Spotted Knapweed ( click to enlarge)
I went and looked at my hives. Several of my hives needed more supers. It is important to stay ahead of the bees.
Bees have a hoarding instinct, the more space they have to fill, the harder they try too fill it.
When I go to pull the honey off the colonies, and I see the top super is packed solid, I know I didn't have enough supers on. That hive would have produced more honey and I didn't give them the room.
It is good to remember when drawing foundation, put the foundation directly above the brood nest. Move the full or mostly drawn supers up.
I see white sweet clover starting to wane. Alfalfa should be blooming again shortly.
Spotted Knapweed is starting to flower in the Stillwater area. Spotted Knapweed produces a very smooth honey that has a buttery flavor. Very good and worth the trouble of trying to extract separately.
The last rain gave us 6/10" of rain in the Stillwater area according to Jerry Linser. This should help keep the nectar flow going.
I am not worried that is on the dry side. It has been my experience that we get more honey when it is a little on the dry side.
