🐝💗Our Backyard Beekeeping Journey!💗🐝

[5Australorpasaures]

I love when good fortune falls in your lap. After snapping off the nylon hex nut head on the honey gate yesterday I woke with an epiphany! I recalled having extra pieces parts for honey gates and as luck would have it a thumb screw that is for the gate and was able to put my hands right on it. Boy has a mind like a steel trap, hard to open.

 

[drstratton]

Ground Control to Major Tom

Major... I'm Rockin this look better than I thought.

 

[drstratton]

44 F, had to turn the heat on in the honey room since honey and wax are a little stiff this AM. One super to go, drippings from decapping then the fine filtering. Honey seems to have a slight hint of smoke and a little heat, very nice sweetness, atta girls. After clean up concentrate on winter prep.

Brrr, I'm a child of summer and this child is definitely not ready for winter. Lol
Interesting flavor profile. I wonder what all they're bringing in. One of the descriptions for Rabbit Brush honey is a spiciness.
We're slowly gathering information for what we need to do in our area to get ready for winter. Most years we don't get a real cold snap until January or February, but sometimes it hits us a lot earlier.
Good luck with you final spin!

 

[Apis mellifera]

I'm thinking the smoke may have come from all the forest fires and prescribed burning we've had this season.

It could also be from Spotted Lantern Fly.

 

[drstratton]

I need some information about rendering wax. It might be too late to build a solar melter, and I don't want to do it on the stove, for safety reasons.

Our bee club has an apiary at a local college now. Beekeeping is also a 1-credit class for students. The person in charge said it's ok if you don't want to wear a suit or jacket or gloves, but wearing a veil will be mandatory. A bee sting on your arm, eh, so what unless you're allergic. A bee sting in your eye could cost you your eye. That makes sense to me.

That's been our opinion too. I don't want any stings to the face.
Both of my arms are very warm, a little swollen and itching like crazy right now. I finally got up and I'm icing them. It's helping, but only temporary. I'll spend a few days like this...yuck.

 

[drstratton]

It could also be from Spotted Lantern Fly.

Another invasive species. I just looked this up. Just sad.

 

[R2elk]

That's been our opinion too. I don't want any stings to the face.
Both of my arms are very warm, a little swollen and itching like crazy right now. I finally got up and I'm icing them. It's helping, but only temporary. I'll spend a few days like this...yuck.

If you apply a paste of baking soda and water right away after the sting, it does seem to help.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Another invasive species. I just looked this up. Just sad.

Recent studies show that the honey produced from the lantern fly exceeds the medicinal value of Manuka honey from NZ. The samples were taken from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

 

[drstratton]

If you apply a paste of baking soda and water right away after the sting, it does seem to help.

I should try that. I've done that in the past. I put some Benadryl on it and hydrocortisone, it helps a small amount. Once it starts to swell, putting ice on brings the most relief.

 

[drstratton]

Recent studies show that the honey produced from the lantern fly exceeds the medicinal value of Manuka honey from NZ. The samples were taken from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Oh wow, that's interesting. Thank you, I need to research it more. Would love honey as good for you as Manuka. Sad that it causes so much crop damage. There are a lot of grapes and hops in WA.