Seattle urban beekeeping at Seattle Urban Honey means keeping hives across 8 backyards in the north end of Seattle. This log entry marks the end of our 2010 season — the supers have come off, the bees are being fed sugar water, and the last of the honey has been extracted.
End of the 2010 Seattle Honey Season
This season was a poor one due to the rainy, wet Seattle weather. We averaged about 25 pounds of honey per hive — some hives producing much more, others having no surplus at all. Additionally, we wanted to get all supers off before ivy started to bloom, since ivy honey has an unpleasant taste and smell. We plan to expand to 3 more backyards next spring.
Linden Honey and Ivy Honey: A Tale of Two Sources
I have already learned that I love honey from linden trees. We have a lot of linden trees nearby, and linden honey has a delicate, floral character unlike anything else. In particular, linden flowers in late June and produces a distinct light, aromatic honey that became one of our signature varietals.
By contrast, I do not like ivy honey AT ALL. Ivy is blooming right now and the bees are welcome to it. The smell of ivy flowers tells you everything you need to know about the taste of ivy honey. The bees can keep those winter stores for themselves.
We loved being at the Phinney Farmers Market this season — meeting the community, educating people about bees, and sharing Seattle Urban Honey. Thank you to all of our customers and supporters. We are already looking forward to 2011.