It’s already past the middle of October 2012! We’ve had a few light frosts, the fall color is still at its peak, and the goldenrod bloom is long gone. The only wild food source left for the bees is asters, and they’re starting to fade. It is warm and sunny today and the bees are very active, taking advantage of the quickly-fading aster blooms.

I just finished the fall hive-check. Most of the hives look good, and had brought in enough fall nectar to fill a substantial amount of the combs that had been full of brood before. This is normal for winter preparation. Thankfully all the hives from which I harvested honey have plenty of honey left for winter. They also have good levels of stored pollen. A few of them appear to have quit raising brood already, but still have some capped brood hatching. I was surprised how many still had a few drones going in and out of the entrance. I have noticed that this is usually only true of the hives that have more than enough winter supplies.

We still have plenty of honey to sell! Contact me if you need any at [email protected]