Heather Honey Time

Just about the time when the Rosebay Willowherb comes into flower we take off the supers of honey -
making sure we leave plenty for each colony to feed them through the winter (approx. 40lb / hive).

Willowherb pollen is a lovely blue/grey colour. Other flowers are still productive.
However, the main summer nectarflow is over and, as the temperatures drop, the bees are preparing for winter.

Poppy pollen is a spectacular black!
 Just as the bee activity slows down
heather (ling) moors burst into that
amazing purple haze.
Heather honey is different - it is a gel
in the comb which makes it impossible
to extract in the normal way.

The taste and quality of heather honey is so memorable that QB is taking a colony to a nearby heather moor.
I have chosen Yellow colony as this has the youngest queen and the strongest brood nest.  You need a very
full and active colony as the bees need to build wax comb before they can store the heather nectar.

 These bees will need very careful treatment on their return home mid-Sept.
Yellow colony has been transferred to a National hive one week before going on
their hols. WBC is very difficult to transport - the separate parts tend to slide
about, upsetting the bees and the beekeeper.
When we arrived at our chosen spot (with prior permission from the farmer, of
course!) the special heather floor enabled me to unscrew a simple wing-nut which lowered the entrance flap.  The bees came out very warily in small numbers. They soon got their bearings and started work.

                         

This colony now has a brood box
and one super with 11 frames of thin foundation.  There is no queen excluder and QB has prepared a second super to put on when the bees have almost filled this one.
I miss them being absent from the apiary and go to visit them every few days!
More news soon QB ZZZZ