Honey Harvest – Francois et Moi

The Great Labor Day Honey Harvest + 4 Easy Ways to Help the Bees!

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 18:51:39 +0000

Over Labor Day, we spent the weekend at my husband, Ken’s family farm in Manchester, Iowa harvesting honey from my father-in-law’s bee hives. Every year it’s a collective effort gathering the hive frames, using heat to open up the wax honeycomb, spinning the honey from the frames, and bottling it up. Being this close to the harvesting process, has given me such an appreciation for the honey bees. Their social hierarchy, the work they do pollinating flowers, and collecting nectar & turning it into honeycomb is just all around fascinating. And I was surprised to find over the years, that unlike wasps, the bees are actually incredibly gentle and unlikely to sting. My husband, Ken, even got a bee in his bee suit one year and wasn’t stung! Bees make it possible for us to enjoy a variety of foods as they help with the reproduction of upwards of 75% of flowering plants and crops. Unfortunately, our honey bee numbers were down this year at the farm, and it’s part of a larger trend due to a combination of stress factors including loss of habitat, parasites and diseases, and pesticide exposure. Without the bees many of our crops and flowers […]

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The Great Labor Day Honey Harvest

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:44:47 +0000

Honey bees are quite the extraordinary creatures, and we’re reminded just how extraordinary they really are each Labor Day, as we, the Francois Family, gather down in Manchester, Iowa to harvest the pure and sweet overflow honey from my beekeeping father-in-law’s 7 hives. A weekend I look forward to all summer long! After one honey harvest under my belt, check out last year’s harvest here, I felt as if I had a solid understanding of the amazing process: the bee colony teamwork, the formation of the honeycomb, and the transformation from flower nectar to honey, but I couldn’t help but find myself a little star struck again this year by the honey bee’s handy work. It’s just so cool, you guys, the way these self-sustaining, micro bee metropolises transform wildflower nectar into a healthy overflow of decadently sweet, non-perishable, all-natural honey! In case you’re not familiar with how honey bee hives operate, here’s a little on their M.O.: Each colony, which consists of about 50K-60K bees (a queen bee, 3000 male drone bees and 50K female worker bees), work together in tandem to produce honey (their food source) by gathering nectar from flowers and mixing it with enzymes in their […]

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Photo Diary: The Honey Harvest

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:54:27 +0000

We suited up in full beekeeper uniform, vaguely resembling those of astronauts. And as we approached the hives, the low grade hum of thousands of bees hard at work grew louder and more resonant with each step forward. Removing the first hive cover unveiled a rare glimpse into their world, instantly submersing us into an all out swarming buzzfest. I was nervous at first, but was quickly reassured we were safely protected by our suits and in good hands with my father-in-law (master beekeeper) by our sides, there to talk us through the collection process. Bee colonies are incredible operations. Upwords of 50,000 worker bees per hive hard at work collecting nectar from the surrounding wildflower fields, flying their findings back to home base, and miraculously transforming it into the most precise series of hexagonal cells, a waxy honeycomb framework for their sweet honey. And all the while, the queen bee is busy laying eggs for next season. The collection, extraction and bottling process of 5 hives or 15 gallons of honey was an all day event catalyzed by an electric honey extractor and the integral teamwork of 8 members of the Francois clan. What a wildly fun and educational day we had learning about bees, extracting honey, and indulging in […]

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Happy (Labor Day) Weekend!

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 12:05:23 +0000

Lately, I’ve been working on some bigger DIY projects , new marketing strategies for Francois et Moi and also trying to relish every last moment left in summer. So of course something’s got to give and thus I’ve temporarily lightened my posting schedule to three times a week and am feeling pretty darn guilty about it. I love the daily posting schedule, and will get back to it in September, but right now it’s gotten to be overwhelming especially with a full-time day job. Thanks for stickin’ with me during this growing moment for F&M! And with that note, Happy Friday and Labor Day weekend! What are your plans?! Heading to the cabin? Relaxing at home? I’m pretty excited; we’re headed to Ken’s Family Farm for their annual honey harvest. My father-in-law is a hobby bee keeper, so we’ll be extracting and bottling honey and scheming up all kinds of creative ways to use it! Herb infused honey, beeswax candles, Bit O’ Honey Candy, uffda! the possibilities are endless! Do you have a favorite recipe involving honey? Please share! Have a wonderful Holiday weekend however you plan to spend it! Photo via Kinfolk.

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