I've been harvesting honey for the past couple of weeks and I have been very impressed with what I have seen.

My bees have been working hard this year, easily putting up more than all of last year. I had some lovely light honey and a nice dark honey, sometimes mixed in the comb.

Everywhere I have gone lately I have carried a few jars with me, handing them out everywhere from banks to local stores.

Beekeeping isn't exactly a profitable business for me. In fact, some years I lose more than I make. That's not a business at all. But the benefits of being able to have fresh honey with the pollens from my area far outway my investment of time and money.

As soon as I took the super off the hive and brushed away the bees, I moved the frames one at a time into a new waiting box that I could carry into the house. I traveled a little further away to encourage the few bees that were following me to return home. The hive was so heavy I was sweating profusely with the exertion. Of course, having on a sweatshirt and a T shirt, long gloves and heavy work pants on a sunny day might have added to my overheating problem.

I double checked each frame for bees before going inside. I didn't want any angry intruders finding their way into my kitchen.

The honey combs were thick and full of sweet nectar, some had even been joined together by the bees and were full to overflowing.

After the damp and dismal honey crop last year, this year's bounty seemed even more awesome to behold.

After cutting a few pieces of comb, I decided to eat a piece of the light and dark comb. Both were remarkably different and still both were very tasty.

After cutting and extracting honey for several hours, none of it looked good to me. Getting the honey from hive to jar is one of my least favorite parts. It usually ends up all over me and most of the kitchen. I had a fellow tell me once, "The next time you get into one of your hives, dip me out a jar of honey.” Obviously, he thought the Winnie The Pooh honey trees were real and you just dip your honey pot in whenever it runs empty. Wouldn't it be nice?

Upon surveying my prospects for the rest of the year, it looks like I will have another big box of comb honey to take off my hive soon and possibly one or two more as the year goes on. That being the case, I can only wonder how well the really large beekeepers are doing. They most likely have hundreds of gallons of honey in reserve. After last year's dismal crop, it would appear the cycle is tending toward feast or famine.

As for my remaining honey super, the bees were working hard to fill it up when I checked in on them last. I still have one hive that I need to get moved to my new house, but I'll figure that one out later.

On last check, I still have plenty of honey to find a home for. As soon as I take it all off the hive, I know I have a good supply of clover honey to keep around the house. That's one of my favorites. I like to have a variety to choose from, especially since I have the luxury of holding out a little each time I work some up.

The spring honey went quickly this time. Much of it had a nice light color, which possibly came from locust, clover and wildflowers. When people ask me, I always strive hard to tell the truth. "I just turn the bees loose and then take out whatever they've gathered. I don't follow them around to see what they're eating on.”

While beekeepers do have a good idea of what's in bloom at any given time, we don't really have a definite picture of what is included in our jar of honey. Some of my frames included brown honey, nearly clear honey and nearly black honey all in the same area.

I also found some pollen interspersed with the honey. I always try to eat that part of the comb, since I've heard that it contains things that can't be found anywhere else.

Honey is antiseptic and contains antibiotic qualities, also. But the main thing is that it tastes really good on a hot buscuit.

I've also found that it works well in baking, over pancakes and waffles and in a nice cup of herbal tea in the evening. Never underestimate the soothing qualities of a nice chamomile tea or the briskness of fresh mint leaves from the herb garden. With the added joys of fresh fruits and vegetables, it is easy to see why summer and early fall have been times of celebration since the days of old.

Get more tongue in cheek commentary this week's issue of the Alleghany News!

Email: allnews@ls.net