Honey Bee Obscura Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Capturing and Hiving Swarms (067) Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

A beekeeper's most exciting moment is undoubtedly, capturing and hiving a swarm... especially when it is someone else's bees! In today episode, Jim Tew and Jeff Ott - who is filling in for Kim Flottum this week - discuss capturing swarms and how you can be prepared this year.

How can you be prepared? Get some basic equipment pulled together. A container of some type (preferably bee-tight), such as a hive body with a frame or two of brood comb foundation, pruning shears, a tarp - white is best for spotting the queen, a bee suite and veil, a large piece of cardboard, a bee-vacuum, a bucket on the end of a long pole, and maybe a ladder. Some beekeepers keep this equipment or subset, loaded up in their car or truck during swarming season.

Once you find the swarm and figure out your approach, you can typically shake them into your collector or even vacuum them. Each situation is unique so be prepared for just about anything. If you can, ask bystanders or the caller, how long the bees have been in that location. That will largely determine their disposition. Not all swarms are ready for your YouTube moment, capture in flip-flops, t-shirt and shorts. They can be testy, especially if they've been in one location for three or more days.

There is a great satisfaction in bringing home a box of 'free bees', that are all biologically set to establish a new colony. Especially if they are not your bees!

What is your favorite swarm story? What is the most memorable location from which you captured a swarm? Let us know in the comments section of this episode! Start a discussion.

If you like the episode, share it with a fellow beekeepers and/or let us know by leaving a comment in the show notes. We'd love to hear from you!

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Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. 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

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Swarm Traps aka Bait Hives (066) Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

In today's episode, Jim Tew and Jeff Ott (who's stepping in this week for Kim Flottum) discuss their experiences using swarm traps - sometimes called "bait hives". Swarm traps are used by beekeepers to lure the scout bees looking for a new home.

There are multiple types of swarm traps from the commercially available 'flower pot' type traps, to home-made traps to simply setting out old hive bodies with a frame or two of brood comb or foundation. Jim and Jeff talk about what they've used, what'd worked and what hasn't.

Lures are a second topic discussed. These are also commercially available, can be home made or even use store bought lemon grass oil. Some would consider the use of old brood comb as a lure!

Perhaps one of today's most noted authorities on the natural lives of honey bees is Dr. Tom Seeley. His pamphlet on setting up swarm traps can be on the Cornell website here: https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/2653

Do you set up swarm traps? If so, what do you use? How do you set them up? Where? How high above the ground? Let us know in the "leave a comment" section above. Join or start a conversation!

If you like the episode, share it with a fellow beekeepers and/or let us know by leaving a comment in the show notes. We'd love to hear from you!

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

More Listener Questions (065) Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

This week, Beekeeping Today Podcast's co-host, Jeff Ott sits in for Kim Flottum and joins podcast regular, Jim Tew to answer listener questions.

Kim and Jim have often discussed the pros and cons of using all medium equipment. Today, Jim and Jeff answer the listener question about how to move from deeps to mediums (or 'western') boxes for the brood boxes. What do you use? What do you like? What don't you like?

What is your favorite beekeeping tool not found in a beekeeping catalog or your local bee supply shop? Do you use anything? What is possible?

Finally, what use is flour in a bee yard? We'll give you a moment to ponder... Jim and Jeff answer a question involving flour, bees and apiaries. Have you used flour in a bee yard?

Listen today and let us know your answer on all these question and submit yours!

If you like the episode, share it with a fellow beekeepers and/or let us know by leaving a comment in the show notes. We'd love to hear from you!

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Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. BetterBee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. 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

______________________

Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Mind Your Bees Wax (064) Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

So, what do you do with your old wax? For some of us, as little as possible, but for others, there's money to be made.

There are different kinds of wax based on a couple of factors, including how long it was in the hive and how it was used by the bees. Bees wax from the brood area tends to get dark fast, in a couple of years, it's nearly black from old cocoons, pollen, uneaten honey and the like.

In fact, after a couple of years those old combs will have enough dirt, grime, propolis and especially ag pesticides soaked up that they should be removed from the hive. But then what? Solar wax melters work, a hot plate and a double-boiler work too. Melt it down, get rid of it.

Cappings wax, that beautiful wax removed from honey frames however, is usually beautiful, light, bright and glowing yellow. That should be saved. There's high demand, high value and good money to be made from this wax.

What's beeswax worth these days? You can check the journals, and other beekeepers. There is money in turning the wax into candles as well as selling it in bulk to other beekeepers, cosmetic manufactures and even beauticians.

In this episode, Kim and Jim talk about how you can mind your bees wax and maybe even make a good dollar or two at the same time!

Listen today!

If you like the episode, share it with a fellow beekeepers and/or let us know by leaving a comment in the show notes. We'd love to hear from you and how you deal with bees wax!

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Dealing With Old Equipment (063) Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

What can you do with all that old beekeeping equipment you don't need, don't want and is in the way most of the time? There are several ways to look at this, and the first way, of course, is to simply trash it, burn it, bury it. That works, but there's maybe a better way.

In this week's episode, Kim and Jim discuss how they deal with old equipment!

First question to consider: Is it clean? In some states, you'll need an inspector's seal of approval if you're giving it to someone so you don't spread AFB that you didn't know you had. Know if there are regulations to consider.

Sell it if it's in good condition and clean, is an option. Maybe not to new beekeepers, but certainly to experienced that know the value of what they are getting. A deep super, in good shape, without frames for $5? I'll take 5!

Old frames….2 choices. Sell as is and let the buyer take care of the mess of old wax. Or, melt it down…or, no, get rid of them and the wax, or sell them and the wax.

What's an old smoker worth? In an antique store, you can buy a week's groceries with that, whether it works or not. If it works, a good smoker with all the parts for $10? I'll take two.

What do you do with old equipment? Let Kim and Jim know by leaving a voicemail on the website or via email!

Listen and follow today!

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Make Money with Honey Bees! (062) Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

In today's episode, Kim and Jim discuss making money with honey bees.

Almost every beekeeper has had someone (usually a spouse…) say, "I thought you were going to make money as a beekeeper." Well, it is possible to make money with bees, but you have to put some thought into it.

Do you have the time for the extra work required and can you afford to spend less time with your family?

Do you have the equipment you'll need to do the things you can do to make money? Do you have the energy?

Well, start with the easy stuff – Honey.

Almost every beekeeper makes some honey most every year. Not always and actually the bees do the work, but honey is something you can sell. You can extract it yourself or pay somebody else to do it for you? No work, no mess and they get paid in the honey they extracted. Check that out.

What about taking bees out of other people's houses? IT can be profitable if you've got the tools, the skills, the insurance, and the time?

Beeswax has a thousand uses. You can sell in bulk to other beekeepers, make candles, ornaments, wrap. They all have value. All take time and work. And almost none of this is actually keeping bees. It's about marketing, packaging, and all the rest.

But it will make you money.

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Raising Non-Graft Queens (061) Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

A good rule when raising a few queens is to keep it simple. And not having to graft larvae from one cell to another is as simple as could be. So, how can that be done?

The Hopkins method is one way, where you simply put a frame with eggs and larvae in a queenless colony and let them do their thing. You even have some controls of the genetics that way, depending on where that frame comes from.

Or you can simply do a split, remove the queen from one or both and get out of the way and let them raise a queen in one or both.

Commercial queens are expensive, but it costs to control all the variable costs of a big operation, the drones, the labor and all that. Those costs are passed onto you… plus overnight shipping, usually making it a $60 queen.

Using non-graft queens, such as in the Hopkins method, you can depend on the bees knowing what they want, probably better than you do. One thing you do have to control is the timing. You want that new queen producing full tilt before winter, so the bees that go into winter are the bees you want next spring.

Raising a queens can be fun and having a couple queens available throughout the season is good insurance. Listen today, as Kim and Jim discuss raising non-graft queens!

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Late Winter Colony Management (060) Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

It's early February and it's winter. But winter in northern Ohio is a lot different than winter in the south, where bees are flying, foraging and raising brood. And where it's cold, you can't be doing things with your bees, but you can be doing things for your bees: Getting ready for spring.

Food can be a problem right now. How much did you leave last fall? It's tough to look, but if you can get a glimpse inside, how would you feed them if you had to? Fondant works, usually, by cracking a super and sliding it in right next to the cluster. Candy boards might work, but they can be too far away.

What about protein? Same way. If you're in the south and you open a colony up, robbing may get started. Not a lot of food out there maybe, but bees will be hungry.

What about your varroa load? Do you know? How were they going into winter? You can't even sample up north, but you can in the south.

Finally - do the pests in a beehive die when the bees die?

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Going Big Time - Large Observation Hives (059) Feb 03, 2022

Show notes

Managing large observation hives is very different than working with those small observation hives that you can take to a school or county fair. Very different indeed. Especially if you are going to keep this hive in your home or classroom.

To begin, there's really no standard design. They can be a single frame wide or 2 or more frames wide. And how tall? Two, three frames tall? More than one frame wide and you'll probably never see the queen, if only a single frame, the bees never get to cluster. So, do you cover them to help keep warm?

How do the bees get outside? Jim has a pretty good way figured out with a window for part of the year, but it's not perfect. And how do you feed them? Syrup is pretty easy, protein not so much. And what about ventilation? Gotta have some, but not too much.

And of course, varroa and small hive beetles will come visit, and probably decide to stay. Dealing with those pests can be a challenge no matter what hive, but here? And last, but not least, what about the smell? Sweet bees are a nice smell, but what about goldenrod honey? Or dead bees in winter? Figure that out before you start.

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Let's Discuss Small Observation Hives (058) Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

Small, portable, usually single frame observation hives are ideal for meetings, demonstrations, lectures and even for study. They can be homemade or produced by bee supply companies, but there are a few things to keep in mind when using them…. especially when children are your audience.

Kids are full of energy and accidents happen. Make sure you observation hive is rough and tumble ready, securely held in place for when kids are pointing, showing and asking questions.

How many bees should you have, what kind of comb should you use, how much ventilation is needed and what about showing this to a room full of kids when some of them might be allergic to honey bees? We explore all of this and more.

Jim Tew has years of experience using these will all kinds of classes and demonstrations and locations… and all kinds of things have happened to him. Tune in and find out what works and what doesn't, when using single frame observation hives.

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We welcome Betterbee as sponsor of today's episode. BetterBee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. 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

______________________

Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

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