When I first got the bees, I looked out to the backyard where the bees were buzzing away happily and wondered to myself, "what have I done." My next thought was that my husband was right - buying a tens of thousands of bees and putting them in the back yard was a bad idea. But as I worked with them, I began to realize how fantastic it was to have them. Today they have become My Girls, The Ladies, and My Darlings.

So anyway, time came and went and before I knew it it was time for the first harvest. (See the picture tot he left.) I was surprised to get a whopping total of 45 pounds of honey. I think I could have gotten even more, but I left a whole other super on the hive to overwinter the bees.

Plans for this year include splitting the hive. In my next post, I will give you the details, but for now I can tell you it may be a little dicey.