From Hive to Honey

I spotted some bees buzzing around the siding at the Roland Estate about a month ago. They were high enough to not be a hazard, but it was still concerning. Sure enough, they were living in between the floors of the house and needed to come out. Yesterday was the day!

If you're ever faced with this kind of situation, or a swarm in a tree, it's fairly easy to find beekeepers who offer this service.  The fellow who did it was such a warm, informative person who really loves his bees.  He worked with his son and they first used a gentle vacuum to remove the bulk of the bees.

You can see him here, taking out the last bees (besides those that were away from the hive) before removing the wax and honey.  The bees had probably just moved in this year.  How they found such a tiny crevice to get in is beyond me, but it was the perfect place for them.  Their honeycombs hung like draperies inside.  I'm expecting I'll get some photos from that (taken by the beekeeper in his safe suit) some time soon.

Here's the jar of honeycombs they gave us.  I guess it is our finder's fee. 

He also let us have some very old wax that he took out of a very old house, where the bees had filled a whole section between wall studs and were starting on the next one.  The children's wool bees enjoyed licking off the old honey.  Everything is mildly sticky right now!

The afternoon was especially quiet, so Roan squeezed the honey out of the combs.  Willow was not a fan, and Laurel was asleep, so we got to enjoy it.  Despite being so sticky, it was a lovely feeling to crush the combs and see all the honey come out.  We ended up with about a cup and a half.

Mike poured it through a mesh strainer, having the patience to let it really drip, and here is our end product. I could have strained it more, but it didn't seem necessary to us. I've got a nice disk of wax that I melted down in my pot, and we'll use that to make our calendula salve in a few weeks. I'm already collecting the first blossoms.

This weekend brings wet weather and cooler temperatures, Reward Weather as I have always called it.  We are so thankful for the rain and hope that it will ease the stress on the plants and streams.  I nearly always pray for rain, having seen what happened to our beautiful Appalachian rainforest last Summer.  Well, it's also grocery day, so I better get a move on.  I'm aiming to beat the crowd!