Sun Mountain Apiary Unadulterated honey, from our bee's honeycomb, to our jars, to your mouth the way nature intended. NY Grown and Certified Honey Producer. Located in Delanson, NY

Welcome to Sun Mountain Apiary 2026

The very last honey went into a jar about an hour ago. I am glad to see this harvest come to an end. Leaving aside the fact that EVERYTHING gets a sticky honey coating on it after nearly three weeks of honey extraction, the bees’ demeanor has noticeably changed in the past several days. There is a saying in the bee world that “bees start the year as lambs and end the year as lions” and there is a lot of truth to that. In the spring, colonies are not as populated and flowers and nectar sources abound so the bees can easily find nectar. As fall approaches, the opposite is true; the colony is huge and floral sources and nectar are limited. Bees will begin raiding weaker hives whenever possible, they have to range much further to find nectar, and ANY free honey becomes a free-for-all to grab some. The bee escapes I put in the windows to allow any bees that came in with the honey frames a means to escape were working great. That is until Friday when the smell of honey emanating out of the narrow end of the funnels suddenly became a dinner bell to hundreds if not thousands of hungry bees. All was well in the morning, but when I came back after lunch, the shop was full of bees drunk on the fact they thought they hit the motherlode. Fortunately, they were primarily occupied with all the drips and spills on the equipment and floor, but it was impossible to work. Most left through the escapes that night and I removed them the next morning before the bees became active.
Many beekeepers will wait and begin their harvest in mid to late September, however I am a strong advocate for beekeepers to harvest early whenever possible. There are several reasons for this:

The bees’ temperament is much better and tends to get worse with every passing day.
They are much more willing to leave the frames of honey prior to bringing them in for extraction (we don’t use chemical repellants like some do, but rather a “bee escape” which is sort of a one-way maze and this panel is placed above and below the honey supers for the bees to leave but not get back in. One is on display in the front of the store by the hive.
Generally, golden rod is the only remaining nectar source (along with some asters), but it tends to granulate easily and tends to make a rather sulphury honey. I much prefer letting the bees have this.
The roughly month of remaining nectar collecting can go for their own stores. This helps insure they will have enough honey for the winter without having to feed them sugar syrup.
If I find a hive that has been robbed or has another issue, there is still some time to rectify the issue.

Bees do like Golden Rod
Bottom line, it has taken me longer to extract this year than normal, and I am very glad it is over. Many thanks to the folks who offered or did volunteer for some of the extraction process during this transition year without my head bottler.
There are some upcoming events you may be interested in.
Gallupville is the place to be on Saturday, September 19th 2026 for the area’s Semi-Quincentennial Celebration! This day-long event will be held in the local hamlet of Gallupville and promises to check all the boxes for a great celebration. With multiple food offerings, music, historic lectures, antique equipment, a petting zoo with it all capped off with a dance at the Gallupville House. I and others from the Mohawk Valley Beekeepers club will be staffing a booth with all kinds of information on bees and some fun for the kids.
For more information and schedule, go to https://www.250party.org/
The 4th Annual Schoharie County Fall Festival will be happening on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at the Old Stone Fort Museum Complex, 145 Fort Road, Schoharie, NY 12157. Again, the Mohawk Valley Beekeepers will be there along with many other informative booths. Here is a day to immerse yourself in the rich history of the area. From the Revolution to historic WWII vehicles, this is a fun and educational day for kids of all ages. Lots of food, craft beverages and other amenities will be available. If you haven’t already done so, check out the fabulous displays in the Old Stone Fort Museum as well.
Enjoy the beautiful fall weather ahead!
Bee safe,
Bob

“This has become my go-to gift store for a unique gift that everyone seems to love. It is convenient and I LOVE the honey!” Jan H, Delanson, NY

In 2020 we went through the testing and inspection process to become a “NY Grown and Certified Honey Producer.” While all claim their honey is pure, and bees are the best, we decided to back the claims up with the documentation and inspections that prove we have healthy hives, excellent sanitation in extraction, and nothing but pure, raw NY local honey.

Pure - Natural- Raw

Sun Mountain Apiary
127 Marcus Road
Delanson, NY 12053

Bob Muller
Cornell Certified Master Beekeeper
[email protected]