In my haste to start extracting today, I decided not to smoke the bees or wear gloves. Accordingly, I received numerous stings, all on my right hand and arm, so tonight it's blown up like a balloon. Apparently, bees don't like having their honey stolen. Usually the ladies are gentle and put up with my hamfisted hive manipulation techniques. Also, the Porter bee escape may not be the best way to rid the supers of bees. A few dozen remained in each super, but they were easily brushed off when I pulled the frames for extracting. Only was stung once then. Extracting itself went very well. The total haul was 42 pounds, and the honey is delicious. It's very light, although a few frames contained areas of very dark honey. It's also very sweet and has a slightly minty taste. From the bee forums I follow, this may because of basswood or locust blooms. As I walked my dogs tonight, I noticed for the first time that the creek that runs behind the house is lined with big basswood trees in spots. There are also many of them in the nearby park near Lake Michigan so maybe that theory is correct. Last year most of my honey came from goldenrod and it was darker with a slight spiciness. I used the last of it yesterday and sure am glad I have more homegrown honey to keep me supplied. I've already received requests for gifts of my honey. I don't know if I'll be selfish or not. Probably not.
