Honey Harvest

Earlier this year when the bees were swarming and all we seemed to be doing was collecting bees and trying to build up new colonies, honey seemed a bit of a dream. But now at the end of the season we are pleased to say that we are happy with our harvest of honey. We have been able to take small amounts from the woodland apiary at Waxwings/Cordwood in both July and August and even some from the very smallest colony in the garden which has built up brilliantly and has lots of stores for the winter already.
The season has been incredibly dry and the woodland nectar appears to have slowed down much earlier than normal- where we had expected the bees to build up stores for themselves we have had to feed these colonies before the varroa treatments went on. However the farmer has given them a bit of a bonus- we have noticed a field boundary of sunflowers all in flower now, well within reach of the bees!

What has intrigued me more than anything is the difference in the honey we have collected- the July honey a beautiful pale amber with a mild flavour, but the August honey from the same bees as dark almost as Guiness and tasting of much more complex flavours!