Honey scent in an apiary

I smell Honey!

Just imagine while moving around your apiary and smell honey fumes!

One time I was invited to inspect beehives in a private farm located in Mukono District with over 30 beehives. 

The owner of the farm told me that he has high hopes for harvesting a lot of honey from his bee hives because he smells honey whenever goes close to the bee yard.

Imagine honey was smelling so much that I also smelt it several metres away before reaching the entrance of the apiary.

I was amazed by the words from the farm owner though In the back of my mind i know that when bees are fanning to regulation the hive temperature (and moisture content) there are high hopes of uncapped honey scent to escape.

Also it is possible for uncapped honey to smell than capped honey.

Therefore the implication of the smell is; there is presence of uncapped honey or nectar than honey ready for harvesting.

Finally I opened the first hive and there was only two Combs with uncapped honey. The second hive also had honey on the brood combs and one bar with uncapped honey.

We went to the third and the four until the 30th hive and to surprise you, we never came back with a single comb of honey.

I never told him in the beginning that his bees just have uncapped honey and since they are many in one place, the honey scent becomes strong in the area.

When we got back to his office, I explained to him why he smelt honey in his apiary.

Honey hunters have a myth like when there is honey in the hive, you smell it, well they are right because they find there honey though not ripe honey (capped honey).

Enjoy a spoon of honey everyday.