What started as an experiment in beekeeping has quickly grown into a small family apiary. Over the past four months, we established our first colony in our painted handprint hive and later added a second colony after capturing a local swarm. Both colonies have grown into two deep brood boxes, drawing out frame after frame of new comb. Along the way, we’ve learned how to feed growing colonies, inspect frames, use a smoker, recognize brood and honey stores, manage hot-weather bearding, deal with ants, and expand the hives as the colonies grew. During some of the hottest days of the Virginia summer, we even added removable umbrellas to provide afternoon shade while still allowing the hives to receive morning sun.
Perhaps the biggest surprise has been how quickly the bees have progressed. Our original painted hive has become particularly strong, while the swarm colony has steadily caught up. Both now have queen excluders and honey supers, and the bees have been busy drawing fresh wax and storing honey above their brood chambers. We began the season expecting that our first year would simply be about establishing two healthy colonies and preparing them for winter, but we may actually end up with our first small honey harvest. With approximately 18 honey-super frames now in various stages of being filled, our first jars of Helen’s Honey may arrive sooner than we ever expected. More importantly, these first four months have given us an incredible opportunity to learn about honey bees, involve the family, make a few mistakes, and watch two colonies grow from their beginnings into thriving hives.