Honey Bee Obscura Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Pollen Traps (017) Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

Trapping pollen will give you a source of good food for your bees, and it's for free. And why more beekeepers don't do it is interesting, but understandable. There are a host of pollen substitutes on the market that a beekeeper can simply buy and feed to the bees. Pollen traps add a layer of work and cost to their beekeeping efforts that many don't want to undertake….and that's too bad.

Of course trapping pollen changes what's going on in the hive. Removing some amount of the only protein source bees are aware of changes their foraging behavior is several ways – especially, if you leave the trap on too long. Suddenly there's not enough pollen coming in, so we need to recruit more pollen foragers, taking some of the nectar foragers off that task. And, having a pollen trap on a colony strongly selects for pollen foragers bringing home smaller pollen pellets that will get through the screen, which will take even more nectar foragers out of the equation.

Drones often get trapped in these things, too.

What do you do with the pollen? Sell it, eat it, feed it back to the bees? How do you store it once collected? How do you clean it so it can be sold?

Kim and Jim talk about collecting pollen, and what to do with it once collected. It's good food for you, your bees and it's free!

_________________

This episode of Honey Bee Obscura is supported by the three generations of beekeepers at Leibengood Family Apiaries, providing Georgia certified, southern raised bee packages and queens to central Ohio each Spring!

______________________

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

Nectar Flows (016) Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

If you keep good records every year, you'll know about when to expect the various nectar flows your areas has almost every year and that your bees need to make a honey crop.

Of course, your bees will tell you when a nectar flow starts, and when it's over. Tell you they will. Open a colony before a flow and the bees are busy looking for food. Open one during a good flow and you will find the happiest bees in the world. Open a colony just as a flow stops and you better have a good beesuit and veil, because they get real testy when the food stops coming in.

Nectar flows overlap, which is great for the bees and your honey crop, but how can you tell when one stops and the next one starts? Not even the bees can tell you that. So, you end up without a defined floral crop, like locust or clover, but with a more generalized "wildflower" blend.

Even after years of taking good notes, some years it's too dry, too wet, there's a storm…it's always something to what should have been an average year.

One thing to remember if nothing else. Always have too much room on top, so the bees always have some place to put that nectar to dry early in the day during a flow, that you missed, again. Too little, and they quit chasing the nectar because there's no place to put it.

Watch this Honey Bee Obscura video moment for additional great information on Nectar Flows! https://youtu.be/DhcHROgHkN4

_________________

______________________

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

Robbing! (015) Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

Imagine this… you walk out to your beeyard. There is a lot of activity. No problem. That's good right? Probably a nectar flow, you think. But as you get closer, there is something else going on… more frantic, more commotion, more… frenetic; All directed at one or two hives. There are hundreds of bees trying to get into those hives, through any available crack and crevice.

Bees are all over in the air and it is definitely not a swarm. About the time you notice a faint smell of something like almonds, bees greet you face to face and you can tell, they are not happy. You deftly slip on your veil.

What the heck is going on?

Robbing. If you have hives you will eventually experience this natural(?) act, typically between one or more colonies against a weaker colony. Usually, but not always, during periods of dearth and a bored field force. What do you do? What can you do?

In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Kim and Jim discuss robbing, their experiences and what you can expect! Make sure to watch the Honey Bee Obscura Video Moment in the YouTube link below!

Honey Bee Obscura Video Moment of Robbing in action with narrative by Jim - https://youtu.be/SFf7zy32t7E

_________________

______________________

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

Swarms (014) Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever tried to capture a swarm while hanging on to the top of a 10-foot ladder that's standing in the back of a pickup? No? Well, Jim Tew has and he'll tell you all about retrieving swarms this week. Kim Flottum has a story about Richard Taylor walking into the middle of a swarm issuing from a hive, reaching up and catching the queen! No, really! It happened!

If you are a beekeeper, swarms are a fact of life. Keeping bees from swarming is a challenge and capturing them when they leave is even more of a challenge, most of the time anyway. (You could even consider them fun when they are someone else's bees).

The economics of managing your bees so they don't swarm or capturing the bunch after they swarm is worth the time and effort, at least sometimes. Falling off a 10-foot ladder is going to be much more expensive than simply buying a package to replace the one that got away.

Swarms are a biological wonder. Enjoy the experience.

Check out this Honey Bee Obscura special video about swarming behavior: https://youtu.be/W4MeJS-dfvM
Check out more information how honey bees use scent while swarming, as seen in the video: https://scienmag.com/bees-form-scent-driven-phone-tree-to-pass-along-messages/

__________

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

Honey Bee Obscura is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Dealing with Bee Space (013) Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

How much space do bees need inside a beehive? Well, it's between 3/16" and 5/16", so you can figure just about a quarter inch should do. But what happens when bees don't have bee space in a beehive? Propolis is what happens: Tighter than a drum if it's too small and full of burr and brace comb if it's too big.

Make it just right for the bees and they'll make it right for you!

Are there differences between equipment manufacturers? (Yes) Where is the bee space? Above the frames or below the frames when they sit in the box? It's different for different manufacturers. So, look and even measure before you buy. Brand X may not work with Brand Y, depending on just where they provide the bee space between boxes. This applies to hive bodies, honey supers and even inner covers!

Ever used a hammer to get frames out? No? Well, you've been lucky. Add one to your tool box before you head out to the beeyard. It just might be the only way to save a frame from certain destruction.

Bee Space, can't live without it, and even if you have it, sometimes it still doesn't work.

Watch Jim Tew explain bee space in this Honey Bee Obscura YouTube video: https://youtu.be/uloW43GykHg

__________

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

Honey Bee Obscura is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Outyards (012) Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

When you have more bees at home than you want, or your family wants, or your neighbors want, it's time to find an outyard. There's a lot to consider when choosing an outyard.

There are many things to consider, such as: Are you able to get there in all seasons? Does your family knows where it is so they can find you if your truck or car won't start? What about access? Are there gates? Combinations to locks? Here's a consideration… What about cattle or horses or bear? Will you need some kind of fence? Do you leave tools and equipment there? What's the weed situation like? Can you get cell phone reception? What about yard rent? How much honey do you need for that and did you remember to close that gate when you left?

At some point outyards will be a part of your beekeeping life. Know what, where, how and when to consider getting one, or more.

Listen today as Kim and Jim discuss outyards: the good, the bad and the ugly.

__________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom

Honey Bee Obscura is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Requeening (011) Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

Everybody who has bees at some time will have to requeen a colony. You killed her when moving frames, she quit laying, a colony that swarmed didn't make a queen, you stepped on her when she fell off the frame. It happens… and now you have to requeen that colony. If she's gone it's easier than if she's there. If she's there, you got to find and replace her. Right, find her first. Good luck with that.

Then, it's where do you put that new queen in the colony and how long should she stay in that cage? Used to be, when the bees in that colony quit trying to kill her in that cage. Anymore, maybe not. Used to be, you'd get a queen in the wooden cage with candy, punch a hole in the candy and she's out in 3 days, or less. Now, 7, maybe 10 days in that plastic cage and maybe she'll be ok, but check twice. Maybe three times.

Not to add any stress to the exercise, but queens aren't cheap. Even if you raise your own, you did invest time and energy to get her to age. On the other hand, if you just paid, $40+ for her… PLUS and applicable shipping… the pressure to get it right, piles on!

Listen today as Kim and Jim discuss the challenges of requeening and their personal approach to this task that every beekeeper ultimately has to face.

__________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom

Honey Bee Obscura is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Smokers and Smoker Fuel (010) Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

A smoker is that extra hand you always need when working bees. It's the right tool for the job. But how smokers get used is mostly influenced by what the beekeeper is doing whether you are working hard, fast and in a hurry, or easy going, slow and gentle. Each approach demands different behaviors and different amounts of smoke.

What about smoker fuels? Certainly, what's available helps decide what gets burned. Pine straw, wood shavings, punk wood, rolled burlap, sumac pods, even dried cow dung are some of the fuels of choice.

How long should a smoker stay lit? Once you get it going, set it down and don't puff again. If it doesn't stay lit for at least a half hour you need more practice. Or better fuel. Or a newer smoker.

Like everything in beekeeping….it just depends. Listen today as Kim and Jim discuss all things… Smokers!

__________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom

Honey Bee Obscura is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Packages and Nucs (009) Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

If you need or want to get some honey bees this spring, the two traditional means are to get a 3-pound package or a (usually) 5 frame nucleus colony. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and like so many things in beekeeping – it depends on the situation of which might be a better choice.

Packages aren't cheap, and they are slower to develop, which is good for a less experienced beekeeper, but for somebody who wants a fast buildup, not so good. That first winter for a package is usually critical, especially if they were put on new equipment, because their time to get ready has been short, and they've been playing catchup all summer.

Nucs generally offer comb, eggs, brood of all ages, honey and pollen, and a laying queen, but there can be a lot of variables for all of these attributes that can throw any beekeeper a curve. They hit the ground running, so to speak, so from a beginner's perspective it can be a steep learning curve. If it's strong and a good season, a nuc will probably make you a bit of honey.

So, packages and nucs are both good options, depending on your abilities, goals and if you have mentorship to help answer questions throughout the season.

Listen to Kim & Jim for more information on Packages and Nucs!

__________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom

Honey Bee Obscura is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

Hive Finishes (008) Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

So, you just built brand new wooden hive boxes, tops and bottoms. It all sure looks nice, doesn't it? How do you keep it from rotting, falling apart or just wearing out?

For many beekeepers using white latex paint on their equipment is the go-to. But for some, painting isn't on the agenda this season. Painting takes time and colors can vary. Is it OK to use different colors different sized supers? Should you use oil base, or latex, or some other kind of water base material? How long will those boxes last, anyway?

What if you don't want to use paint? What about natural materials? What works? Some find that a hot rosin dip may work, or dipped in hot bees wax or paraffin. Is that OK? Stains work, too, so your hives don't stand out as much as a white box out in the backyard, in town. What about painting the inside? Is it safe? Is it good protection?

Of course, there is always the choice of just doing nothing. Is that acceptable?

In this episode, Kim and Jim explore all things Hive Finishes!

__________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom

Honey Bee Obscura is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC