Its all about the honey

The very cold Spring has held crops back this year, especially the oil seed rape, which plays a huge part of South Lincolnshire agriculture.  Because large patches of the fields were waterlogged over the Winter the crops have grown and matured at an uneven rate, we are in July now and some fields are still in flower and have been for weeks  This has given our bees a much longer season on the osr than any normal year, whatever constitutes a normal year these days.

With the crops maturing late, our hives were just about moving towards full strength at just about the right time.  This has all resulted in producing the best early honey crop we have had for years.
Considering the very cold extended Winter and cold Spring its a very surprising result.
On the left are a few of the fully capped supers we have been taking off over the last week.  Almost certainly all with a high percentage of osr.  But it is all in 10 litre honey buckets now, waiting for it to set.