The moment we’ve been waiting for is finally here! Our first honey harvest! After over a year of caring for my pet Honey Bees, including many a sleepless night worrying about regicide, anarchy and predators; they have generously thanked me by sharing their honey with us! This whole process started a couple weeks ago when I had a heart to heart meeting with a representative from Azzza Hive. We agreed that in exchange for their 4 frames of honey, I would make them “bee candy” to supplement the food they already have stored for the winter.
My negotiations with the Azzza Hive representative.
Next Dad removed the four frames from Azzza Hive’s honey super, and then we waited. Although I had a verbal contract with the Honey Bees, some were not quite ready to give up their hard work without a fight. So Dad left the combs in a safe place outside to hopefully persuade the Bees overnight to return to their warm, safe hive. The next morning, Dad covered the bin the frames were in and brought it to the basement. Then he got busy, so Asa and I filled with anticipation for over a week, waiting for him! But finally the time came to extract the honey from their combs!
Asa inspecting the honeycomb.
To remove the honey from the frames, we needed to use a honey extractor. It holds two frames at a time, and we used the crank to spin them around to get the honey out of the honeycomb.
This is our honey extractor…the metal cylinder, not Asa.
However, before we could do that, Dad needed to uncap the sealed combs using a hot knife.
Uncapped honeycomb ready for the extractor.
Ok, in case you’re wondering where I am during this process, I got way too excited and tried to eat the honeycomb on the frames. So I was forced to supervise from the living room.
Chuck Billy supervising from the living room.
Fortunately though, Mom let me out to watch the big moment as Dad began spinning the frames!
Watching the honey being removed from the comb in the honey extractor.
After a few minutes of getting dizzy watching the crank spinning, the frames were removed. Asa and I thoroughly examined them to ensure Dad got all the honey out. We didn’t want to waste a precious drop of my Honey Bees’ hard work!
Inspecting the clean honeycomb. Ok, so we both may have taken a lick or two to taste it.
After repeating this process with the other two frames, once again we had to wait. Inside the cylinder, splattered honey coated the walls. So we needed to wait as it slowly dripped to the bottom, where it could be removed from the tap.
Asa filling with anticipation for the honey to be removed from the extractor.
Ok, so we both may have gotten overly excited from our first taste, and really wanted more. This time Asa joined me in the living room to supervise the last stages of the process.
Supervising the final stages of the honey extraction.
Dad put the honey extractor on a chair, then placed a container beneath the tap, with a strainer on top of it. We all held our breath in anticipation. Did it work? Will we have honey? Well I’m happy to say it did work! The honey came pouring out of the spigot into the container! Oh it smelled so wonderful! But then we had to wait even longer as the remainder of honey slowly dripped out. Again, we didn’t want to waste a precious drop. We went to bed that evening wondering what would be the final outcome in the morning. After another sleepless night, tossing and turning, wondering what our honey harvest would yield, we were finally rewarded!
What do you mean we only filled two mason jars?!
Ok, so it’s not a bumper crop. We still have a bit of a learning curve as first time beekeepers. We should have put the honey super on Azzza Hive earlier in the season. But it’s a start! We could only extract honey from one hive this year because the two new hives, Lemmeez and Dire Wolf Beez, will need their first stockpile of honey to get them through the long cold months of their first winter. As for Chuck BEEly Hive, they are still recovering from their slow start this spring, and didn’t produce a lot of honey for their own survival. However, the ladies of Azzza Hive didn’t disappoint! Now if you please excuse me, I’m going to sample my hard work.
