of watching them fly.

 

[blackcloud]

I remember it well
It was a tentative experiment as I really didnt want to get into the scourge of honey production,just curious as to what the fuss was all about.
Naivety compelled me to uncap frames in the belief that an extractor was for people who had more money than sense.
Anyho five or six days later it was becoming apparent that drip draining the honey probably wasnt going to work and I should look to getting one.
Bought a cheap one and had to send it back.
Bought a moderately priced one and had to send it back.
Bought an eyewateringly expensive one that actually worked well and then had to go into honey production to pay it off.
Which it did very quickly but now I have half a garage occupied with idle kit for most of the year and people pestering me about more honey.
Always they want more.
Wish I had never put that super on.

Happy days

 

[JamezF]

I can't remember my first harvest at all. My memory's all gone a bit like a whatsit these days. You know... One of those things with lots of holes in. Blackburn?

James

 

[Do224]

I had a couple of super frames which I managed to spin out for my first taste of the bees honey this year. It might not be much but I really appreciated it! I’m going to keep the small jar uneaten…

 

[blackcloud]

I can't remember my first harvest at all. My memory's all gone a bit like a whatsit these days. You know... One of those things with lots of holes in. Blackburn?

James

I saw the photograph and had to laugh

 

[Nannysbees]

August 2009. Extracted with a Thorne tabletop 4 frame spinner. Still have it. I got 50 jars of amber honey.
It’s darkened over the years.
I’ve kept a jar from every year since then.

View attachment 34282

Beautiful, why hasn't that crystallised after so many years?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Beautiful, why hasn't that crystallised after so many years?

I have absolutely no idea. I darent open it.

 

[masterBK]

Had just one colony in WBC in 1959 which yielded 90 lbs of honey . Melted down and filtered the wax cappings and cast a wax block winning first prize at Kidderminster BKA honey show in 1960. Hooked on beekeeping ever since.

 

[Garry R]

My first year of beekeeping was at an allotment near Ashton Gate (Bristol City - League Division One) football ground in 1976 - the hot summer. It was not my hive as I was moving away in the autumn but a colleague's. It was a rather tumbledown (rotten) WBC and fitted where it touched. He gave me four supers and then ran out!! The bees kept gathering nectar from Clifton Down where there was a wonderful row of lime trees. Undaunted the bees filled the space between inner boxes and outer lifts. Jammed it in stuck to the walls. Only way was to cut it out with a kitchen knife. 150lbs + and I got 5lbs!!! Only surpassed this twice since.

 

[The Poot]

First honey was from a nuc bought in June 2014. A few pounds by crush and strain, for our own use and given out to family.
Everyone thought it was the best!
In 2015 I found myself with a couple of supers, (after destroying more comb), when an association member offered to spin them for me - for half the honey. I went with it and have forever regretted it! Bought an extractor after that.

 

[Damo944]

Long long time ago for my first harvest; way back in August 2022!
30lbs jarred up and 2 frames worth of cut comb out of 1 x 14x12 hive.

Completely addicted since day one.

 

[Moobee]

First harvest in autumn 2020 from a colony obtained in June. Not a lockdown project as had already planned to start beekeeping in the winter of 2019. Really chuffed to get about 35lbs and used crush & strain as Covid restrictions meant I couldn’t borrow an extractor from anyone. Totally addicted to bees from the start.

 

[Erichalfbee]

First harvest in autumn 2020 from a colony obtained in June. Not a lockdown project as had already planned to start beekeeping in the winter of 2019. Really chuffed to get about 35lbs and used crush & strain as Covid restrictions meant I couldn’t borrow an extractor from anyone. Totally addicted to bees from the start.

That's lovely and dark. my summer honey is so pale

 

[BeeAdmin]

First harvest in autumn 2020 from a colony obtained in June. Not a lockdown project as had already planned to start beekeeping in the winter of 2019. Really chuffed to get about 35lbs and used crush & strain as Covid restrictions meant I couldn’t borrow an extractor from anyone. Totally addicted to bees from the start.

Awesome!

 

[Moobee]

That's lovely and dark. my summer honey is so pale

Everyone said it tasted like salted caramel! Must be the sea air

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Everyone said it tasted like salted caramel! Must be the sea air

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