2021 Growing Season

When I began this journey, there were many things I did not know about the management and business of bees. Nine months later, I know more but there is plenty to learn.

A blinding flash of what may be obvious is that honey production is seasonal. Sure, jars of honey are always on the shelf at the store. The price does not change much over the course of the year. It does not become more or less scarce. Yet, it is a seasonal product, collected only from mid to late summer.

Some time in the fall, the queen slows and then stops egg production. In preparation for winter, the responsible beekeeper allows the bees to collect and keep their honey so they can draw upon it over the winter. 

This season in Texas began with a hard freeze, followed by dry weather. The normal spring burst of population growth was slowed, but our little queen has settled into a good pattern of egg production. While inspecting some of my photographs, I discovered what looks like little bee faces emerging from their cells. There are three in the oval, and another in the center of photo.