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Honey produced in Phoenixville, PA by Jaarsma Apiaries

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Recent Posts

  • 2022 Class Photo – Year to Date
  • Pollinator Week 2022
  • Spring 2022
  • Summer State of The Hives
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Bee working on some (I think) hyssop this afternoo Bee working on some (I think) hyssop this afternoon. This is definitely a big favorite for bees. Native and deer resistant, this is a great plant to add for pollinators!
It's no joke that the bees get more defensive this It's no joke that the bees get more defensive this time of year, but we still have to check on them to monitor their health during a critical time of the season to make sure they're healthy before winter. The eggs being laid now will be the bees that last us through February and March, so as much as they may not enjoy my presence right now, it's for their own good! . Love to see frames like this with brood in the center, a gorgeous arc of pollen, and honey up in the corners. Looking good there bees, keep up the hard work!
A honey bee working on some sedum at @rpcommunityg A honey bee working on some sedum at @rpcommunitygarden this afternoon. What an absolutely beautiful day to take a minute and watch the bees work. #beekeeping #honeybees #sedum #honeybee
One Local Cheese Board 🧀🍯🥖🍇 . A rainy One Local Cheese Board 🧀🍯🥖🍇 . A rainy Sunday afternoon calls for digging through the fridge to put together a delicious cheese board, all local, even down to the board itself! For cheese, I like to pair stronger cheeses with a stronger fall honey. Bries and blues play so nicely with the malt and molasses notes in the darker, late summer honey, and the roasted cherry tomatoes were aces with the honey too (I may or may not have used them to scoop up the remaining honey out of the bowl 😇). . I LOVE the challenge of trying to keep it all local, but it's SO easy with the abundance of amazing locally made and grown food at your favorite farmers market. What's on your cheese board? . @birchrunhills - Tomme Molé @amazingacres - Goat Brie @locusthollowsheepfarm - Feta @nstarorchard - grapes and apples @tbwoodshop - cheese board @greenlionbreads - baguette @tineandtoilfarm - cherry tomatoes @phoenixvillehoney - honey And the beer is a collab between @deercreekmalt and @322taproom_suburbanbrewingco to celebrate the @goodfarmsgoodfood festival coming up in November! . #eatlocal #cheeseboard #localfood #growingrootsfarmersmarkets
One of our queens with last year's red mark still One of our queens with last year's red mark still barely clinging on. She may be my favorite queen - her daughter bees are both productive and docile which isn't always a common combination! Usually bees that are super docile tend not to be as productive as the more feisty bees, but these bees are just the best. . As contrast, my feisty hive at the same location managed to pop me one real good through the gloves today where this hive, I barely even touched the smoker. #beekeeping #queenbee
September market schedule is ready! . Got lots of September market schedule is ready! . Got lots of darker honey coming in and it's 100% my favorite type of honey. That darker, richer, molasses and malty flavor is incredible on a cheese board or in coffee or just by the delicious spoonful. Also a big fan of making simple syrup out of that dark honey and treating myself to an Old Fashioned after a long day.
I joke sometimes that beekeeping is like weightlif I joke sometimes that beekeeping is like weightlifting while reading Shakespeare, but it especially feels that way in August! I use boxes with only 8 frames, but when full of honey, those deep boxes can easily weigh over 60 lbs, and while lifting those boxes, I'm being conscious of where the bees are, what their mood is, on alert for the "alarm" pheromone or anything that might look out of place. Once the hive is open, an inspection involves looking at the overall health of the hive - is the queen present, did we see her or did we see bee eggs to at least confirm she's around? Are there signs of disease or pests (varroa, foulbrood, dysentery, hive beetles, wax moths, etc)? Does the population feel large enough to support continued hive health? Is the queen laying in a reliable and even pattern? Is there honey to take? Are they backfilling the brood nest and need more space? . It's an awful lot going on at once, all while bees are buzzing around your head, and especially this time of year, dive-bombing the veil. It's balancing being careful and quick, but also thorough and efficient, all for the sake of the health of the bees. I wouldn't trade this for anything else! 🐝💛 . 📷 by @laur.ariel . #beekeeping #beekeeper #phoenixville
✨ That evening market magic ✨ . Last night's C ✨ That evening market magic ✨ . Last night's Craft & Mercantile market in Kimberton was beyond incredible. From the band to the weather, food and drink, my fellow vendors, and everyone who stopped out to shop, ask bee questions, or say hello, it was all just perfect. I'm so overwhelmed by the support for small, local businesses, and you've all made my heart so full. 🐝💛 . Many, many thanks to our host, @kimbertonwholefoods and @kimbertongardenandgifts who provided a beautiful space, and to everyone at @craftandmercantile for bringing us together as a community. . Can't wait to do this again in October at Eagleview!
NEW for Friday's @craftandmercantile market in Kim NEW for Friday's @craftandmercantile market in Kimberton, a cute vintage postcard style tea towel with a little twist on our logo. These are hand dyed and printed by yours truly, beekeeper and occasionally an artist too. It's definitely great to bee in Phoenixville! Stop out to see us and all of the great vendors, have dinner and a drink, and enjoy some great music too. Can't wait to see you all! (Oh, and my one set of hives is literally across the street so honey doesn't get more local than that!) . Market is 5-8 pm on Friday in Kimberton, right across from @kimbertonwholefoods and next to @kimbertongardenandgifts. Check out @craftandmercantile for all the details on the vendors, parking, food, drink, and entertainment. . #phoenixville #phoenixvillehoney #kimberton #phoenixvillepa
Queen spotting answer from yesterday including a c Queen spotting answer from yesterday including a closeup of that beautiful gal.
Queen spotting time! Drop me a 🐝 if you see he Queen spotting time! Drop me a 🐝 if you see her! Remember, queen bees are longer than workers and have a large black spot on their backs. . Usually, all my queens are marked with a colored ink dot on their backs that lets me know what year they became regent. This time of year, failing, old, or poorly mated queens are replaced. We have a slower (or complete lack of) nectar flow and it's a good time for the hive to reset and raise a new queen who will get the hive ready for winter. This hive produced a really gorgeous replacement, and I remembered to take a photo before I marked her! #beekeeping #queenspotting
Freshly uncapped frame of honey, ready for extract Freshly uncapped frame of honey, ready for extraction. This one was from mid June, and our frames now are MUCH darker than this delightfully light honey. We're in the middle of the summer dearth now, though it's not a true and complete stop in nectar flow, just a slowdown this year. I still have hives filling supers, albeit not nearly at the rate they do throughout June!
August market dates! Really excited for the @craf August market dates! Really excited for the @craftandmercantile event on the 19th, and I'm working on a few new things, so definitely put that one on your calendar!
It can be a bit cumbersome in the summer heat, but It can be a bit cumbersome in the summer heat, but a bee suit and gloves are essential PPE for beekeeping after June. I wouldn't dare open a hive this time of year without them! . In July and August, the nectar flow typically slows down due to heat and a lack of rain. All our big tree bloom periods are done, and while there are a few moderate sources of nectar, it's nothing like the fire hose of nectar flow that happens in May and June. Getting stung isn't fun, and bees die when they sting, so I suit up for both my and their safety! We still have to run routine inspections to ensure the health of the hives, so the safest way to do that is with proper protective equipment and a well-lit smoker. . 📷 by @laur.ariel
Pollinators enjoying the flowers at the @rpcommuni Pollinators enjoying the flowers at the @rpcommunitygarden yesterday! First up is a bumblebee on a coneflower, then a skipper butterfly, a sweat bee, and a honey bee all enjoying a patch of mint gone to flower. #phoenixville #pollinators #bumblebee #honeybees
Spotted Lanternflies are definitely bad insects. Spotted Lanternflies are definitely bad insects. They rain down a sticky waste substance called honeydew which can lead to mold growth on plants under infested trees. Spotted lanternfly waste is basically sugar water, so bees are more than happy to collect it and turn it into honey. Okay, that sounds pretty gross, but it's perfectly safe, and "honeydew" honey has been consumed by humans for hundreds if not thousands of years. The flavor has been described as dark, oak-y, molasses-y, and smoky, and is pretty unique. It also usually starts to come in during a time period when the usual sources of nectar dry up, so most beekeepers don't mind the stuff, although the lanternflies undoubtedly do more damage than good overall. Don't worry, after filming, we stomped and swatted those lanternflies. See one, smash one! #spottedlanternfly #spottedlanternflies #beekeeping
The 2022 class photo, year to date. I still expec The 2022 class photo, year to date. I still expect some more coming off the hives for the next 2 months or so, but the pace has definitely slowed down with the hot and dry weather. Still, look at what we've done so far! The batches are top to bottom, left to right, Batch A through N. The bottom row was all collected and extracted only in the last 2 weeks and what a dramatic shift in color and flavor! . Each batch is between 40-60 lbs from a single week at a single apiary location. We keep the locations and weeks separate so you can really taste the subtle changes as different plants and trees bloom throughout the season. Our hives are never moved for pollination services, so these are technically all wildflower honeys, but I have a pretty good idea what the biggest floral source of each batch is based on the time it was collected. There's a full guide on our website under "Honey Guide" - link in profile! . #phoenixville #phoenixvillehoney #honey #beekeeping
Fresh frames of honey from today. . I realized the Fresh frames of honey from today. . I realized the last photo I posted was almost a month ago already! Honey season kicked into high gear all of June and has hit a little slow down in July now with the heat and lack of rain. White clover is kind of my bellwether and as long as it's still blooming, honey should still be coming in. Thankfully, it is still blooming, and the honey is still coming in, albeit slowly, but we could definitely use a couple of good rainfalls! . July also means a pretty wild shift in temperament of the hives. With less nectar coming in, they tend to get more defensive of their hive and stored honey. So far, I haven't seen that during this week's inspections, but I know those bees are going to be getting feisty any day now. That plus the heat and wearing the bee suit means I try to get my work done at the hives as efficiently as possible! It also means I usually don't stop to take photos. . I did get to take a short trip to go see the husband who happens to be overseas for 2 years on a work assignment. We even found a local bee club's apiary in the Netherlands and I'm super jealous of their great bee shed! I'll have to pop that photo up in stories because it's such a great way to keep the hives safe from people or predators and have a covered space to work. . Hope to see you all out at a market soon!!
First frames of honey off the hives at the reservo First frames of honey off the hives at the reservoir park! Enough for a small batch, should be available for Saturday at Malvern. . These hives are quite a bit behind hives at other locations due to them being 100% in the shade. They end up with more problems too (hive beetles, varroa, etc), so hopefully we can move them into the sun a little bit for next year!
Love seeing freshly drawn wax comb filled with egg Love seeing freshly drawn wax comb filled with eggs. This queen is new this year and has just been crushing it!
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