Beekeeping Today Podcast

Latest Episodes:

2021 Asian Giant Hornet Update with Sven-Erik Spichiger (S3, E45) Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we have a return visit with Washington State Department of Agriculture's Sven-Erik Spichiger, to see how our honey bees' newest threat, The Giant Asian Hornet, did last season in the Pacific Northwest.

The AGH was wildly sensationalized last year, picking up the moniker of "Murder Hornet", which actually helped garner some attention to both this beast and the Department's quest to locate nests and capture specimens.

Over 900 traps were placed in very northern Washington by department officials, 325 by private land managers and park officials, and private citizen scientists in the state put up over 1200 traps to assist in the venture. The promotional efforts of the Department were very successful and with this many traps, they caught 31 individual specimens, 15 from government traps and 16 from public outreach.

They did learn a lot about the traps and what to use for bait. Those that don't kill a captured hornet were the best, so the specimen could be radio-tagged and followed, hopefully, back to its nest. This is where the USDA's APHIS came in handy because they were able to supply additional tags for the program.

They were able to capture, and tag one individual and follow it back to the nest, and eventually they found the nest it came from. Score 1 for the good guys.

What they still don't know is how far virgin queens go when looking to mate, what else do they eat here (besides honey bees), and are there any natural predators or any diseases here that can be used in the fight. It's also unknown how hard a Washington winter can be on overwintering queens. As of the date of this episode, it's early April when we talked, the Department needs an army of volunteers to trap queens to stop them from forming additional nests.

To find out more, or to volunteer, touch base at https://agr.wa.gov/hornets and see if you can help. Tell Sven we sent you. He can use the help.

Listen today!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

Washington State Department of Agriculture, Asian Giant Hornet Update page - https://agr.wa.gov/hornets
WASDA Hornet Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hornets

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com

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Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about heir line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com

This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global Patties is a family business that manufactures protein supplement patties for honey bees. Feeding your hives protein supplement patties will help ensure that they produce strong and health colonies by increasing brood production and overall honey flow. Global offers a variety of standard patties, as well as custom patties to meet your specific needs. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode!

We want to also thank 2 Million Blossoms as a sponsor of the podcast. 2 Million Blossoms is a quarterly magazine destined for your coffee table. Each page of the magazine is dedicated to the stories and photos of all pollinators and written by leading researchers, photographers and our very own, Kim Flottum.

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

The Honey Bee Health Coalition with Matt Mulica (S3, E44) Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

Meet Matt Mulica, Senior Project Director of The Honey Bee Health Coalition a group of more than 50 organizations who have come together to implement solutions to achieve a healthy population of native and managed pollinators. These include beekeepers, growers, researchers, government agencies, agribusiness, conservation groups and production agriculture.

Working together, they have identified several major areas they feel need the most attention. These include forage and nutrition, hive and certainly varroa management, and crop pest management. They've developed best management practices for corn, soybeans and canola, outreach to growers, beekeepers, agribusinesses, the pubic and anybody needing more information on any of these topics.

Over the course of several years, they have identified many, if not most of the issues affecting pollinators. In so doing, have discovered or created, solutions to reduce many of the problems honey bees and beekeepers face on a routine basis. The HBHC has developed hundreds of documents any of these groups can use to educate their members, along with hours and hours of videos on all of these topics. Best of all, all of this material is available FOR FREE.

Though this group is incredibly well versed in solving problems, there's one issue they struggle with and that's letting the world know they exist. Self-promotion can be difficult and we hope this episode exposes more of their work and the tools they've developed for everybody, especially beekeepers.

Listen today!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

The Honey Bee Health Coalition - https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org
Northern Bee Books - Ed Colby's book, "A Beekeeper's Life" - https://www.northernbeebooks.co.uk

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

The 2021 Almond Season & Indoor Wintering with John Miller (S3, E43) Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

John Miller is a commercial beekeeper based in Gackle, North Dakota and New Castle, California. His family has been keeping bees since 1894. Their season starts each spring when John and his sons take their bees to the almond orchards in Central California. In this episode, John gives us an update on the 2021 almond pollination.

For the past three years, John overwintered his thousands of colonies in a specially designed building in Gackle. Moving them indoors has reduced his winter losses from about 35% to about 8%.

It is a very special building.

The red light in the building allows people to see, but because bees don't see red, they stay inside their colonies. Carbon dioxide, humidity and temperature are monitored continuously, and temperature is controlled by letting fresh in if it gets too warm and it's colder outside, or, keeping the doors sealed if it gets too cold inside. Five percent of the air inside is replaced everyday to maintain healthy carbon dioxide levels. If any levels reach unacceptable levels, the building phones John so he can take corrective actions.

The colonies are fed before going into the building and he monitors colony food consumption all winter by placing 12 colonies on a platform scale, taking a reading every day. It turns out a colony loses about 2 ounces a day. But it also loses bees. The building generates a 275-gallon tote full of dead bees a week.

He cautions, what goes into that building is what comes out. Colonies don't get better overwintered indoors…. sick in, sick out. Healthy in, healthy out.

What's really exciting is that California Food and Ag inspectors have coordinated with Almond Board reps and the North Dakota Department of Ag, so that just before John moves bees to almonds in the spring, CA inspectors come to ND and check the bee's health and the pallets for weeds, bugs and the like. They inspect his 15,000 colonies in about 2 hours. That way, when the semi's reach California, they can breeze right by the Truckee Inspection Station and head straight to the almond orchards. Inspectors, truck drivers, beekeepers and almond growers all appreciate this blinding flash of common-sense approach to inspections, afforded all because of indoor wintering.

John is a positive and influential advocate for beekeepers and the beekeeping industry. He writes on occasion for Bee Culture Magazine, served on the National Honey Board, is featured in the 2011 book by Hannah Nordhaus, "The Beekeeper's Lament". This is John's second time with Beekeeping Today Podcast. You can learn more on our second ever show: Season 1, Episode 2.

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

Miller's Honey Farms - https://www.millerhoneyfarms.com

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Russian Honey Bee and EAS Updates with Dan Conlon (S3, E42) Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we invite Dan Conlon back to learn how the Russian Honey Bee Program is progressing, since now is the time to consider trying packages, nucs or queens for the coming season.

Arguably, Russians are the most tested breed of honey bee in the US due to the fact that the USDA Honey Bee Genetics Lab has had a hand in the selection and breeding program from the very beginning. Not only that, they have stayed involved, with improvements in breeding, selecting for the right traits, making sure the genetics of resistance and honey production stay firmly entrenched in every queen that gets sold.

Dan also gives us an update on the coming summer's EAS Conference.

Eastern Apiculture Society in 2021 will be different. It was supposed to meet in Massachusetts this year, but the University decided to postpone all outside events until 2022, so the MA Beekeepers were out of luck. But Kentucky stepped up. So this year, EAS will be at the Paroquet Springs Conference Center in Shepherdsville, KY for a three-day event. It will be different – no social, only 300 attendees, no walk-ins…but there will be a BBQ, and Auction, the Master Beekeeper program and vendors. Check out the EAS web page for all the details and plan on heading to KY in August.

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

Russian Bee Breeders Assn - http://www.russianbreeder.org
Dan Conlon more about Russian Honey Bee - https://www.beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/dan-conlon-its-all-about-the-russians-russian-honey-bees-that-is-013/
Steve Coy and Dr. Tom Rinderer on the Russian Honey Bee History - https://www.beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/talking-russian-honey-bees-with-dr-tom-rinderer-and-steve-coy-s2-e32/
USDA/ARS Update on the use of Oxalic Acid - https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-barc/beltsville-agricultural-research-center/bee-research-laboratory/docs/oxalic-acid-faqs/
Eastern Apicultural Society - https://www.easternapiculture.org
Bee Equipment Essentials by Ed Simon - http://wicwas.com/project/bee-equipment-essentials-20-00/

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Research for Hire with Jessie & Bobby Louque (S3, E41) Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Today, we talk with Jessie and Bobby Louque, of Louque Agricultural Enterprises. Testing the interactions of pesticides and honey bees is what this company does on a daily basis. They have combined their passion for bees with their passion for science. They are what is called a Contract Research Organization, or CRO. Companies hire them to do the specialty research required with honey bees to provide the EPA with the measures and data needed to make decisions on the introduction or expansion of a pesticide or honey bee food label.

When a new product is going to be introduced or its use expanded, the EPA requires a lot of data on interactions with humans, mammals, birds and pollinators. The companies start with lab studies then ultimately to very controlled field studies. They want various rates, times and techniques of application studied on different crops measured. They want to know if exposure kills on contact in the field, or is it brought back to the hive and kills bees there. Then they want to know if the colony is able to continue to reproduce and if will it survive the winter. Thousands of Colony Collection Assessments are made, where every frame in every hive in the study, and there are often 150 or more, is measured for bees, open and sealed brood, nectar and honey percentages. This is done at least nine times for a study.

They hire CROs to perform this independent testing. For field testing with honey bees, they call Jessie and Bobby.

And at the end of a test, what happens to all the equipment, from hives to tools? Listen today to find out! The answer may surprise you!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

Jessie's Instagram Feed - https://www.instagram.com/jessie.l.louque/
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com
Bee Informed Partnership - https://beeinformed.org
Kim's Book Review, "Commercial Beekeeping - A Field Guide" - https://www.bipinc.org/store/p7/Commercial_Beekeeping%3A_A_Field_Guide.html

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Boris Baer - Center for Integrative Bee Research (S3, E40) Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

Our guest this week is Boris Baer, Professor of Entomology at UC Riverside. Boris is the recent recipient of a $900,000 grant from the University of California's Office of the President. He is the Principal Investigator of a four-campus network of bee researchers and engineers to boost dwindling honey bee populations working in the Center for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER).

Boris is working with a team of researchers and students looking at the interaction of nutritional supplements when bees have been exposed to pesticides, and how to harness the natural honey bee microbiome to this assault. The research team will also be looking at the successful genomes of honey bees with influence of African genes that have developed increased resistance to the common diseases that currently plague the industry.

As part of the grant, researchers from Davis and Merced campuses are looking to develop a breeding program to produce bees better able to cope with environmental stress. A second goal is to develop medications and treatment for sick bees. A third group is coordinating efforts to develop tools beekeepers can use to better monitor what is going on inside their hives. Essentially, electronic veterinarians.

Listen today to hear all about the leading edge of practical research is taking the beekeeper of the near future!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

Center for Integrative Bee Research - https ://ciber.ucr.edu
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com
Brittney Goodrich Almond Pollination Contract Survey (You'll know where to use this when requested "Apism2021") - https://ucdavis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VjNePVvz9H0F6u?Source=BTP
Build Beekeeping Equipment by Ed Simon - https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/edwin-simon/build-beekeeping-equipment/paperback/product-jjvg8n.html

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Steven Coy - APHIS and Chinese Tallow (S3, E39) Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Steven Coy, Executive Board Member of American Honey Producers Association (AHPA) returns to the podcast. This time, he discusses the USDA-APHIS call for comments on the elimination of the Chinese Tallow Tree and the impact the elimination of this tree could have on honey producers from Texas to Florida.

PLEASE NOTE: At the time of the podcast recording, the published comment period ended on Feb. 22. It has been extended to April 23. You have another 60 days to comment, but please do if the issue is critical to you.

Also on the show, Jim Tew stops by to talk about Honey Bee Obscura, the new weekly beekeeping podcast he and Kim host.

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

American Honey Producers, Chinese Tallow & APHIS - https://www.ahpanet.com/tallowinfo
APHIS Request for Comments on Chinese Tallow Tree Elimination - https://www.regulations.gov/docket/APHIS-2020-0035/document
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com
WAS Mini Conference -"Bee Gut Microbiome" - https://www.westernapiculturalsociety.org/events-1

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

The Bee Squad with Bridget Mendel and Becky Masterman (S3, E38) Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

In today's episode, we talk with Bridget Mendel and Becky Masterman of the University of Minnesota Bee Lab's "Bee Squad". Dr. Marla Spivak created Bee Squad as an outreach group 10 years ago in the Twin Cities area to help local beekeepers and other people just wanting bees in the backyard, with just a couple of volunteers. It has blossomed into a dynamic, nationally known UMN Extension Program that is helping hundreds, even thousands of people – beekeepers and non-beekeepers alike.

The Bee Squad was originally headed by Becky who recently 'passed the hive tool' of leadership to Bridget. Together, they have paired up with a host of other programs including the BIP Sentinel Program, the American Honey Producers Association and their habitat program, the University of Michigan's Veteran's programs, and thousands of beekeepers across the US.

The Bee Squad's list of programs is extensive – and they are not just for Minnesotan's. Funded by sales from their store, payment for managing other's bees, grants and donations and community partners, they have nearly a dozen talented people managing all of these programs.

Listen today and bookmark their website as a knowledgeable and trustworthy site to gain current beekeeping information!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

The Bee Squad - https://www.beelab.umn.edu/bee-squad
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com
WAS Mini Conference -"Bee Gut Microbiome" - https://www.westernapiculturalsociety.org/events-1
American Honey Producers, Chinese Tallow & APHIS - https://www.ahpanet.com/tallowinfo

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

The Bee Corp with Ellie Symes (S3, E37) Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

This week we talk with Ellie Symes, CEO of The Bee Corp. We met Ellie at the recent Almond Growers virtual conference. With pollination hives in almonds renting for around $200 each, almond growers want to make sure they are getting good, strong hives so they get maximum production from their orchards. Beekeepers want to make sure they are not spending time and money moving hives that don't measure up to a grower's standards. So, what's the best way to make sure both beekeepers and growers get the biggest bang for their bees? One answer - fast, accurate grading using Bee Corp's technology and their cloud-based software, Verifli.

Bee Corp staff visit beeyards, holding yards or orchards at night and take IR photos of two sides of each colony on a pallet. The image is uploaded to the cloud and their sophisticated software reports exactly how many frames of bees are in each of the colonies by the next morning. One person can do 1,000 colonies in one night if they need to. Beekeepers can do this even before trucking out to the orchard or while in a holding yard, saving money, ensuring growers they are sending strong colonies and meeting contract specs. Grade at night, get results the next day.

Hive technology may not have changed much since the 1850's, but how we monitor and measure hives sure has. Listen today as we talk with Ellie about The Bee Corp, hive grading and the benefits of this exciting advancement available today for beekeepers and growers alike!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

The Bee Corp - https://www.thebeecorp.com
The Bee Corp Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/TheBeeCorp/
The Bee Corp Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thebeecorp_/
The Bee Corp Twitter - @TheBeeCorp_
The Bee Corp LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-bee-corp
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com
American Beekeeping Federation: Chinese Tallow Tree Call To Action - https://myemail.constantcontact.com/CALL-TO-ACTION-.html?soid=1132973782819&aid=UizyOauKvls
Hive Tracks - https://hivetracks.com

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Bee Downtown with Ben Dictus (S3, E36) Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

In today's episode we talk with Ben Dictus, beekeeper for Bee Downtown. The good people in the Bee Downtown organization have taken bees and beekeeping to a new level of education, promotion and opportunity. They have combined beekeeping and leadership training, with business leaders and employees: Bee yards with corporate landscapes.

Ben manages about 150 colonies in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, working with the likes of corporations such as SAS, Delta Air, Burt's Bees, Blue Cross to establish colonies on their corporate grounds. The hives are not hidden behind an outbuilding or the 'back acreage', rather, these companies like to place them in prominent spots. Employees often help paint and prep the woodenware in structured work parties. Bee Downtown supplies the hives, installs safety barriers, manages the bees for them to maintain health and stability, and holds informal events like hive tours, honey harvesting events, hive decorating sessions and discussions.

This has led to the development of the Bee Downtown Leadership Institute lead by retired Colonel Joe LeBoeuf, Professor Emeritus Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Using storytelling and other techniques, including biomimicry from their colonies, the BDT Leadership Institute team help attendees (re)establish team communication and trust, resulting in a workplace that's more efficient and effective.

Listen today as Kim and Jeff talk with Ben about the bees he manages, Bee Downtown and how bee culture is taking corporate culture to the next level!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

Bee Downtown - https://www.bee-downtown.com
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

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