Honey, where have you been?

Cortland

Cortland County, New York · 2026 season

Here.

Cortland County, New York: the bees' home this season

[PLACEHOLDER: the story of the Cortland site, one or two paragraphs. Not in Lowell's sheet yet.]

One season, visit by visit.

Every time someone walked the land, they wrote down what was blooming.

May8
Hive established
The bees arrive from Christiano: a strong hive, and a young split raising its own queen.
May22
Visited
The new queen, marked white, starts to lay. The strong hive shares brood and food to help her.
- bird's-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus
- ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea
- bur chervil Anthriscus caucalis
Jun5
Visited
Lots of nectar coming in, not much pollen yet.
- black medick Medicago lupulina
- Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis
- goosegrass Galium aparine
Jun21
Visited
One honey box almost full.
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea
- bull thistle Cirsium vulgare
Jul3
Visited
The young hive has caught up. Honey and nectar stores are excellent.
- hedge bedstraw Galium mollugo
- amphibious bistort Persicaria amphibia
- Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis
Jul14
Visited
A full box of capped honey, two more being capped.
- hedge bedstraw Galium mollugo
- Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis
Jul29
Visited
Two boxes and a deep of honey: harvest soon.
- hedge bedstraw Galium mollugo
- common St. Johnswort Hypericum perforatum
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
Aug7
Visited
Both colonies strong; another box on the younger one.
- bull thistle Cirsium vulgare
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- wood avens Geum urbanum
Aug21
Visited
The honey gathered into one box per hive.
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- hedge bedstraw Galium mollugo
- bird's-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus
Sep4
Visited
Honey samples sent off to the lab.
Sep20
Visited
Ready for harvest.
- oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare
- alsike clover Trifolium hybridum
- bull thistle Cirsium vulgare
Oct4
Visited
Harvest day.
collected
Honey harvested
October 4, 2026
Up to about 60 lb [VERIFY: estimate, Joe to confirm]

12 visits187 plants recorded36 of them bee flowers74 kinds of insects, birds and other animals

[VERIFY: species to be checked by a botanist]

What the bees were working.

Main forage: [PLACEHOLDER]

[PLACEHOLDER: the landscape and its forage around the Cortland apiary.]

When we saw them in bloom

	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep
hedge bedstrawGalium mollugo
common yellow oxalisOxalis stricta
bull thistleCirsium vulgare
black medickMedicago lupulina
Canada goldenrodSolidago canadensis
greater bird's-foot trefoilLotus pedunculatus