I realize I haven't been blogging like I should but to tell you the truth I have been really busy. We took off the lighter honey a few weeks ago and also managed to get some cut comb so that the people who were waiting for it would have it. I have more customers at both of the markets and in a few of the days in between I have been doing some talks about beekeeping for a few organizations and groups. The school year has started here and the requests for a speaker have been coming in as well. So I've kinda decided that I have to cut back a little bit on the talking part, (although Jim swears I do that very well) and work on the bee part.
I have been struggling with keeping the website up by myself. I have not done a real great job and I was really hoping that it would generate some income for me during the winter, so if I don't have any sales I've got to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I put in a request online to have companies call me. . . .well they sure have. I swear I've never had more phone calls from anyone to do something I need in my entire life. So the process begins. Cost, which is always a factor, comes into play big time. I have to chuckle a bit when people assume that thousands of dollars would not be a problem. I have to keep reminding them that I'm a beekeeper not a banker. So we will see.
The goldenrod has just started to bloom here. That is a good thing as Martha would say, it keeps the bees happy and busy. Some of the hives that weren't doing too well I had to combine and they seem to have taken off and are doing well. I'm checking on how much honey they are able to store and if it still feels light in a week or two, I'll probably start feeding. I did do something this year that I hope works. After I took honey of of one of my busiest hives I put a deep brood box on top of it and had them start filling that with honey. I will either use that for the bees who don't have much honey or freeze it to use for the new colonies or weak colonies I have in the spring. . .
The nuc I started with the special queen is doing really well. Jim thought I was planning to combine it with one of the weaker hives but I'm going to try to overwinter it just like my Uncle Ted does. I used a new queen from stock that isn't around here and at first she started off a little slow, but now she is going to town. Her frames are perfect with brood pollen and honey making the prettiest pattern.
Well Jim is up and I've got to get going, I just got an order from a store in Toledo so I have a little labeling and bottling to do.
Until next time. . . .
