I am writing this on October 3rd with rain coming down and a temp. of 44. I am in one of my favorite “cold time” spots - the little cabin back in our woods with a warm crackling fire. The only thing that would make it better would be some snow coming down.
A slow spring and flower bloom led to a fairly brief period of ideal weather in late June early July. But alas….cool very dry weather set in that slowed the nectar and the bees foraging activity. All of this has led to a reduced honey harvest this fall. The goldenrod and asters are long gone and bees are busy eating the groceries they set aside this summer. Fall feeding is in full swing.
The Marquette based Superior Beekeeping Club sponsored an extraction day here at my place. I clear all the tools out of my shop, fire up the wood stove to get the temp to 90 plus , set up 3 extractors and have a great day watching the honey flow. I always enjoy observing that moment that new beekeepers see “their” honey flowing out of the extractor for the 1st time. I still am awed by the sight after 30 plus years of that annual event. Most of the honey was darker than previous years…any thoughts on that? Drought??
Local clubs across the UP have been busy with sessions on overwintering. I did one for the Bay de Noc (Escanaba) Club last week. Isaac Behrens did 2 sessions for the Superior Bee Club at our extraction event. He did a great job. Hopefully it all pays off when we dig them out in the spring. Many thanks to Megan and others that have spread the word about mite control. We can do everything right but still lose our hives if we fail to control mites.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at lantzjoel@gmail.com or www.upbees.weebly.com
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