August Update
Sunday April 1st 2012It feels like summer still unless you’re up every morning around 4:45 like me, it’s cold…..it barely has teeth but there are teeth nonetheless. I’m more and more grateful for the afternoons like this when the mercury hits mid 80’s and the bees hit a high just as high, ecstatic to be racing around in the slight salt breeze that hovers just above the yard. I love watching them race into the blue, nothing can stop a bee that is set upon her mission, nothing. We haven’t had much of a summer and the cold mornings have this beekeeper longing for ski season, but torn for his honeybees too who need to stave winter off as long as possible. The irony of the guy who snowboards 60 days a year and owns a bee business is not lost on me…
Its been awhile since I’ve updated the daybook here so here goes, a list of all the things going on in the world of Shipwreck Honey, compiled from two Moleskines and one field notes backup notebook. I don’t leave the house without being armed to the teeth with fine-point Sharpies and a trusty Moleskine.
- Harvest time came for Salish Lodge last week; I milled and cleaned 30lbs of a magnificent honey whose citrus finish caught me completely off guard. Honey blooms with age so I am certain the flavors have more maturation but such remarkable stuff so early is very exciting. Taking this much honey out of a first year hive so early in the honey season is testament to the success of the program, there is more to come and the bees have their share as well, leaving me one happy beekeeper.
- I’ve had two interesting hives @ Alki this summer, one has a zealous Queen but is paired with lazy, indifferent bees who won’t draw more comb than they feel is neccessary, the other has really productive bees but were ruled by a substandard Queen who disappeared sometime mid July. My idea behind beekeeping is simple: let the bees be bees. The less I intrude and interfere, the less stressed my girls are and the more successful the hive is. I’ve been watching each hive closely all month and decided to join them into one, last week. The queenless hive had built a couple of queen cells with a frame of brood donated from another hive in the apiary but I suspect she swarmed so I took control and made one big superhive. I’m excited to see how they are faring, will know more after tomorrows hive check.
- Had a swarm at Salish this week but it was very small and didn’t affect much in the Hive, The new Queen will do a good job in her new kingdom and the old Queen will have to hurry up and make hay before the weather turns. It was such a cool summer that swarm season came late and now the bees that leave have a massive task on their hands bringing their new winter homes and stores up to par. I hoped to catch the swarm before they went far afield but I arrived a day late and a dollar short, I liked the Queen in that hive and I hope she makes it.
- Our 2012 campaign is launching robustly! We have our awesome new brochure built and have already had requests from local outfits who want it in their stores for the customers to access. It’s going to print this week, customized to fit each countertop it will grace, each with a personal message from me extolling of course the virtues of honeybees. I’m excited to see the public feedback, I tested it on what I consider a hardcore audience and it passed with flying colors. If you want one mailed to you, email your address to us @ daniel@shipwreckhoney.com and we will ship one out. Next up is our merchandise line: shirts and jackets. Full plate here isn’t it?!
- Also in the quiver for 2012: we are sampling new colors for our custom beehives. Development began today with two new colors: Slate and Redwood. I’m not sold entirely yet on the outcomes but it takes only a second to know they are just as nice as the original models. I will post pictures and play around on facebook this week with polls and so forth. It might be a nice touch to let the clients choose their hive color, if I can find anything good enough that is.
- Harvest is right around the corner again for many hives in the Shipwreck Family. We were humbled by the massive amount of requests we received to purchase the Salish Honey last week but we would be remiss not to mention formally that is available exclusively @ Salish Lodge and Spa. As they announce their various menus I will advise everyone here and on Facebook, in the meantime, we wait. The honey is unbelievable, it’s magnificently spun gold and certainly like nothing I have had before it. Head up to Salish for brunch as soon as they announce you can and when you do, ask for it by name.
- I gave an Apiary tour this week to the fine folks at Seattle Met magazine, more details on that interview later.
So that’s it, as they say in NY: all the news fit to print.
Thanks for reading,
Daniel
Comments
TIEPE - Tuesday, January 31, 2012 @ 4:21 AM
hi!!!
Tike - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 @ 5:33 PM
Hey, kliler job on that one you guys!
Brysen - Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 5:16 PM
Life is short, and this ariltce saved valuable time on this Earth.
Bubba - Friday, October 14, 2011 @ 8:49 PM
Wow, that's a really cevelr way of thinking about it!
Lina - Thursday, October 13, 2011 @ 6:07 PM
Clear, informative, smilpe. Could I send you some e-hugs?