07/27/2026
Spring extraction 2026 is over, and as you can guess by how quiet we've been, it was not good. The worst spring harvest we've ever had was 9 buckets in 2012. This year's harvest was 9.5 buckets--about 475 pounds. What exacerbates the problem is that this was the third year in a row we have had below average spring harvests.
We did not get any cherry blossom, apple blossom, honeysuckle or basswood honey. We have locust (though it's darker than usual) and clover honey.
What's causing these problems? Certainly a combination of factors. We had a decent survival rate this winter, but the hives were not particularly strong, and we had to replace several queens. The swarms we captured helped build up some of the weaker hives, but that process takes time. A cold, wet spring followed by a hot, dry summer didn't help. Seasonal variations in plants played a factor as well. For example, the picture here shows a black locust tree in full bloom. Unfortunately this year, locust trees on the lakeshore bloomed some, but locust trees on the hill didn't bloom at all. That's part of a normal cycle, but it hurt us this year. Finally, over the winter we invested in some new hives. I'll do a separate post about that, but those hives had to draw out all of their honeycomb, a process that consumes time and resources. In the long run, it should boost honey production, but for now, it cost us.
