1500 K Street August Hive Update

From Beekeeper James

The honeybees on the rooftop of 1500 K Street continued to impress in August, even as a drier spell swept in over the region. The forager bees from the hive were still able to find a bounty of pollen and nectar--flying between one to three miles to find food. Of course they also landed on flowering plants just steps away in the garden too--pollinating cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. Thanks to their tireless work, there are bags full of produce and happy tenants at your weekly harvest tables!

Also in August, your bees received their organic pest control treatments that should tide them over until the fall. These controls keep the honeybee’s major pest, the varroa mite, at manageable levels, allowing them to focus on building their honey reserves and tending to their young. Left unchecked, this invasive pest is one of the leading contributors to honey bee colony declines around the world.

Honey Update!

You may be wondering when we are planning to harvest the honey that your bees have been collecting and storing since May. The bees at 1500 K Street need a full season to collect and store as much honey as possible in order to ensure their survival through the winter. As part of our sustainable beekeeping protocols we practice, we will not be harvesting honey off of your first-year hive. Instead, we will be distributing jars of honey from a local apiary for you to enjoy.

Keep an eye out for updates about that in the coming months!