The apiary
A beekeeper and the hives behind the honey
I keep bees, and honey is the main harvest from the apiary. Here is how the hives are looked after through the year.
Hands-on care
Working the hives by hand
Each hive is checked by hand to make sure the colony has room, a healthy queen, and enough stores to get through the season. Frames are inspected one at a time, and nothing is rushed.
Honey is taken only from frames that are fully capped. It is extracted gently and left unheated and unfiltered beyond straining, so the jar holds what the bees made.
Through the year
The seasonal rhythm of the apiary
Spring checks
Hives are opened after winter to check for stores, brood, and signs of disease, then given room as the colony grows.
Summer harvest
Once frames are fully capped, they are lifted and taken to be extracted, leaving enough honey behind for the bees.
Gentle bottling
Honey is strained and jarred slowly in small batches, so each jar is filled without heating or extra processing.