September in the Northeast . . . shorter days, crisp cool nights, the colorful tapestry of Autumn leaves, and the smell of smoke from the wood stove mixing with the musty dampness of the Autumn rains all hint of the cold Winter season to come. For beekeepers in the Northeast, this is a busy season. Time is marching on and any honey harvesting and extracting that has not yet been completed becomes more difficult. The bees and the weather both take their toll on the procrastinating beekeeper who has not gotten these chores completed. As the bees find less and less to forage on, they become more defensive of their stored honey and quick to jump on the opportunity to steal unprotected or exposed honey. Meanwhile, the growing cold seeps into the combs, thickening the honey and making it slow to leave the cells as it spins round and round in the extractor.
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