This weekend we pulled the honey off our hive. It was a bittersweet experience, because I think the hive has lost it's queen. It may be trying to requeen, or maybe not - either way, I'll have to do something. So in a sense, the honey that we took may be existing beyond the life of the bees.
We got fourteen 12 oz. jars and 2.5 10 oz jars, about 10.5 lbs., which is probably more than enough to last us the year and then some (we still have the 2006 vintage!). This honey is a warm golden color, not like the 2006 which was a much darker gold color, almost opaque. This year's is a lovely translucent gold that you can see through in the bottle.
I also understand, as I related to my niece as she was helping, that I felt a bit like Pooh Bear: I was sticky all over my hands, licking it off, then wiping my hands, and then inevitably getting more on them!
I like honey. I like bees. There is just something about the process, watching them throughout the summer, getting the honey out and packaging it, then knowing that it is there to eat. It's not quite animal husbandry - if everything goes right, the bees are pretty self sufficient - but it's the next best thing.
Now, if we could just keep them alive through the winter...
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