Spring is the busy season for beekeepers and spring has definitely sprung here in Virginia.
The Red Maple and Peach are already done blooming. Wild Cherry and Pussy Willow are flowering now.
We managed to bring 4 of 6 hives through the winter in good health. They will be needing more room soon, so I'm building frames today.
The frames have a grove in them to hold a piece of artificial comb called foundation. I just use a strip of wood to guide the bees so they build the comb in the right place.
The bars in the picture above are the tops of the frame so the wood strip will hang down when it is installed in the hive. I cut out the strips on the bandsaw and left the rough surface so that it would be easy for the bees to hold onto. They hook their legs together and hang from the top bar like a chain to guide the shape of the comb.
The vertical pieces attach to the top bar with a couple of tiny nails then I nail on the bottom bar.
I'll have a stack of 100 new frames in no time.
Keep your fingers crossed for honey. We collected and sold sixty 250 gram jars last year. With any luck we might double that this year.
Check out The Homesteaders Co-op https://homesteaderscoop.com for honey when it becomes available in the summer. You can also find all kinds of sustainable handmade goods there year round. Check it out.