Didn't realize it was grandkids, even better!I love that we took our children here when they were little and now we've gotten to enjoy it with our grandbaby's. It's come full circle!
Drstratton - My Backyard Journey Journal
- Thread starter drstratton
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #732
24 hours after OAV, Varroa count:
Nuc Hive #1: 6
Nuc Hive #2: 5
Package Hive: 1
Swarm Hive: 0
I'll share pictures tomorrow. It was getting late and we have a power outage.
Nuc Hive #1: 6
Nuc Hive #2: 5
Package Hive: 1
Swarm Hive: 0
I'll share pictures tomorrow. It was getting late and we have a power outage.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #733
The Rabbit Brush and Sagebrush are getting ready to bloom. The bees might go to them, but the buckwheat will be their preferred nectar source. It has more nutritional value.
Rabbit Brush: Not the best flavor profile for honey.
Giant Sagebrush: Better than Rabbit Brush.
We have an abundance of Sagebrush around here.
Rabbit Brush: Not the best flavor profile for honey.
Giant Sagebrush: Better than Rabbit Brush.
We have an abundance of Sagebrush around here.
Baymule
Herd Master
Can you take the buckwheat honey and let them keep the sage brush and rabbit brush honey?
Mini Horses
Herd Master
They don't use separate hives. With predominance of buckwheat pollen you won't notice.
- Thread starter
- #736
I wish I could, it will all be combined in the comb, there would be no way to separate it.
- Thread starter
- #737
Happy Saturday!
We're extracting honey today, hopefully the bees are in a good mood...lol
We're extracting honey today, hopefully the bees are in a good mood...lol
- Thread starter
- #738
3rd extraction:
We pulled 14 frames. We got around 4 gallons. This is for our own consumption as it has sugar syrup mixed in.
The next extraction will be buckwheat.
We haven't used QE's this year as we wanted to make it as easy as possible on them for drawing comb. The result this go around is some brood in 2 of our supers, which I'm okay with, but was surprised to find. I told Dale I think they are storing the sugar syrup in the deeps. Because on the last inspection there was plenty of space for the queens to lay. He agreed to stop giving them syrup until after the buckwheat flow.
I also think we are going to go ahead and add the QE's, but we will wait until next week. We will do a full inspection to see how the brood boxes look. I will have some new deep frames ready to put in place, if we need them.
The girls were a little spicy today. I was stung twice.
I find myself constantly second guessing my choices. And there are days I feel out of my depth, but, I'm trying my best.
They had barely started to draw the new frames. I think spring will be a better time to run my experiment again.
Using a newly taught gif phone photo feature, here's a shot of the honey from the extractor.
I did get a taste of some of the buckwheat honey, still not really a fan...lol But, not as bad as I remembered.
I will be doing our 4th OAV tonight.
We pulled 14 frames. We got around 4 gallons. This is for our own consumption as it has sugar syrup mixed in.
The next extraction will be buckwheat.
We haven't used QE's this year as we wanted to make it as easy as possible on them for drawing comb. The result this go around is some brood in 2 of our supers, which I'm okay with, but was surprised to find. I told Dale I think they are storing the sugar syrup in the deeps. Because on the last inspection there was plenty of space for the queens to lay. He agreed to stop giving them syrup until after the buckwheat flow.
I also think we are going to go ahead and add the QE's, but we will wait until next week. We will do a full inspection to see how the brood boxes look. I will have some new deep frames ready to put in place, if we need them.
The girls were a little spicy today. I was stung twice.
I find myself constantly second guessing my choices. And there are days I feel out of my depth, but, I'm trying my best.
They had barely started to draw the new frames. I think spring will be a better time to run my experiment again.
Using a newly taught gif phone photo feature, here's a shot of the honey from the extractor.
I did get a taste of some of the buckwheat honey, still not really a fan...lol But, not as bad as I remembered.
I will be doing our 4th OAV tonight.
I have several jars of honey in the cupboatd, all purchased from the same local beekeeper. One jar has totally crystalized, the others are still liquid. I know the crystalized honey is still good, just wondering why that one jar did that.
- Thread starter
- #740
It could be that the moisture content was a little higher in that jar.
I have a jar in my cabinet that I purchased. It also crystallized. I bought a mortar and pestle to make creamed honey. You create a seed, by grinding the crystallized honey into very fine particles. Then you mix it into liquid honey and let it sit.
You can do the same. There are a couple of methods. I cheated, this is from a search.
The Dyce Method (Commercial/Controlled Process)
This method creates consistently smooth creamed honey on a larger scale:
- Prepare Seed Honey:
Fine crystals are essential for the process. This can be a portion of previously made creamed honey or finely ground crystallized honey. - Start with Liquid Honey:
Raw liquid honey is heated to dissolve any existing crystals. - Combine and Mix:
A small percentage of the seed honey (around 10%) is mixed into the liquid honey. - Control Temperature and Stir:
The mixture is placed in a temperature-controlled environment, maintaining a steady 57°F. Paddles intermittently stir the honey to prevent large crystals from forming, promoting the growth of many small crystals instead. - Allow to Set:
The mixture is left in the cool environment for several days to a week for the creaming process to complete and the final product to set.
Home Whipping Method
This method is quicker and simpler, suited for smaller batches:
- Gather Ingredients: You'll need both raw liquid honey and previously crystallized honey.
- Combine in a Mixer: Place both types of honey in a stand mixer.
- Whip: Using a whisk attachment, whip the honey mixture at a medium speed for about 15-20 minutes. The mechanical action breaks down large crystals into smaller ones, creating a thick, creamy texture.
- Store: The resulting creamed honey can be stored in a cool place to maintain its texture.
Both methods are based on controlling the size of the honey crystals. Instead of large, grainy crystals that form in slowly crystallizing liquid honey, creamed honey has microscopic crystals, which result in a smooth, spreadable texture that is soft enough to scoop and spread easily.
