Can you imagine New Hampshire without its apple orchards, (or Massachusetts without 
its cranberries)? According to the National Honey Board, both apples and cranberries are 90% dependent on honeybee pollination (along with a variety of other plants).
Without the humble honeybee, New Hampshire’s apple harvest that we are currently enjoying, would be ‘toast‘ so to speak. And though the tiny insect is responsible for much of what we love to eat, they too produce a wonderful crop.
September is National Honey Month, a good time to consider the industriousness of our local honeybee population.
In The National Honey Report (yes, there really is one: National Honey Report – Vol. XXXIII – #9 Page 5; September 16, 2013) New Hampshire beekeepers are grouped under New England. The report states, in part, “August has been busy for most beekeepers as they start making decisions about winter. Most colonies are in very good condition; queen right, healthy worker populations with sufficient honey and pollen. Additionally, colonies have begun early winterizing with propolis and organizing their winter stores. It is still too early to assess the overall crop for the season as golden rod; knotweed and loosestrife are still blooming….reportedly most honey producers have been finding surplus honey, typically seeing 30- 40 pounds in supers and are calling it a so so year, not the worst but definitely not a great season for honey yields.”
**ADDITIONAL READING**
New Hampshire Glossary: Beekeeper
New Hampsha’ Bees: Raising bees holistically in New Hampshire
Last year I made a bee waterer. It took about 2 minutes to make and little effort to keep filled with water.
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