Beekeeping Today Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Kaylee Richardson - The Honeystead with Kirsten (S3, E35) Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

On today's show, we chat with Kaylee Richardson, who runs the Farm on Quail Hollow and posts about her life as a modern-day homesteader @the_honeystead. She shares the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to produce most of your food from your own farm both in beautiful photos and via informative YouTube videos.

She's grown her apiary substantially, building up from a couple of hives into a small, sideline business. Currently she's in the process of relocating her colonies from her garden to a separate spot, where their flightpath won't be obstructed by foot traffic.

We had a chance to talk about what it takes to live the life she has embraced with her family, the ups and downs, the joys and the hardships. She's learning about herbalism, so she can incorporate more of the plants she grows and forages for on their farm in Virginia into her diet and the skincare products she produces.

Join us, as we learn more about The Honeystead.

Additional information:

The Honeystead Website: http://www.thehoneystead.com
Follow Kaylee's The Honeystead on YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/TheFarmOnQuailHollow
Follow Kaylee on Instagram: https://www.instagram/the_honeystead.com

Kim & Jim's Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://www.honeybeeobscura.com

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Kirsten's interviews are brought to you by BetterBee. BetterBee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. How do they do this? Because many of their employees are also beekeepers, so they know the needs, challenges and answers to your beekeeping questions. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, BetterBee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

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

Thank you to Global Patties for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast! 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 new 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

Return of the Regional Beekeepers - Winter Perspectives (S3, E34) Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast, we reconnect with our beekeeping friends from Season 2, Episode 29. They come from across the country including Central North Carolina, North East Ohio, the western slope of the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast of Washington. We talk with them about last season, this winter and what they expect for next season.

We start out in North Carolina with Mark Smith, who has had bees since 2014 and is running 20 – 30 treatment free colonies. His season last year had some real surprises and he was playing catch up most of the summer. He has some good plans for this spring though that should help out this season.

Next, on to North East Ohio, with Tracy Alarcon, an Inspector in Portage County. The weather played tricks with his honey flow last summer and he made a boatload of honey he wasn't quite prepared for. Surprise! So, he's going to be prepared this year.

Next, on to the western slope of Colorado with Ed Cobey, the Bottom Board author in Bee Culture magazine every month. Ed runs about 70 colonies and keeps them at low, medium and high altitudes, so has a very mixed season. He had excellent overwintering last year, but some drought got in the way of the honey crop.

Finally, meet Paul Longwell, a 12-year beekeeper in Olympia Washington. Paul uses topbar, Langstroth and AZ Slovenian beehouse hives, and volunteers to treat neighboring hives to reduce mite pressure. Lots of rain means lots of honey, some years, and you have to be ready for that, and do things at the right time, and he's getting good at that.

Four different regions. Four different beekeepers. Four different approaches to managing their bees through the seasons. Listen today and see how you compare and perhaps what you might do differently this year!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

First Episode with the Regional Beekeepers (Season 2, Episode 29) - https://www.beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/regional-beekeeper-perspectives-east-midwest-and-mountain-states-s2-e29/
Mark Smith:
- Flatwoods Bee Farm on Instagram -flatwoodsbeefarm
- Flatwoods Bee Farm on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/flatwoodsbeefarm/
- Flatwoods Bee Farm on YouTube - https://youtube.com/channel/UC0gbVzebQUscVKmmwGeYh2w
Read Ed Colby in Bee Culture Magazine
Western Apicultural Society Monthly Conference - https://westernapiculturalsociety.org/mini-conferences/
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com

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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 Importance of Propolis and More with Dr. Marla Spivak (S3, E33) Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Marla Spivak is a honey bee researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Her work has covered a variety of subjects over the years including queen breeding and disease prevention and lately she has been working on the relationship of honey bees and propolis.

Propolis is simply a mixture of resins honey bees collect from a variety of plants. These resins protect these plants from diseases and pests that would otherwise harm them. She first became interested when she read that some properties of propolis had a positive effect on human HIV disease. Then she attended a meeting where she learned how ants collect these resins to use in their nests and she was hooked or should we say, propolis stuck with her… to her… to, everything.

Propolis has a definite antimicrobial effect on dangerous microbes in the hive and at the same time, manages to help maintain, even increase the positive microbiome in a honey bee's gut and even their mouth parts. It doesn't cure AFB or EFB, but is does help keep it in check in an infected colony.

Propolis in a beehive moves the needle, researchers feel. It is the foundation for honey bee health. Find out even more by listening to Marla Spivak explain the joys of propolis.

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

University of Minnesota Bee Lab: https://www.beelab.umn.edu
Research - Seasonal benefits of a natural propolis envelope to honey bee immunity and colony health: https://jeb.biologists.org/content/218/22/3689.long
"Why Care About Propolis", Marla on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xsj8mB4KKZs
Marla's TedTalk on the Disappearance of Bees: https://youtu.be/dY7iATJVCso

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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"

Two Queen Honey Production with Tom Theobald (S3, E32) Jan 04, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we welcome back Colorado beekeeper, Tom Theobald. Tom had a small commercial operation in Colorado in the late 70's, running up to 200 or so colonies when he first started using two queen colonies. The biology of running two queens in a colony does make sense if you use the technique Tom perfected, but the better you get, the more lifting you are going to do. His finished production hives had three deeps for brood production and seven mediums for honey storage. At the time, an average to strong colony in his part of Colorado would make about 70 pounds of honey in a season, Tom's two queen colonies averaged between 240 and 270 pounds!

The advantages, beside huge honey crops, were that these colonies started with last year's queen, and a new, second queen was added in early spring. When the season was over, the new queen almost always prevailed, thus starting the next season with a proven queen. Plus, with a foraging population as large as these colonies produced, there was a vast store house of pollen the next spring for that season's buildup.

Two-queen honey production is becoming a lost art as it takes a lot of work, timing and an understanding of your area's nectar flows. However, the payoff is big! If you have bees in a location with lots of forage and not too much varroa or pesticide pressure, this approach may work for you.

Tom and we would like to know if you or a beekeeper you know uses the two-queen approach. Let us know on our website!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

Our First Season Interview with Tom about Neonicotinoids: https://beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/tom-theobold-the-problem-with-neonics
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast with Kim & Jim: http://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"

Holiday Replay: Dr. Sam Ramsey & The Varroa Mite (S3, E31) Dec 28, 2020

Show notes

On this special Holiday Replay, we bring back one of our favorite episodes from the first season, when we invited Dr. Sam Ramsey to the podcast to talk about the Varroa Mite.

Sam Ramsey is a life long entomologist. His interests in all things insects started in his youth along with his parent's encouragement and his siblings displeasure! He continued his studies in college (Cornell) and just recently completed his PhD this year at The University of Maryland under Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp.

Dr. Ramsey made headlines earlier this year with the publication of his doctoral research on the feeding behaviors of the varroa destructor mite on the honey bee. In this episode of the podcast, we discuss with Dr. Ramsey why he studied what was thought to be a closed subject and proved that the varroa was not feeding primarily on the bee's blood, but rather a liver-like organ called the 'Fat Body'.

This is a fascinating discussion that all beekeepers should listen to. There are many interesting facts, that run counter to popular press and education.

Following are the links mentioned in this podcast:

Dr. Ramsey's website: https://www.drsammy.online
3-Minute YouTube Video on the Varroa Mite findings: https://youtu.be/Fyfyj-2O47Q
GoFundMe site for Dr. Ramsey's new research on the Tropilaelaps mite in Asia: https://www.gofundme.com/fundhoneybeeresearch
Dr. Ramsey's ground breaking research on the varroa, published in January, 2019: https://www.pnas.org/content/116/5/1792
For fun and diverse thinking, Dr. Ramsey's 'jazzy' departure from American Idol: https://youtu.be/UWwuxlkm7_4

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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"

Newfoundland's Varroa Action Plan with Dr. David Peck and Peter Armitage (S3, E30) Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

On today's episode, we talk with Newfoundland beekeeper, Peter Armitage and Dr. David Peck, a Professor from Cornell University, David Peck. Those of us south of the Canadian border tend to mispronounce the name of that big Island off the east coast of Quebec and just north of Prince Edward Island. We tend to slur it, saying 'Newfundlund' instead. But that is wrong. How do you say it right? "Understand New Found Land". Onomatopoeia to the rescue! (One of the cohost's still can't get it right…)

The good people who live on Newfoundland Island have managed to keep this rather inhospitable island completely free of Varroa mites. Not one mite. And Newfoundlanders are determined to keep it that way, using their Varroa Action Plan.

There's only one way to get to Newfoundland and that's by boat, so they have some control on what gets onto their island. But they are in no way taking any chances. They have established the Plan to keep varroa off the island, educate the beekeepers all about varroa, and continuously monitor colonies for any accidental, or even illegal, incursion.

Learn about the Newfoundland Varroa Action Plan and more on this informative episode!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

Newfoundland Varroa Action Plan - https://www.nlbeekeeping.com/varroa-action-plan
Research paper detailing how varroa will transfer from flower to bee - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0167798
YouTube video of a mite vaulting onto a bee from a flower petal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oij1HOxD3iU

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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"

Honey Testing - QSI America with Tobias Wiezorek (S3, E29) Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

QSI–America is a Germany based company that is in the business of testing honey for anything. Their US lab in Corona, California is led by Tobias Wiezorek, and employs about 35 scientists looking at the biochemical, microbiology, chemical and pollen aspects of the honey and wax samples. They can perform many tests, including moisture content, the presence of antibiotics or pesticides, the HMF content to determine if the sample has been overheated, sugar ratios to tell if it's a blend, pure or something else, they can identify the pollens found in a sample to identify the source and/or country of origin, presence of GMOs, and heavy metals.

The sophistication of these tests continues to grow as the people who are in the business of adulterating honey also get more sophisticated.

Honey is a good indicator the quality of the environment the bees who make the sample have to live in. QSI-America's testing is indicating almost every sample has some level of glyphosate in it (and there is no level of that chemical that is allowed), and it turns out, pretty much across the board, urban honeys are cleaner than those from the farm.

Testing isn't just for the largest beekeeper. Anyone can send in a sample. It takes 5 days and when done, you can claim to have the best honey around and provide the documentation to prove it!

Listen to this informative episode today!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

QSI-America - https://www.qsi-america.com
News Story about the Destroyed Green River College Apiary - https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/bear-destroys-beehives-used-research-local-college/HZM6SBDC5VELHFX6NVPYCA65RM/
Green River College Bee Yard Assistance - https://www.gofundme.com/f/bees-in-the-039burbs-apiary-repair

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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"

Santa Cruz Bee Company's Emily Bondor with Kirsten (S3, E28) Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode, guest host Kirsten Traynor speaks with Emily Bondor of the Santa Cruz Bee Co about how she manages her colonies and those of other beekeepers without chemical intervention. Emily discuss the types of losses beekeepers should expect when foregoing varroa treatments, how to be an ethical treatment-free beekeeper, so that your sick colonies don't impact hives in the vicinity, and how her attitude toward treatments has evolved, because she also manages other people's investment in bees. Tune in for this in-depth discussion about the pros and cons about stopping varroa treatments of your bees.

Also, just in time for the Holidays, Kim reviews a new book about bees, written for children, "H Is For Honey Bee" by Robyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen and illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen.

Additional information:

Santa Cruze Bee Company - http://santacruzbeecompany.com
H is for Honey Bee on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/H-Honey-Bee-Beekeeping-Alphabet/dp/1534110704/

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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"

Interviews with Beekeepers, Author Steve Donohoe (S3, E27) Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Starting several years ago, Steve Donohoe wanted to find out more about beekeepers and how they kept bees. His travels took him to California, where he talked to Randy Oliver and Ray Olivarez, to Vermont to talk to Mike Palmer, then back the UK to talk to Murry McGregor in Scotland and Peter Little, who used to work with Brother Adam, then on to a New Zealand honey packer and finally to France to visit that country's largest queen breeder.

These people were sort of his heroes, successful at their occupation and fairly well known in the beekeeping world. What he wanted to know was, what does it take to get to their respective positions, what do they have in common, and what don't they have in common. He explored the biggest challenges they faced as a group, and as individuals.

It took several years to analyze the data collected, recount the interviews and gather the collective wisdom these beekeepers shared with him. He gathered this all and his book is now available so you don't have to travel the globe to gather the information yourself.

Steve spent some time with us recently unwinding the tangle of his travels and finding the best in what he has learned. You will be glad you read this book and even better, glad you sat back and listened to this episode: Interviews with Beekeepers.

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

The Walrus and the Honey Bee - https://thewalrusandthehoneybee.com
Business With Bees - https://www.amazon.com/Business-Bees-Honeybee-Including-Pollination/dp/1631594591

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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"

Ernst Seed Company - Calvin Ernst with Kirsten (S3, E26) Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

Protecting pollinators and improving the habitat for honey bees often entails planting nectar and pollen rich plants. In this episode, Kirsten talks with Calvin Ernst, founder of Ernst Seeds, who has been deeply involved with growing native plants for over 50 years. Learn how providing seeds for erosion control to the Department of Transportation helped him start his company and how he transitioned the company's focus to natives over time. He provides solid advice on preparing the ground prior to planting for pollinators. Learn more about this family run business and how it provides for pollinators in this week's show.

Also in this episode, Kim reviews The Art of the Bee: Shaping the Environment from Landscapes to Societies by Dr. Robert Page.

Additional information:

Ernst Seeds - https://www.ernstseed.com
Ernst Planting Guides - https://www.ernstseed.com/resources/
Beekeeping Today Podcast Episode with Randi and Lindsey of Ernst Pollinator Service - https://beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/large-scale-planting-large-scale-pollinator-habitats-with-lindsey-white-and-randi-grout-s2-e12
Ernst Pollinator Service - https://www.ernstpollinatorservice.com
Bee Culture's "Catch The Buzz" on Honey Bee Vaccines - https://www.beeculture.com/catch-the-buzz-honey-bee-vaccine/
The Art of the Bee on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0197504140

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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"

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