A couple of weeks ago, I alluded to Alex’s seemingly stymied hope of harvesting our first batch of honey any time soon. Well…that was in relation to the Warre hive and to be honest, I was quite content with the section of comb he’d so excitedly presented me with.  It’s sitting proudly in a container on the kitchen bench and just a very few lucky visitors have had the opportunity to plunge a teaspoon in (once) for a taste! 

So when he wandered into the kitchen late last week, carrying a capped frame from the Langstroth hive, all other activity came to a grinding halt….after all, here was our first ever frame of honeycomb!  

And so it was, that over the next couple of days, the mystery (to me) of harvesting on a small scale was gradually de-bunked. First, Alex told me the circle so clearly visible here, will be where the brood was, and you can also see quite plainly, where the comb has been sealed or ‘capped’.  We can see exactly what those busy bees have been about these last months, literally building a hive of activity!

We placed the frame into a very large stainless steel bowl and Alex took to it, very carefully with a large, sharp knife.  First around the edge….

and then into manageable sections. It was then, the deep golden honey began to ooze and dribble where he cut; and as he did so, a deeply rich, floral, honey aroma swamped the entire kitchen. 

Slowly, the thick chunks tumbled into the bowl, revealing a dense, dark-amber internal wall.

Segments of heavy, pliable comb, layer upon layer, glowing with liquid gold.

And I don’t much like my photos of what happened next: the weather changed and I lost the light, so you’ll just have to wait to see a visual example ’til we harvest the next frame! But I can tell you we double-strained the comb overnight; poured the resulting syrup into jars, then put the empty comb outside (where it attracted hundreds of bees who cleaned up any honey residue from our straining process, which left the remnant wax near-bleached). For a candle perhaps? I’ll save that thought process for another day!

But just one more thing….I made an experimental batch of honeycomb ice cream using the comb from the Warre hive and….well….OMG….enough said…!  I wonder which lucky visitors will be on the receiving end of that experiment?!!