Harvest Reports

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Summer 2020

Honeybees from Monatiquot Apiary pollinate an ornamental cherry tree. (Photo by Matthew Ginn © 2020)

Honeybees took no notice while the human world was consumed by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The insects kept on living their lives. However, the weather in 2020 was not as favorable for honey production as it had been the year before. With hot weather and moderate to severe drought throughout the summer months, there was less nectar available for the bees to collect. We harvested a small batch in the summer, and none at all in the fall.

That said, while the quantity of honey was down, the quality did not suffer. Whites Hill 2020 Golden honey is rich and smooth. It tastes of orange, peach, and raisin, with a hint of cinnamon. Raw and unfiltered, this honey is a touch of liquid sunshine in a tough year.

Bees at work at Monatiquot Apiary. (Photo by Matthew Ginn © 2020)
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Fall 2019

The favorable weather in 2019 continued into the fall, with enough precipitation to enable the flowers to bloom and enough sunshine and warmth to encourage the bees to forage. By mid-September the bees had produced another full batch of honey for harvest.

A nearly-capped frame of honey from Monatiquot Apiary’s Whites Hill hive Sept. 9, 2019. (Photo by Matthew Ginn © 2019)

Thanks to a different mix of nectar sources, fall honey is darker than spring and summer honey. The Whites Hill bees produced honey with a beautiful ruby-red hue. Like the summer harvest, the bees keep the exact recipe a closely held secret, but it is dominated by Japanese knotweed (“American bamboo”), an invasive but pervasive species in the area. Other likely components include goldenrod and asters. The 2019 Ruby honey has a complex, exotic flavor, including strawberry, cherry, and raisins.

Goldenrod is a popular fall flower for honeybees. (Photo by Matthew Ginn © 2019)
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Summer 2019

After founding the apiary with a single package of bees in April 2019, the learning curve was steep. But the weather conditions were ideal and the bees quickly built out the comb in their hive and rapidly increased their number. By mid-July, they had filled and capped enough honey for a substantial harvest.

Although the bees’ nectar sources are unknown, it included apple, pear and cherry blossoms, maple and other spring-flowering trees, dandelions, and clover. The product was classic summer wildflower honey: golden in color with a moderately light flavor. It is buttery smooth, with notes of peach and orange.