At Little Bee of Connecticut, we harvest our honey twice a year. Once in mid-June and again in mid-September. We just completed our last harvest of the year this past weekend. I thought it would be the perfect time to show everyone how we get that golden goodness direct from the hives and straight to you. Nectar gathering and ripening (Warning: Science content) Producing honey starts with the forager bees collecting nectar from different floral sources. During this process, the bees generate the enzyme invertase which is then mixed with the nectar. Upon returning to the hive the foragers transfer the nectar to the house bees. They add more enzymes and place it in the honeycomb. The enzymes break down the sucrose in the nectar to glucose and fructose, a process known as “ripening” the honey. While this is occurring, the bees fan the nectar with their wings to reduce the moisture content. Once the bees detect that the nectar is fully ripened and the water content is low enough, they will cap the honey cells with beeswax. This protects the honey until the bees are ready to consume it by preventing it from reabsorbing moisture. Ready to harvest Inspecting frames & a fully capped frame When it is harvest time, we begin by inspecting the honey frames looking for them to be completely capped. This is a critical step. Harvesting uncapped frames with too high of a water content can cause it to ferment. When we find a fully capped frame, now we must get hundreds of bees off each one. We could use smoke to move them into the lower boxes. Personally, I don’t like this as it can result in ash from the smoker fuel staying on the honeycomb, which could give the honey a smoke taste. We simply shake the frame over the hive to remove most of them and brush the rest off. Prepare to extract To extract the honey from the frames we could just scrape all the honey and comb off the frame and let it drain out. If we did that, then next year the bees would need to rebuild all that comb before having a place to store the nectar. Honeybees produce wax by consuming the nectar and excreting it from their wax gland. This would result in a smaller harvest due to all the repurposed nectar for producing wax. Uncapping the frame  We use the uncapping method. Scraping the frame with a “fork” to remove only surface wax covering the honey. This preserves the honeycomb on the frames which can then be used again for future honey harvests. Spinning Frames As each frame is uncapped, we load it into our extractor. When we first started beekeeping there were only a couple of hives, so we purchased a small 3 frame hand crank extractor. It suited its purpose at the time but as we continued to grow the number of hives, this became very laborious and sometimes hilarious process. Taking an entire day to extract 50 or more frames only 3 at a time, plus having to flip them over to do the other side. A few years ago, it was decided that an upgrade was needed. Now an 18 frame motorized extractor that does both sides at once makes quick work of the job. The high-speed spinning generates centrifugal force that flings the honey from the frame to the wall of the extractor (See video below).  It then flows down and collects underneath. The uncapping process does leave flakes of beeswax in the honey. When the honey is drained, we pass it through a strainer to remove the wax pieces and THAT’S IT! (See video below) We do not filter our honey as this could remove the pollens that are contained with the honey. It is never heated either as that can deteriorate the natural enzymes and nutrients within.   Ready to go!!! When all the honey is extracted and drained it remains in a sealed container overnight to allow entrapped air bubbles to rise out. The following day we jar and label so it’s ready for sale via our website or at craft shows (When they still happened. Thanks 2020). The question we are most often asked about honey is if we see a difference between the spring and fall honey. Check out the picture below to see if you notice a difference. On the left is honey from our Fall 2020 harvest and on the right is our Spring 2020 Harvest. Clearly a night and day difference. Right?! Why? Here in Connecticut it’s all due to the different nectar sources available each season. In the spring the bees forage on things like clover, dandelion, and flowering trees to name a few. This results in a lighter more floral tasting honey. During the late summer you have goldenrod, buckwheat, knotweed, and others. This produces a much darker and richer honey for our fall harvest. I think it has a slight taste of molasses to it. Our fall honey is now available on our website. Be sure to pick up a jar before it’s all gone. Thanks for reading our blog! I hope you found it informative and insightful.

For beekeepers across the country, the end of the calendar year is usually the quietest time. The honeybees are in their winter cluster and there’s not much the beekeeper can do for them until spring. Many of us use this time to reflect on what went well, what went wrong, and what to do differently next year. Let’s look back through the Little Bee Beekeepers Calendar and the events of this past season.   January through March: Honeybees are not very active in the winter months. They’re in a cluster in the center of the hive to maintain warmth. Only leaving the hive when the temperature is above 50° F for a cleansing flight to relieve themselves of waste. (Check out a previous blog post How Do Honey Bees Survive Cold Temperatures? to learn more.) For the beekeeper, the new year marks the beginning of the season and time to start planning to ensure a successful year. While the temperatures will still be cold for weeks to come, now is the time to prepare for spring. Inspecting beekeeping equipment so it’s clean and ready when the weather is warm enough to enter the hives. Order and assemble hive components for replacing worn out parts or expanding the number of hives. Purchase bee packages early before they sell out. Start feeding the hives to supplement early season nectar and pollen foraging. Taking these steps helps get the hives off to a good start in the spring.   April through June: Spring is when the hives really come to life. The warmer weather brings the flowers and the bees are eager to get out there to forage. Back in the hive, the queen is already laying almost 2000 eggs a day to boost the hive population. More bees + More nectar = More HONEY!!!! For the beekeeper April is when we get our first chance to look inside the hive to see how well they survived winter. We want to see a great brood pattern with lots of eggs, pollen, and honey. If we don’t and the hive looks weak, then we must assess the issue. If the hive needs to be rescued, we can donate a frame or two of bees from a strong hive to boost the population or we can replace an underperforming queen. As we move into May, strong hives will be filling the hive with lots of nectar to turn into honey while the queen continues to lay eggs. Unfortunately, this battle for space can cause the hive to swarm. To prevent swarming, we add additional boxes called honey supers to the hives. This provides additional space for nectar/honey while not crowding the queen. With ample space for all we wait patiently for June when the supers are full and the nectar flow slows down. Once the honeycomb is capped with wax it’s time for the spring honey harvest. Uncapping, extracting, and bottling all that golden goodness.   July through August: During the early summer the temperatures increase and nectar sources may dry up. The hive will start to look for alternate sources which is why you may see them at your summer picnics. Inside the hive the warmth starts to impact the hive. To help keep it cool, the bees will congregate on the front step and fan their wings to circulate air through. During extreme heat a good portion of the bees will cluster on the outside of the hive in a process called wash boarding or bearding. Check out this quick video to better understand. Bearding Explanation – Instagram. As we get into August and September the summer nectar sources start to return as the bees start preparing for the fall/winter. With reduced natural sources in July we try not to disturb the hive unless necessary. The hive is already under stress and we don’t want to add to it. The bees may start to consume their honey reserves, so we need to keep an eye on them and provide supplemental feed if needed. Once the mid to late summer flowers start blooming the nectar flow is on, we stop feeding and add the honey supers in anticipation of the next honey harvest in September.   October through December: The cooler temperatures of October send a signal to the hive that winter is approaching. Preparations are being made inside to help aid in their survival. The last of the nectar is being ripened into honey to provide nourishment until spring. Gaps in the hive are being filled with propolis to minimize drafts and leaks. The queen stops laying eggs. Drone bees are evicted since they do nothing to help the hive through the cold. Once the temperatures stop going above 50 degrees, the bees will remain inside until it warms up again. October represents the last opportunity for us to do what we can to help the hive make it through winter. After last month’s honey harvest, we begin feeding the hives to allow them to produce as much honey as possible. Here in Connecticut a strong hive will consume 60 to 80 pounds of honey through the winter. The bees are also treated to reduce varroa mites via a natural method. Left untreated, mites can spread disease and kill the hive. Lastly before the warm days are gone, we’ll add a candy board (a block of sugar) under the hive cover as an emergency food source if needed and say goodbye until spring.   That brings us back to December, reflecting on the year at hand, and making plans for next year. For Little Bee it was a mixed year. Our hives started out slow. Taking more time than usual to grow in population which resulted in a poor spring harvest. With a little patience, the queens kicked into gear, and we ended with some of the strongest hives I’ve ever seen this season. There was lots of honey and pollen in the hives when I checked at the end of the season. So fingers crossed, say a prayer, because it’s in Mother Nature’s hands now. Hopefully we’ll see activity on all the hives come spring.   For more information on any of the all-natural products we create at Little Bee of CT, visit our site or email us at info@littlebeeofct.com, Don’t forget to follow @littlebeeofct on Instagram and Facebook where we post daily updates! Thank you for supporting Little Bee of CT and the busy beekeepers around the world!