Pure Magic Liquid Sunshine

Can there be any finer moment than this?

Note: I must just add that, while this really is the very first drop of honey I've tasted from my very own colony of bees, it doesn't constitute part of a "first crop". It's a very small section of a frame I've taken out of the Brood Box today, and shouldn't really be eaten in any great quantity, because it is tainted with anti-varroa Apiguard treatment. But it was simply too tempting to resist and even though other beekeepers have said they can taste the Apiguard, neither Guy nor I could taste any medicinal after-taste.

I've managed to bottle about 3 teaspoons full. But, oh my goodness, what an incredible feeling - to be tasting the harvest of your hard work - achieved together with your hard-working bees! This is a new feeling for me, and filled with intense satisfaction!

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On another note, it's been a bee-filled weekend. I spent a day volunteering yesterday on our Association's "Bee Taster Day", introducing 20 visitors to the very first joys of beekeeping. Typically, it was only I who got stung on the face :( although luckily not too badly. I also had the pleasure of meeting a fellow South African.

Then today, Guy and I spent a long, lovely afternoon in the sun, in the garden, building our second hive.

After that, it was a truly stressful interaction with my bees as I had to open the hive, take off the super and move all the frames, one by one, from the old brood box to the new. I found this incredibly stressful, only because it stressed the bees out so dreadfully.

For hours afterwards, groups of bees huddled in clusters outside the hive, and in the entrance way. Dozens crawled across the ground; the few bees that actually managed some flights straggled their way in and out of the hive. It was all most distressing and I really do wonder if it was so important to remove the old brood box and disinfect it against disease and invaders.

The disinfecting was, I must surreptitiously admit, the fun bit. I got to use my blowtorch to blacken and scorch the wood. Once scorched, I used sandpaper to sand it all down, and it ended up looking beautifully aged and browned; quite a lovely effect that brought out all the gorgeous red cedar wood grain. I would love to have all the furniture in my dream house finished to look like that!

Afterwards, I spent hours rearranging all my Bee Storage in the Shed. I seem to have tons of stuff now - extra roof, extra crownboards, boxes filled with empty glass jars for the upcoming honey harvest, bags filled with empty egg boxes for the smoker, bags and bags of bee suits, wellies, gloves, tools, nail boxes, all sorts of things. This time, it's all of Guy's car stuff and tool stuff and wood stuff shrinking further and further into the corners :-D

For once, I think it's me winning The Shed Wars!