Honey Farm Life: March Edition
March is where things really begin to shift. After months of preparation, planning, and patience, the farm starts to feel alive again. There’s a bit more warmth in the air, a bit more movement in the hives, and finally… something that feels like the start of the season.
New Apiaries, New Beginnings
This month we finished setting up our last two out apiaries, one of which is on a lavender farm, which we’re especially excited about. Come summer, that site should be something pretty special, both for the bees and for the flavour of the honey.
Once everything was ready, we began moving some of our colonies onto these new sites. It’s always a big moment, not just relocating bees, but placing them somewhere they’ll hopefully thrive over the coming months.
At the same time, we got our first proper look at how the bees have come through winter. Overall, things are looking positive. Most colonies are strong and building nicely, though a few are a little behind and will need a bit of support to catch up.
We also had something new to share this month, we released a range of lip balms and pet paw balms. Made with 100% natural ingredients, they’re a great addition to our growing line of bee-based products.
The lip balms come in:
- Unscented
- Peppermint
- Wild Orange
- Lavender
- Rose
Simple, natural, and made using what the bees give us — something we’ve been really excited to introduce.
Spring Growth Comes Fast
It didn’t take long for things to ramp up.
Our nucs quickly outgrew their boxes, so we moved them into full-sized hives to give them the space they needed. A sure sign they were ready was when they started building wild comb in the feeders, always their way of saying, “we need more room!”
By the end of the month, we added supers (honey boxes) onto our stronger colonies. That’s always a great milestone, it means the new season’s honey is officially on its way.
The Chillies Are Ready (…Almost)
The chilli plants have carried on growing really well this month, almost too well.
They’re now at that stage where they’re desperate to get out into the polytunnel, but the nights are still just a bit too cold to risk it. So for now, they’re waiting patiently (or not so patiently), putting on more growth and getting stronger by the day.
Back Out in the Fields
With the weather starting to improve, we’ve been able to get back out onto the land.
March is when we begin rolling some of our hay fields, pushing the stones back down into the soil after winter. It might not look like much, but it’s an important job,it helps protect the machinery (and nearby windows!) when it comes time to mow later in the year.
It’s one of those small but essential tasks that sets things up properly for the months ahead.
Looking Ahead
March feels like the turning point. The bees are building, the equipment is in use, and the farm is starting to stretch back into life.
There’s still plenty to do, but the long winter feels behind us now. From here on out, it’s all about keeping up with the pace as everything, bees, plants and fields starts moving at once.
And just like that, we’re properly into the season again.