Goldenrod Honey

On Saturday, September 18 I extracted 30 lbs. of goldenrod honey. I think I'm getting the hang of this. No problems with scratching off the cappings and running the frames through the extractor this time. I didn't extract about five nearly full frames because sections were still uncapped. The goldenrod is still blooming, the weather is still warm and beautiful, and the bees are still wildly foraging so I'm hoping to extract some more in October. Still lots of capped brood and the second deep is full of honey. Looking good for fall and winter. Now about those mites....

Busy Late Summer Hive

Mid September and busy, busy hive. Click "play" to see and hear the commotion. Opened everything up today, too. Both supers are nearly fully capped. Looks like I'll harvest next week. Unfortunately, I saw varroa mites for the first time. Once I harvest the honey, I'll see how bad the infestation is and take corrective action. I hope the coloney won't be so weakened it can't survive the winter.