Fabulous Fall

-Posted by Isaac

The fall honey is almost done! Today we extract the last of the honey from around here. We've still got those darn Holmes County hives, three hours away. Who knows when I'll make it up there.

It's been fantastic. Just awesome. The best fall honey flow I've seen. And other beekeepers are saying the same.
We're just swimming in goldenrod honey at the moment. Thanks to the great weather and awesome bloom.

Goldenrod and aster everywhere you looked. Combined with a three week stretch of dry 80 degree days.
The result:

I take most hives down to one super for the fall flow. This year I wish I'd left two on. Not only did the bees pack that one super full, they nearly plugged their brood boxes full. There will be little feeding this winter.

So we weren't the only busy harvesters.

My brother just finished up yesterday. For the last couple years, he and I have finished up our respective agricultures at the same time.

Bridger decided he prefers grain farming to beekeeping. Hours and hours in the combine. Every day.

Every morning I'd take him out to meet the grain farmers. He just begged for it.

Bye Dad. Have fun with your frumpy old bee truck and aching back...

Even little Eden is trending toward the more mainstream agriculture.

But I'll stick with bees.
Especially when it's this fun! The hives are strong. The honey came pouring in.

So strong in fact, many hives had built comb down into the internal feeder below.

Every yard I found myself astonished. Honey! Wall to wall!
I've just never seen it this good.

I caught myself popping lids and reaching for the camera.

A little eye candy...

Hive porn for beekeepers...

For at least a month we've been busy in the honey house.

The new equipment really came in handy when we needed it.

A few lessons:

Things I already knew, but had to learn again the hard way.

One, aster honey granulates fast. Keep it moving! We've got about fifty gallons of granulated honey sitting at the bottom of the big holding tank.

Two, take the clean-out trailers far away! 

I have made several extended family members mad with our crazy bees.

Even post-cleaning, sitting in the barn, the supers are attracting much attention.

I guess this would qualify as a third lesson learned again. Put the pollination bees elsewhere! We've got about 50 hives now sitting within a few hundred yards of the honey house and barn. This makes for some craziness on warm days.

But I don't have to deal with it. Only Jayne. Sorry Honey.
I'm gone. These wonderful warm days are great for treating, feeding if needed, getting the girls ready for winter.

The work never ends, it just changes.