Saturday, June 28, 2008

Midsummer


The Old Farmer's Almanac tells us that 24 June is Midsummer Day because 

"to the farmer, it is the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvesting...it's a time of magic and soothsaying as well for, as Washington Irving said, 'This is a time when it is well known that all kinds of ghosts, goblins, and fairies become visible and walk abroad.' "

And who should know better about such things than Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Well, at midsummer we beekeepers are happy to see our colonies thriving and active and producing honey for their winter food, and for our tables, too. Our hive last year produced nearly 100 pounds of honey--it was a perfect Summer for bees. This year, we've had lots of rain, and uneven temperatures throughout the Spring. Here, a gentle and rainy May became a blistering June heat-wave for four days and suddenly my entire garden was in bloom. While the riot of flowers was beautiful it also made me wonder what, if any, nectar and pollen sources would be available to the bees in this area as the Summer progresses. If so many plants have bloomed ahead of season, hopefully there's something left for the bees to pollinate in the woods and fields during July and August. We shall see.

This is the first time in our three seasons that we are anticipating an extraction of Spring honey. That is the pale, delicate honey with the very sweet taste that children and honey bears like Winnie the Pooh love best. At least three of our six hives will probably produce a few frames or more of the early honey. We'll know for sure this week. While it's wonderful to receive this reward for our labor and care, we cannot be greedy. We must be sure between 60 to 70 pounds of honey remain in the hives when we close them up in the Fall. But hopefully this Summer will be another good one for our bees. If it is, we will enjoy a second extraction in August, this time of a darker and not-so-sweet honey, gathered from plants like Pepper bush, golden rod, chickweed, borage, Joe-Pye weed, sunflowers, and buckwheat. To anyone passing by those "weeds" at the edge of the road, in an uncut field, or in an abandoned lot seem to have little or no value at all. To the honey bee and the beekeeper they are like stumbling upon pure gold!

The hives at the Charlestown location were tended this morning. Mike sent this photo of the neighboring pond from his cell phone. I'm not certain whether or not honey bees pollinate water lillies, but some creature does, and this location offers a banquet for them, as well as an idyllic sight for the fortunate passer-by.

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