Horrible Decision Yields Horrible Results

It's winter, it's warm, the bees are killing each other, and it's my fault. In the fall I made a critical mistake my bees are paying for now mid-way through winter. Back in October I decided to send some of my hives into winter without supplemental feeding. My theory was that, by not feeding, the colonies would avoid becoming honey bound in the spring, and therefore brood up faster. Well, those hives have become so weak (presumably from starvation) that they're being robbed by stronger colonies whenever we have flying weather. I'm trying to stave off their demise by tightening up entrances as much as possible, but they're not going to survive the winter. The decision not to feed was a failed experiment. It's clear now that ensuring a hive has ample food in January is worth dealing with a honey bound hive in May.

Rotten

Netflix recently released a series about the food supply chain, and the first episode is about honey. The episode is well-done, but it's not really about bees as the thumbnail above would suggest. Honey is the star of the show. There's little discussion about bee biology, and no mention of varroa, viruses, or barely any other diseases or pests. While it's not a source of information for people wanting to learn about honey bees, that's not all bad. There are other documentaries that cover that subject, and the story of honey is often overshadowed by the plight of the bees themselves.

The bottom line message is that China is adulterating honey and illegally shipping it to the US, where it's sold at our grocery stores under false labels. This adulteration--usually dilution with cheap syrups that are difficult to detect without sophisticated testing--is a serious concern for people who want to know what they're eating, and also undermines the economic viability of honest honey producers. The flood of fake honey from China has artificially depressed prices, to the point that most profit to be had in beekeeping is from either being crooked or by migrating to the almond bloom each year with semi-trucks full of hives.

In the end, if you're buying honey from a supermarket, you're almost certainly eating fake honey at least some of the time. The only way to be relatively sure your honey is real is to find a local beekeeper, get to know him or her, and become a customer. You'll pay more per pound than you pay at Walmart, but you'll still probably be paying below cost to that beekeeper. Plus, it'll actually be honey.

Alive

After several weeks of very cold weather, often falling below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, we had temps in the high 50s today. There were bees flying at all of my hives, so each colony has so far survived the winter. After checking the fondant, I removed the mouse guards and entrance reducers, and then gave each colony some time to clear the dead from their bottom boards. I'm relieved the hives are alive, but know it's still a few more months until spring brings them fair weather, pollen, and nectar.

Making Mead

During the beekeeping "offseason," one of the things I like to do is make a few small batches of mead. Mead, for those who don't know, is basically a wine made from honey, water, and yeast. I thought I'd post my favorite mead recipe, called "Christmastime Mead." It's flavored with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, which together make up the pumpkin spice taste that's so popular between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ingredients for 0.8 gallons of wine:
- Spring water (non-chlorinated), 1 gallon
- Honey, 4 lbs
- Cinnamon sticks, 1 oz (coarsely crushed)
- Whole nutmeg, 4 pieces (coarsely crushed)
- Whole allspice, .75 oz (coarsely crushed)
- Lemon, 1 small sliced
- Yeast nutrient, 1/4 teaspoon
- D47 wine yeast, one 5-g packet
- Earl Grey tea, 1 mug steeped in spring water and cooled to room temp (adds flavor depth and helps keep the wine from being too sweet by adding tannins for astringency.

Steps:
 
- Microwave 2 oz of spring water for 15 seconds to make it slightly warm.
- Pour yeast packet into warmed spring water, stir, and set aside while you assemble the other ingredients.
- Prepare the tea.
- Warm the honey container(s) in a water-filled pan to help it pour more easily.
- Use the cleaner and sanitizer to prepare any equipment that will come into contact with the mead.
- Add the ingredients into a 2-gallon primary fermenter.
- Mix well. This mixture is called the “must.”
- Test the specific gravity (SG) using a hydrometer. It should indicate about 14% alcohol potential. If not, add honey.
- Seal the primary fermenter and install the airlock.
- Use vodka to fill the airlock. This provides an added defense against germs entering the mead.
- Primary Fermentation:  Allow the must to sit for 2 weeks in a dark, cool location while it ferments. During the first week, gently swirl the vessel every couple days to keep ingredients in contact with each other. Proceed to first racking after 2 weeks.

 1st RACKING:
- Clean and sanitize your racking siphon and tubing.
- Microwave 2oz of water for 1 minute. Add 1/2 teaspoon of bentonite to the hot water and stir until dissolved. Let the bentonite mixture cool to room temperature, and then pour it into the empty carboy you’re about to use.
- Rack the liquid into the cleaned and sanitized 1-gallon carboy with the bentonite slurry already poured in.
- Test the specific gravity in a hydrometer. A 1.0 reading indicates most of the sugars have been converted.
- Install the airlock.
- Secondary Fermentation:  Allow the mead to sit for 3 weeks in a dark, cool location while it ferments some more.

CLARIFYING RACK:
- Clean and sanitize your racking siphon and tubing.
- Microwave 2oz of water for 1 minute. Add 1/2 teaspoon of bentonite to the hot water and stir until dissolved. Let the bentonite mixture cool to room temperature, and then pour it into the empty carboy you’re about to use.
- Rack the liquid into the cleaned and sanitized 1-gallon carboy with the bentonite slurry already poured in.
- Test the specific gravity in a hydrometer. A 1.0 reading indicates most of the sugars have been converted.
- Install the airlock.
- Allow the mead to sit in a dark, cool location until it clarifies.

BOTTLING:
- If, at this point, there are still solids settled in the bottom of the mead, rack one more time to segregate the clarified mead before bottling.
- When there’s no more noticeable fermentation taking place, prepare for bottling.
- Clean and sanitize bottles, and then run them through the dishwasher without detergent. Also do this with the funnel and any other equipment that’ll come into contact with the mead.
- Test the specific gravity in a hydrometer. A 1.0 reading indicates most of the sugars have been converted.
- Bottle and cap the mead.
- Label the bottles. Try to include the date you began the primary fermentation and the bottling date.
- Break open one of the bottles to try it out.
- Store the remaining bottles in a cool, dark place until at least a year has passed since the start date to let the flavors blend and moderate.

The end result; a bottled batch of mead

First Test of My Bee Hive Snow Visors

Hive with a snow visor

We had our first snow of the winter last week, so my homemade snow visors got their first test. The results were good, but not great. For 1-2 inches of snow, the visors were able to keep enough away from the entrance to allow free passage of bees in and out of the hive. But there was still snow on the landing board, and a couple more inches would probably block the entrance. The current configuration is effective enough to buy me some time before I need to clear the snow off the hive, but next year I'll probably mount them a bit lower or build them a bit larger. That should make a world of difference.