# Neighbor made my day



## JeronimoJC (Jul 21, 2016)

Nice! Do you remember the rough time of the year when you harvested the exceptional batch?


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

My neighbor made my day recently, too. This year conditions are really good for the low, purple common thyme that my bees dote on. I was eyeing a neighbor's huge lawn (at least three acres) that is a beautiful patchwork of purple shades, with a good amount of white clover. My own soil is quite different and doesn't support the thyme.

I stopped along the road to speak to a telephone repair guy and I noticed that my bees were all over that thyme, so I decided to see if my neighbors would skip (or extend the interval) of their mowing. But I didn't want to create a neighborhood problem, either. When I hunted down the homeowner, and carefully drew the conversation over to the lawn, and its purple haze, he got a little defensive and said, "he didn't care if anyone complained, he'd be darned if he was going to mow right now because it was covered with bees and he _loves_ bees!" 

I guess I owe him some hush honey (love that term!) now, too.

Enj.

Enj.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

Funny the relationship between neighbors and beekeepers. There seems to be little indifference, They either love you or hate you. I have a place just over the hill from me called The Lavender Farm, They grow lavender to make soap, facial cream and a host of other products. It is right on the fringes of the common forage zone of my hives. Some years it impacted my honey, but many it did not. It makes a wonderful varietal honey. I do Hay for a friend who lives next door to The Lavender Farm. Years ago Had asked him if I could place a few hives on his property. He said his neighbors were kind of funny and did not want any problems. 
Nuff said for me and I never pushed the issue. Years later I was mowing hay and the Owner of The Lavender Farm flagged me down. " Tom tells me you are a beekeeper. I was wondering if you would be willing to place a few hives in my east meadow during the bloom to help with pollination? I'd be happy to pay you! He said. I replied, " Heck I wont charge you a thing if you let me keep them there year round!" This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. My bees love the neighborhood. I gained a good friend for the past 16 years, and our lavender honey sells for 25% more that our wildflower honey. Sure wish all the neighbors were like that! :gh:


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

My favorite honey is the early spring honey from the months of May when so much is in bloom including Black Locust. It is really nice I've ran into some folks when im selling they kind of shy away from the light stuff b/c the instore stuff is usually a golden brown color. They're like i want to the color that i get in the store. LOL.


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

> ...give all my neighbors hush honey...


"Hush Honey", I'm going to adopt that phrase, thanks! :applause:


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

Tenbears said:


> The Lavender Farm flagged me down. " Tom tells me you are a beekeeper. I was wondering if you would be willing to place a few hives in my east meadow during the bloom to help with pollination? I'd be happy to pay you! He said. I replied, " Heck I wont charge you a thing if you let me keep them there year round!":gh:


If our bees were in on the discussion, they'd ask us to pay to let them live on the lavender farm. They're all over our few lavenders this year, and wish we'd plant ten acres. But several neighbors have noticed our bees and the fact that their old fruit trees are bearing fruit for the first time in years. We spotted one couple planting trees in field they'd just cleaned up. We stopped to chat. They explained that they were planting fruit trees for our bees. Its not a huge orchard, maybe 20-30 trees, but I expect it will be a popular spot for a few weeks each spring, and we thanked them.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I like the term hush honey too. That's a better way to deal with neighbors and will surely save me some shoveling.


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## MariahK (Dec 28, 2014)

The really good honey was harvested at the end of June, the darker honey end of July. The really good honey was about 2 weeks after the linden stopped blooming. We have 100+ trees within a two mile radius. So I am pretty sure that is what the flavor was.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

My really great neighbor wins the prize: today he mowed his 3-acre lawn in the pouring rain because he noticed the bees weren't working the thyme then. Didn't hurt the thyme flowers as they are below the blades. I'm gonna have to pull some honey this year to reward that level of thoughtfulness.

Enj.


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