It has been one of the hottest springs on record. The bees are working hard and I have put up the umbrellas over the hives to give a little relief from the blistering temperatures.. We have had our first harvests of the spring. Mr. Charlies bees, the country girls and my bees, are bringing in the nectar. We have had several extractions. We are bottling and labeling our jars of liquid gold. We have had several prosperous trips to the Augusta Saturday Market, and customers stop by to see the bees and pick up honey almost everyday.
I was invited to be the Photographer of Choice at Vintage Ooollee's shop as a part of the Summer Solstice Stroll, put on by the Augusta Downtown Merchant Assoc. for the month of June. I was in the shop on June 11th from 5pm - 9:30pm talking to people about my photos and telling anyone that would listen about the plight of the honey bee. I sold honey, lotion bars, lip balms. My sister, Vikki, along with Charlotte, April and lots of friends came by to view my photos and lend support. I sold several photos and had a great experience.
A old friend, from Virginia Beach, Sonya Anthony, came for a long weekend this month. We walked, talked, shopped and took lots of photos. We had a wonderful visit. We performed Bee Venom Therapy at my house so she could see how it was done and to meet some of my friends.
One of our most important jobs this time of year is pulling queen cells from all our hives. Putting on a veil and gloves is really hot buzz-iness. I can see why some people don't pull queen cells when the temperatures reach into the 100's, most people think it too hot to bother. But, Mr. Charlie is from the old school. "Just do it" seems to be his approach. Working his bees and doing whatever is necessary everyday no matter the weather.
All ten hives are doing well on Sasserfrass Hill at this time. The Paine College and the Hephzibah girls are making honey and flourishing. The colony I won at the South Carolina State meeting in February are building up fast and will be ready for a honey super soon.
Mr. Charlie and I are working hard. We are pulling queen cells from over seventy hives every ten days, performing Bee Venom Therapy once a week for anyone that needs it, speaking to church groups, garden clubs and school. We have a group of home school elementary kids coming to visit Sasserfrass Hill and see our bees this month. We have several colonies we are removing from homes. We are helping new beekeepers harvest their honey, check their hives, and hopefully feel more comfortable with their new fascinating hobby. We helped Manuel, of Manuel's Bread Cafe, harvest his cut comb honey from four hives of his hives. I had only harvested from plastic frames. Wax frames take a totally different procedure. It was fun and I learned a lot.
My Mama is still my biggest fan. She has helped out by washing canning jars in the dishwasher and helping me label my honey. I had a group of friends and family, come over and help label my lip balms and lotion Bars.
It is a fun time to be a part of Sasserfrass Hill Bee Farms. We are growing and encountering new opportunities everyday. We are buzzzzy and grateful. We thank God for our health, happiness and honey and ALL our many blessings.!!!
Bee Well,
Ms Deb
