September: winds of change

That familiar warm autumnal breeze has started to blow. I notice when I take Mabel (our little doggy) for a walk to the park. The pretty lavender bushes are losing their vivid 'purpleness'. Soon there will be no bees for a while.

In September, I usually try to cling on to summer, squeezing in the final BBQs, wearing shorts for as long as I can. But I also love this time of year for the colours it brings and planning for the excitement of ‘Honey Season’ ahead. But more about that in next month's update.

What have we been up to?

Many of you will know that we have a long standing relationship with the beekeepers at Manchester and Salford Cathedrals. They are one of many beekeepers that supply honey for our products, but being in such close proximity to Just Bee HQ, we are very fond of them.

I asked Cath, their head beekeeper, if I could go out and do a hive inspection with her. Cath has been keeping bees for years, so I knew I’d learn a thing or two! She told me to meet her at Salford Cathedral on 3rd August at 1pm.

I arrived slightly early and admired the beautiful grade 2 listed building. It was a hot day, and I knew pulling on the thick beekeeping suits was going to be toasty! Before we went out, Cath and her assistant Jenny gave me a bit of an update. She explained that the heatwave had played havoc with the bees. You might expect that bees like the sun, they do – but when it gets too hot, they struggle because they can get dehydrated if they can’t find water sources. Also, the flowers and plants in the UK are not used to these temperatures, so a lot of them were scorched meaning was less nectar (food) for the bees to collect. What happens then? Well, the bees instinctively go into the hive and eat their honey stores, reducing the amount we can take at harvesting time! She also told me about a new set of hives she is installing on top of a hotel in central Manchester – they plan to serve the honey with breakfast!?

After a cold drink, we pulled on our hoods and went out to the hives. This was a routine summer inspection, so the main things we were looking for were queens laying eggs, how much honey in the Supers and ensuring the bees generally seemed happy and healthy. All 6 hives were doing well. We also noticed that many of the bees were returning to the hives covered in white pollen, which is from Himalayan Balsam at this time of year. It’s almost like they have been dusted with a coating of icing sugar!

Fast forward 3 weeks and I received an email from Cath to tell me she and her team had been out to harvest the honey and that Just Bee’s portion is ready for collection! I CAN’T WAIT to taste it! The rest of their honey is sold in the Cathedral gift shops under the brand ‘Heavenly Honey’. Do pick up a jar if you visit!?