Dark Days On The Way To Spring 🌱
Christmas is now days away, not weeks. You can almost sense the panic setting in with those who are behind in their shopping. (… not to mention the serial procrastinators!) Our last day of business is Friday the 22nd, with off site pickups on the 23rd. We generally close over the holidays every year until Tuesday January 2nd.
Make sure you’re stocked up on your favorites to get you into the New Year!
Placing an order at noon on Friday will net you a big sack of disappointment so please plan ahead? Hand packaged hand-crafted artisan honey is not cranked out like flap-jacks, and there is something that happens to a Christmas shopper in panic mode that skews their rational perspective. We are at your service, but, please, ya gotta please give us a fighting chance to do so! Lol
Solstice will be occurring on the 21st (find our article explaining why oh why this is happening to us by clicking here). This is when the day is equally split between night and day, and it’s a significant event for a lot of faiths and cultures around the globe.
Interesting enough it’s also a pretty big deal for bees as well. We have mentioned before that bees are very well tuned to the sun. It is a baseline for their sense of direction, they factor it into the waggle dance to communicate and forage resources, and they are very well aware of the shortening daylight hours in the fall that foreshadows (potentially very dangerous) winter.
After the solstice, the days become incrementally longer. The bees sense this, and it heralds the promise of spring. The Queens laying of eggs will very slowly and gradually increase with the lengthening of the days. Solstice for bees and beekeepers is the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. Although winter still holds the field and so much can go very wrong, on the 21st of December the tide will turn. The promise of spring and natures bounty unlock the behavior of preparation, to ensure the survival of the colony.
Happy Holidays, everyone. I’ll be eating my weight in baking and turkey and making sure the crew get a much needed break. A great big thank you to Faryn, Darlene, Tony, Sandy, and Kathleen for making honey miracles happen all month long. You guys are awesome!