With the first harvest of honey extracted, warmed and settled, I jarred this first batch. The one super I kept separate has produced a beautiful white creamy honey, unfortunately only 21 jars of this. Not quiet the 150 lbs I had hoped for in total, but I jarred 134 lbs so very happy considering the spring we have had.

I do like my Diamond Jubilee label, which went down well in my local pub over the weekend. I took a box of honey for those who had pre-ordered jars of honey and tourists in the pub on seeing them bought jars from me. The rest will go outside now on my honey honesty table. Hopefully this year some scumbag won’t nick the honesty tin !!

One of my hives, probably the strongest one, which I split 2 weeks ago swarmed yesterday morning. I was enjoying a coffee in the sunshine looking at the hives and saw quiet a few bees around the entrance and suddenly they were pouring out. I kept an eye open for where they would cluster and within half an hour they had clustered perfectly on a branch nearby. Within 10 minutes they were in another hive. Bet that confused them, that from swarming they were back in a hive in such a short period. It rather made the scout bees redundant.

Weather forecast is for yet another wet week, fortunately though I took honey off the hives last week, all have plenty of food within the one and half broodboxes. If this carries on though, will have to keep an eye on their food stocks. Bees have done so well this year considering the conditions, so don’t want to loose any to starvation now.

First honey jarred and labelled