Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Today is a special milestone for me. We’re inspecting and harvesting from the very first hive I ever owned—the one that started it all. This colony was rescued from a removal in Kyalami, and it’s the hive I’ve learned the most from.

The Queen Excluder Experiment

Interestingly, this is the only hive in my apiary where I am still using a queen excluder.

• The Theory: I wanted to see if restricting the queen to the bottom brood box would result in cleaner honey supers.
• The Shift: After talking to experts and seeing the results in my other production hives, I’ve decided to move away from excluders. They can often act as a barrier that discourages bees from moving up into the supers. However, in this specific hive today, the bees seemed to have navigated it just fine!

The Golden Harvest

Lifting the lid, we found exactly what every beekeeper dreams of: a nice, full frame of capped honey.

• The Sight: The wax was a beautiful, bright yellow, and the frames were heavy with liquid gold.
• Sustainability: Even though the box was full, I decided not to take everything. I left four frames of honey behind to ensure the colony has plenty of resources to keep themselves fed and healthy.

Lessons Learned: The Foundation Swap

Even years into beekeeping, there is always room to improve. I realized today that I made a small tactical error when replacing the frames I harvested.

• The Mistake: I put the new foundation frames on the outside of the box.
• The Pro-Tip: These empty foundation frames should actually be placed in the middle of the box. When they are in the center, the bees draw out the wax much faster, and it gives the queen immediate, prime space to expand her laying area.

The Verdict: Thriving After All These Years

It’s incredibly rewarding to see my first-ever rescue colony still thriving and producing. They’ve come a long way from that Kyalami roof!

Do you remember your first harvest, or are you still waiting for that first full frame of honey? Tell us your stories in the comments. Don’t forget to Subscribe and hit the Like button to support our bee conservation journey.