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The Big 2024 Buzz:
My honeybees were in the Path of Totality for the Eclipse!
I am about to bottle my Summer 2024 Eclipse Vintage honey! My hives were in the Path of Totality for the Total Eclipse of the Sun on April 8. I was a Citizen Scientist supporting NASA’s Soundscape project and conducted audio recordings of my hives before, during and after the eclipse. Did l the bees become quiet during Totality? Check out my Citizen Science page for the data.
About Applied Serendipity Raw Honey
The 2023 Fall harvest is light gold from the abundant goldenrod in my forest. Fall honey is thicker than summer honey is more liquid and more likely to crystallize. Some of my customers prefer it this way!
It should not go bad if stored properly in a sealed jar. There is even honey in Egyptian tombs! For more info on health benefits of honey and how to store it, check here.
Note that raw honey should not be given to infants under 1 year of age.
My raw honey comes straight from the hives—we remove the honeycomb, spin it out in an extractor, and strain it through a sieve. It is not heated or treated—what’s in the jar is what came directly from the hives! It’s what the bees eat. While we do strain it, you may find a tiny speck here and there that made it through the sieve. This is just tiny hive debris, nothing to worry about!
My honey is very pure; the hives are in a pristine forest environment. We’ve planted an orchard and are rewilding a large area to attract pollinators with many native plants, trees, shrubs and bushes. Honey taste is affected by weather, soil, and what’s available in the environment. My honey tastes different from my neighbor’s honey. As my friend Kim says, honey is like wine!
In the summertime, the honey is often made from basswood tree nectar; the fall nectar primarily comes from goldenrod and Japanese knotweed. For a full list of nectar sources in our region, click here.
Beekeeping
I became a beekeeper in 2019 after we bought a cabin in the woods south of Buffalo. I started with two hives and now have four in my sustainable small-scale apiary. It was Applied Serendipity that I met my honey mentor Jamie Carney, a Certified Master Beekeeper, who has been the co-pilot in my beekeeping journey.
Beekeeping is hard work, particularly in Western New York, and it’s an emotional rollercoaster getting the colonies through long Buffalo winters. From November to March, the bees stay in the hives in a cluster formation, only coming out on occasional warm days. We have to be sure to leave plenty of honey in the hives to sustain them through winter, as well as manage moisture levels and control mites—one of the main reasons for colony collapse. Beekeeping is a commitment and a responsibility and not for the faint of heart. Yet it’s very rewarding and has brought me much more in touch with the cycles of nature.
Fun Facts from the American Bee Journal:
The honey bee is the only insect that produces food eaten by man.
A honey bee can fly for up to six miles, and as fast as 15 miles per hour, hence it would have to fly around 90,000 miles -three times around the globe – to make one pound of honey.
It takes one ounce of honey to fuel a bee’s flight around the world.
Bees maintain a temperature of 92-93 degrees Fahrenheit in their central brood nest regardless of whether the outside temperature is 110 or -40 degrees.
A populous colony may contain 40,000 to 60,000 bees during the late spring or early summer.
The queen bee lives for about 2-3 years. She is the busiest in the summer months, when the hive needs to be at its maximum strength, and lays up to 2,500 eggs a day.
The queen may mate with up to 17 drones over a 1-2 day period of mating.
The queen may lay 600-800 or even 1,500 eggs each day during her 3 or 4 year lifetime. This daily egg production may equal her own weight. She is constantly fed and groomed by attendant worker bees.
Worker honey bees live for about 4 weeks in the spring or summer but up to 6 months during the winter.
The average honey bee will actually make only one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
Honey bees fly at up to 15 miles per hour
The honey bee’s wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.
A honey bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip.
Honey bees, scientifically also known as Apis Mellifera, are environmentally friendly and are vital as pollinators
Fermented honey, known as Mead, is the most ancient fermented beverage. The term “honey moon” originated with the Norse practice of consuming large quantities of Mead during the first month of a marriage.
Love for My Hive
The best honey I have ever tasted!
I love your honey!
I’ll never buy honey from the store again.
Thank your bees!
I ran out of your delicious honey… I need more for my tea!
The best honey I have ever had. Let me know when the next harvest is ready!
Applied Serendipity
Raw Honey Drizzle
Can’t wait to try this cheesecake with Applied Serendipity Raw Honey drizzle made by my brother-in-law and Chef Chris Connors. Chris opened his restaurant in Lambertville, NJ in 2001 because of its proximity to so many local farms. He’s been doing farm-to-table before it was cool—and now together we’ve done hive-to-cheesecake!
L’shana Tovah!
I am so honored that the honey from my hives was used to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Such a beautiful tradition to welcome in a sweet new year.
It is always so rewarding to hear from you how you incorporate honey into your celebrations, daily life, and as special gifts. I love hearing from you!
