We harvested the bee’s honey in late August.  See us in harvesting mode. We tightened our bee suits to prepare for a battalion of  bees that focused their fight on us. Zippers, Velcro, duct tape, and we were ready.  We once again valued our smoker because the smoke seems to placate the bees or confuse the bees or contain the majority to their home/the hive as we lifted off their hard-earned store of honey. 

September is dedicated to feeding the bees a solution of honey and sugar so that they can replace the food that we stole from them.  We also medicate for varroa mites, the scourge of the beekeeping world.

The worker bees fly every day if the temperature is above 50 Degrees F. so they continue the search for nectar and pollen and water. 

What do our bees do in August?  They search the acres surrounding the hive for late blooming flowers, and I see the tiny bags on their back legs stuffed with golden pollen and also a red pollen. Their stock of honey is safely (so they think) in their hive. 

When we suit up and prepare to lift the honey from each of our hives, the bees react as one would expect – in a fury. I cannot describe the experience of being the focal point of Sixty thousand (60,00) furious bees. In seconds of time they recognize us as thieves invading their hive and stealing their hard-earned honey, and the guard bees react by emitting  pheromones that express to all the sisters to come forth and fight for their food.  They follow as directed, and a storm of angry bees descends on us beekeepers so we hurry and either blow the bees off the frames or brush them off the frames with a soft brush or a combination of both methods.  

Another method requires applying a stinky and strong chemical to a fume board.  When the fumes  permeate the hive the bees descend to their entrance and leave the hive. None of these methods deter the wrath of the bees. Efficiency and courage are required at this time.

What are our bees doing in August? Buzz Savories’ bees are methodically gathering nectar and storing this precious fluid in the beeswax cells they made for this purpose. 

This productive behavior is stimulated by the “honey flow” meaning forage plants are in bloom and our weather has been pleasant for bee activity.

Except for some rainy days, Buzz Savories bees are diligently collecting nectar and pollen.  Both are stored in the hive. The bees make and store honey in the supers (smaller boxes that the beekeeper places on top of the large boxes called deeps. The honey is stored for use in the cold months, and the pollen is stored in the deeps among the brood cells. Pollen serves as a source of protein for the bees.    

What flowers do bees prefer?  Every beekeeper I know says, “Clover.”  Bees will pass over alfalfa and other flowers to get to a field of clover.

Fields of clover are few and far between these years. The clover has been rooted out and replaced with alfalfa. Bees make do with alfalfa. They also find wild mint, blazing star, sage, coneflower, hyssop, vetch, sunflowers, soy beans, bee balm, milkweeds, and flowering fruit trees.

When these plants and more are accessible, the honey flow may last for many weeks, and the beekeeper feels happy to see a thin film of white wax topping the cells of nectar. This indicates the nectar has turned into honey and is the proper consistency for long term storage in the hive. Beekeepers leave 50 lbs. for the bees to live on through the winter. The excess is lifted off the hive in late August and extracted for the honey that the beekeeper packages and markets and eats.

See how my 14’ by 12’ patch of prairie pollinators is growing  in my front yard in Holdrege, Nebraska.    They grow with profusion and delight and exuberance.  Standing in their company, I feel the energy that surrounds these healthy plants, and I walk away feeling refreshed and happy.  My small patch supports Big Blue Stem grass, Coreopsis, Cone flower, Black-eyed Susan, Blazing Star, Milkweed, Catmint, Golden rod, Yarrow, Larkspur,, Wild Bergamot, Spiderwort, New England Aster, and friends – red clover and dandelions.

Monarch butterflies need our help! Their populations are shrinking. Biologists point to shrinking butterfly habitat. Monarchs require a specific host plant in order for them to complete their life cycle. What is this significant plant? Milkweed. Milkweed serves a critical role in the monarch’s life cycle.

Nebraska’s iconic plant, the Yucca is blooming in the Nebraska prairie where the handsome, fearsome yucca lives long and with distinction.  Roots 20 feet down in the earth and sword-like leaves with a waxy finish protect the yucca during long periods of drought.  

For the people who travel-to and walk-in natural places and spaces in Rural Nebraska, they may witness nature unfolding.  I want to share a nature event that my sister and I experienced in late March 2023.  See the poem below and photo by Don Brockmeier, a nature photographer from Eustis, Nebraska.  Look up Don Brockmeier on Instagram for more images of nature unfolding.

I read recently that there is a definite trend away from buying “things” as gifts and instead buying the recipient experiences. So instead of unwrapping another bathrobe or scarf or box of chocolates, the lucky receiver gets tickets for a play or a boat ride or a concert. That way, long after the scarf and bathrobe have gone to the Good Will and the chocolates have settled onto the hips, the memory of the experience you gave them will warm the heart into old age and beyond.

So, here’s an idea we had for Mother’s Day. It’s May, and Mother’s Day Sunday or one of the days close to it is likely to be a nice one. Why not prepare a Buzz Savories Picnic for mom? 

Choose a memorable or meaningful location, then start with a little appetizer like our simple Ham and Cheese Feuilleté with a glass of wine. Now it’s time to bring out our Savory Ham Salad sandwiches, and a side dish of Potato Salad My Way (above) or perhaps our interesting take on Memphis Mustard Coleslaw. To finish it off, perhaps some Homemade Honey Buns made with Buzz Savories Artisanal Honey. Each dish offers a taste experience to take mom out of the mundane and into a new world of flavor.

And here’s how to make it an over-the-top experience. After the meal, bring out your real gift of a Buzz Savories Gift Set. They’re on sale now for Mother’s Day and you can choose one of ours or mix and match our products to make one of your own.

Make mom a Buzz Savories Picnic and give her an experience she may never forget.