Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!

Here are five deep frames of honey I collected today from my lonely hive. I could have collected a whole lot more, but this will satisfy me for now. I may go back in and get one, I just remembered I need to have even increments of three for the extractor...I may think of another option. Anyway, the hive had about four frames at the back (remember it holds 32 frames) that weren't worked. The last two were empty, but the one before that was pretty heavy with honey. I collected these from the middle third because they were fully capped. The hive is Bursting with bees! Lots of pollen is going in. If winter came today, they have enough stores, which is my main goal.

Traditionally, older beekeepers collected honey on the fourth of July and then again on Labor Day. Today was close enough, and one of the last warm days in the forecast. Tomorrow will be warm enough to extract, after that, the weather will be iffy.

The bees were of course, disturbed by all my disruption, but were not aggressive, and I did not use smoke. My daughter assisted by by brushing the bees off the frames and putting them in a box covered with a towel. Tomorrow we will extract, then our honey season will be done for this year.

It is so nice to have my bees acting "normal" again, and to have an uncomplicated beekeeping season! I know that sounds strange in 2020, but that is the truth!