Honey Bee Obscura Podcast

Bees, honey, smoker smoke, and lots more all have their own aroma. Beekeeping is rich in its own smells. Most are fragrant, rich and a delight to work with. Some, not so much. This is a two-part series. In today's Part 1, we looked at smells from the smoker, which are many and varied, rich and awful, all at the same time. Then we discussed the smells of bees, the good, the bad and the ugly. Come on along and learn what you can expect when dealing with honey, honey bees and all that comes with them, and what you already may have experienced and not thought much about. One aroma is worth a thousand words. Watch for Part 2 - The Good, next week! ___________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

At some point, whether by design or accident, many beekeepers consider expanding into pollination for hire with their bees. What does that mean and what does it take? What should be considered before undertaking a small-scale pollination job? In this episode, Kim and Jim discuss their experiences and offer their observations. First, start thinking about what you'll need next spring NOW, so you're ready next spring! If you wait until the first dandelion, you will be late to the game! If you are starting from scratch, talk to other beekeepers, talk to growers, talk to anybody who has done this before. Make your contacts now and remember, when exploring pollination opportunities, you are probably competing with another beekeeper. The most important two things to research? Know what your costs will be, and know what your time is worth. Start there. Remember this is mostly night work, do you have a day job? Do you have a good friend you can convince to help you? And what about insurance? And can you do this with your truck, or somebody else's, or do you have a trailer you can leave at the orchard with your hives on it. Contracts are critical. Scope out the property. Know where you will place the bees. Know the crop better than the grower so you already anticipate their needs and schedule. You can make good money pollinating a crop, but only if you know what you are getting into. ___________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Every kind of hive has some kind of bottom board. Typically, Langstroth type hives have a bottom board that is removable. Many are reversible, too. That is one side has a ridge going around three sides that is only 3/8th of an inch tall, leaving an opening so small in the front that a mouse should not be able to get into the hive. These are used this way in the winter. The other side of this bottom board has a ridge that is 3/4th of an inch tall, to be used in the summer for better ventilation and traffic control out front. For awhile, bottom boards with a screen were common, developed to help control varroa that would fall through if they fell off a bee above. Some people would put cardboard sticky boards under the screen to catch the varroa and give an idea of how many a hive had. These had to be covered in winter, which was sometimes a problem because of lost covers, warped covers or bent screens. They are still around, but mostly for ventilation, not varroa control. Mostly, we use what we have, because that's the way we've always done it. But now there are several styles of bottom boards to use. Many are now heavy duty plastic, some with built in screens and a cover, some are insulated for winter use, and some will fit an 8 frame or 10 frame hive, so no matter what kind of hive you have they will fit just right. Bottom boards are getting to be as technical as the rest of our bee hives. Finally. ___________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

If you are comfortable outside on Christmas Day, you probably don't have to worry about wrapping your colonies for winter protection. Otherwise, this episode is for you! At least put up a windbreak. It's easy, cheap and it helps. But what other insulation is available? There's history of what has been used, and what's available now isn't much different, but it's better. Tar paper was common, roofing insulation is often used, already packaged units like a Bee Cozy, or those made by BetterBee are available and work well. New insulated tops are available and should be considered for both keeping warm in during winter, and heat out during summer. Winter ventilation is still an issue with some kinds of wintering techniques and you have to deal with that, too. Styrofoam boxes, and sheets are used with good success. Winter protection, wrapping, and all the different kinds of hives….now is the time to figure it out. ___________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Do you remember what it was like when you first started keeping bees? Beekeeping was easier years ago, and most of us wanted more bees, more hives, more skills, more of everything beekeeping. But there's a next chapter. Beekeepers today are better educated because there's more to do now. So, it's not wrong to want to take a day, a week, a whole season off. And there will be good times and bad times. And yes, some won't come back. Sometimes, learning something new will keep you going. Learn queen rearing, or pollen collection, or…. something you haven't done before to get you going again. But it's OK to do something else for a while. Beekeeping will come back, or it won't. And no matter what, it is alright! __________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

There are, in most places, a mix of native and invasive plants that our bees will visit because they don't distinguish good from bad, noxious from native. They are looking for food, regardless of the source. This week Kim and Jim touch on a few of these, and try and come up with some recommendations and perhaps some plans on dealing with invasive plants and your honey bees. They start with the Chinese Tallow lawsuit going on in the south, with USDA wanting rid of it by introducing a natural pest. And purple loosestrife is now starting to diminish because they already have introduced a natural pest for that handsome weed and very predictable honey crop. But Black Locust, Norway Maple, Japanese Knotweed, Kudzu vine, English Ivy and Autumn Olive are looked at too. There are pages of introduced species of plants, many of which are terrific honey plants. The message is….if you and your bees are dependent on introduced or noxious weeds as food sources and a honey crop, you may want to be aware, because those plants might not be there for long. __________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

If you have to feed your bees this fall, something probably went wrong this summer. Spring feeding, or feeding packages or splits is maybe more common, but there are some things to think about if you have to feed your bees in the fall. Is what went wrong the fault of your bees, your management, or the environment your bees have to live in. Too many row crops, pesticides, too much lawn…is there really any food out there at all? How much food does a colony actually need to get through the winter? You also have to think about what kind of feeders will you use, what will you feed, how much should you feed, and when do you stop feeding. All of these questions have to have answers, before you start. Fall feeding may not be as simple as you thought it was. __________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Think about honey bees overwintering in a tree. There's 4 to 6 inches of insulation, pretty good ventilation, and it's lined with propolis. Now think of our bees living in a box with less than an inch of wood for protection. We pretty much don't think of wintering anymore. There's lots of bees, swarms, we can replace what we lose easily…. well, it was easy, but it's not so much anymore. Varroa changed that. We can protect them if we want. Insulated covers, insulated wraps, roofing paper, all manner of things we can get, and all require some level of labor to make work. Expanded styrene boxes seem to be pretty good. Lots of insulation for both winter cold and summer heat and they use both sides of every frame. They don't recognize warm winter days though, so there's that. In the old days beekeepers went to a lot of trouble to keep their bees alive overwinter and with the new controlled environment buildings, that sort of care is coming back. Winter protection can mean different things based on where you live – after all, all beekeeping is local. However, no matter where you live, preparing for winter and protecting the colony inside a hive is something our bees need now more than ever. __________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

There's a saying – Winter Begins in August and it's already September. It's time to start thinking about getting ready for winter. What can and what should you be thinking about? Well, if winter is cold where you are, can you move your bees to somewhere that's warm? If moving bees is at all possible. What about indoor wintering? It used to be popular and it's coming back, but the indoors are a lot more sophisticated than they used to be. Is that possible? And are your bees winter hardy, or are they softies? And can you fix that yet this year with a tougher queen? And absolutely get varroa under control. Yesterday. What about food? How was/is/will be the fall flow this fall? Enough, not enough, need more? And if not, how much will you have to find for them? And what equipment will you need when you really get ready for winter? Get it now, or it may be gone. It's time to start thinking about winter, isn't it. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Right now, you have to make some decisions about how to overwinter your colonies. If you live in the deep south, there probably isn't much to think about. But if you live north of warm winter weather, there's a lot that has to be done. One of these tasks is what to do with a couple of small, weak colonies, because they are just not big enough to make it on their own. Several options are available. In this week's episode, Kim and Jim look at the strengths and weaknesses of each to help you better decide what you can do with your weak colonies. Combine the two and keep the best queen? That's one way, but which queen is the best queen, and why? And why were both colonies small and weak? And what do you do with the queen that you decide to remove? Or, perhaps you can combine the two and add some bees and comb and make one stronger colony or nuc to overwinter, so you will have a nuc in your beeyard next spring, which is always a good thing. Or, what about putting those small colonies in a well-insulated hive box so they don't have to work so hard, and maybe both will make it? Other overwintering schemes are discussed, but the most practical, perhaps, is the most common way to handle this overwintering question. Listen in and you can decide what is best for your operation. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Beekeepers are very often asked to help friends or neighbors that have "bee" problems…. honey bees, carpenter bees, yellow jackets, hornets, bumblebees and the like. But most of us aren't exterminators. We don't have the tools, the experience, or the time to help. But "can't you just get rid of them for me?" lets you know they think you know how to do this… and are 'glad to help.' Sometimes they are your bees. A colony swarms and if you are lucky lands in a tree or bush and are easy to retrieve. Sometimes though, they head for that hole in the siding and take up residence in the wall of your neighbor's house. What then? What about liability? What happens if you do decide to help, climb a ladder and fall off. What then? Or you tell your neighbor what to do and they fall off the ladder? Do you lend them your gear? Suit, smoker, hive tool? If you do it, are you serving as an exterminator then? Practicing without a license? But what about a dangerous situation, like a kid coming home from school and seeing for the first time that huge bald faced hornet nest? Shouldn't you have been out there long before, just to help? Listen today! You'll find that it may not be as easy as just saying, "call an exterminator". ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

When you finish extracting your honey crop, you have frames that have sticky, gooey honey in the cells, and on the frame surfaces. There may be some crystalized honey in some of the cells, too. Maybe even some pollen stored there. So how do you clean up this mess so when you go to store the supers with these frames in them for the winter, they will be safe? Kim and Jim take a look at dealing with these wet combs so they get clean and are easy to store for the winter, no matter where you winter. The most common way is to put the frames back in the supers just harvested and put the supers back on your hives. Then in a few days, the bees will have cleaned up the mess and you're left with a super full of clean, dry, not sticky frames. Usually. Some beekeepers just set the just-extracted supers outside and let the bees clean them up. But there are a lot of problems with this you may want to avoid. Robbing, sharing diseases and more can happen. Once the frames have been cleaned by the bees, they are dry, not sticky and have no more honey in them. But what about that crystalized honey that was there, and how do they clean them, really? And what about wax moth, and small hive beetles? Storing these now clean supers can be a problem needing solved before you decide where to store them. Unheated storage in the north works because these pests don't do well in the cold, but what about storage in heated buildings or in the south, where it's warm all year? Some beekeepers just store this equipment on the bees overwinter. Will the bees keep these pests at bay? Extracting is a messy business and with it comes the afterlife of those wet, sticky frames that need a good cleaning, and then safe winter storage. Check out some of the ways Kim and Jim make sure this happens to your frames. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

What do you do about ugly or mean bees? It can be difficult to determine which colony in a beeyard with several colonies is the one, or maybe one of several, that has scouting guard bees meet you at the gate when you go to a beeyard. If you can determine which colony is the one with the problems, why is it behaving so aggressively? Several reasons come to mind – something is bothering it at night, maybe a skunk for several nights, then you come along and they've about had it with being disturbed. Or, you caught a swarm. Where did those bees come from? Did you make a split, keep the mother-queen and let the other half raise their own queen? Who she mated with could result in a mean colony due to genes. Sometimes, it's just because a big colony has more bees, more guards, more foragers…just more bees. So, a big colony is going to be more of everything…more bees, more honey, more guards. More mean. What do you do? Worry about the neighbors? Wear heavy duty equipment? Work them at a different time of day? Have a second, isolated beeyard? Do mean colonies make more honey than gentle colonies? Sometimes. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Every spring we beekeepers buy packages and set up nucs. Come summer, we start to look at what is going right and what may be going… well… not so right. Or at least, something is going but we're not quite certain just what! In this episode, Kim and Jim discuss the hives they started this past spring and compare notes. They're only 30 miles apart and you might think weather and time have treated them equally and… you would be surprised. How was the new queen accepted? How has the honey flow from tree crops such as Tulip, Poplar, and Basswood? Is any clover blooming? How are the over-wintered colonies doing this summer? Are they kicking it into overdrive and really producing? Or were they super swarmy, and/or busy replacing the queen and/or highly defensive compared to the prior season? Can the Queen be root of all the problems? Speaking of problems… who's dealing with Hive Beetles? Kim or Jim? Listen today as Kim and Jim discuss all things honey bees. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC jwYC9w1thicbKHEdoGaM

Beekeepers talk a lot about not having enough food or enough good food for their bees due to all manner of development, agriculture spread, and agriculture in general. To help fix that problem beekeepers should be looking at doing some planting for bees, which is what Kim and Jim talk about this week. But it's not as simple as it might sound. If you are planning on something for your yard, the basic gardening techniques can be an issue – dealing with sod removal, local animals that will enjoy what you plant, and even neighbors that might find what you are doing, ummmm, less than appealing for the neighborhood. And of course, if you don't have enough good food, you need something, like, right now for starters, like some annuals, then some longer-term plantings of perennials and shrubs, and of course some permanent plantings like blooming trees and fruit trees. Making this all work certainly takes a lot of work, which, if you're not a spring chicken any more, means a lot of work you may not want to get too involved in. So what then? And that's what Kim and Jim try and figure out. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Kim and Jim ask some interesting questions this week, maybe some you've asked yourself, or perhaps you asked a close friend. For instance, should a colony being used for honey production spend time and energy raising drones? Or should a beekeeper be getting rid of drones? There are some who believe so. And where do you go to get good information when you have a honey bee question? The web? And if so, which websites do you seek out? What about books and magazines? And for what subjects? Is there a single source? And was there some advice a respected and trusted source gave you long ago that you used for years, but finally figured out it was bad advice? There's probably several things you still do that you shouldn't, right? And the first question? What's the one thing in your beekeeping life that you are most proud of? And why? Join Kim and Jim, and try and answer their questions this week. Let them know if you can….. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Have you ever had European Foulbrood (EFB) in one or more of your hives? How do you know if it was EFB? What does it look like? What does it smell like? Does it smell like American Foulbrood (AFB), or look like AFB? If you're not sure, how do you find out? Who can you call? And what can you do about it if it is EFB? Burn, treat, scorch, feed, let it alone because it will get better? And if you need to treat, do you know a veterinarian who can give you a prescription so you can buy an antibiotic to treat with? Kim and Jim talk about EFB today. They don't necessarily give you all the answers, because ID and treatment aren't perfectly defined anymore. Tune in and hear why! ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

It's been hot in Ohio so far this summer (and a lot of other places too) but it's also been wet. Hot and wet can make keeping bees a lot harder than normal. Kim and Jim talk about hot summers and their bees. Kick the air conditioner down a couple of degrees, pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage and listen in. Jim is visiting up in Michigan this week, and it's been hot there, too. They share the same loss of enthusiasm and eagerness for working bees when it's hot and it seems the bees are crankier than usual. Is that normal? There are lots of bees bearding on the front of the hives… The 'personality' changes in the bee yards every summer, hot or not. Up to the middle of June of so, the bees don't even notice a beekeeper, but then that changes and the bees give all manner of trouble each visit visits. What's going on? Dearth, robbing, what ever it is it lasts until at least early October, when they quite down again. Shade helps. Get them in afternoon shade if you can. It's a lot easier on the bees, and even more so for the beekeeper. What about water? You have to make sure there's always water available in your yard. Keep your bees out of your neighbor's pools and pet dishes, so they stay out of trouble. Hot summers and honey bees. Turn that air conditioner down a couple more degrees, will you please? Watch the Honey Bee Obscura VideoMoment for this episode here: https://youtu.be/IWr7Bj0EUQs ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

How many colonies had to be replaced last year? How many in winter, summer, total? How many beekeepers were surveyed? How many commercial operations, how many sideline operations, and how many hobby beekeepers? It used to be called the annual colony loss survey, but even that has changed because one thing they have found is that colony counts aren't decreasing, because they are replaced, and are now considered turnovers, not losses. The Bee Informed Colony Management survey went looking for the answers to these questions, and more in their 15th annual survey and the preliminary results are in. The value of this survey, and the information that you can get out of it is incredible, if you use it the right way if you are having the same kinds of problems, or successes these beekeepers are having. This time, Kim and Jim take a look at the some of the data, putting it into everyday beekeeping language that everybody can use. Varroa, of course is a major issue, but not for everybody. Queen issues the same, some replace annually, some never, at least on purpose. Queens, you know, are the second biggest problem Kim and Jim have every year. What about you? Is summer a greater loss period than winter? What can be done about any of these issues? Can you change the way you are doing things to reduce your annual turnover? Everybody, it seems, is more or less in the same boat. But the data here is good for planning for the coming winter, next spring, next summer, where to get queens. All the info is in the preliminary report, and will be explained in detail when the full report is released. Stay tuned! Links and websites mentioned in this podcast: Bee Informed Partnership - https://beeinformed.org 2020-2021 Prelim Survey Online Results - https://beeinformed.org/2021/06/21/united-states-honey-bee-colony-losses-2020-2021-preliminary-results/ ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

A question from a book written 107 years ago comes up for discussion. "How do you keep your bees from bothering your neighbors?" Back then, it was mostly cattle and horses beekeepers were worried about Today? It's the people in the house right next door, their swimming pool, their bird feeders and waterers and the water for their pooch. First, is it legal to keep bees where you are? Then how do you get along with your neighbors? Where are your bees? Do you have a fence? (It's still true – Good fences make good neighbors.) No question when you have bees. Fence or no fence, robbing is still an issue, all of the time. It was good advice to avoid robbing 107 years ago, and it is good advice today. When you go to your bee yard, it's hard to be subtle – smoker going, white suit, veil…neighbors are going to notice. Just how do you keep your bees will determine just how well you get along with your neighbors! In this episode, Kim and Jim discuss some finer aspects of dealing with neighbors! ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

It's rare, very rare, but sometimes beekeepers have to kill all the bees in a colony. It can be a tragic, emotional and usually it's an expensive experience. Or it can be a life saving act to save the lives of friends, neighbors and family. At the very least, it will render a box of dangerous or sick bees no longer dangerous or reduce the chance of spreading disease across the county. At any rate, it is painful to have to do this. There are usually only 2 reasons this has to be done. The presence of American Foulbrood in a colony that has been identified by a governing body, with state laws in place that essentially force this is probably the most common reason, but still, this isn't very common anymore. The second reason is that the genetics of the bees in the colony are such that aggression is extreme, and the presence of the colony causes danger for the beekeeper and/or nearby people. The why is often clear. The how can sometimes be less clear. If possible, late night so all the foragers are home and no stragglers are left in the bee yard to harass people, or to spread disease. Closing the colony so no bees can escape, rendering it essentially leak proof, and dumping in a 2 or 3-gallon pail of hot, very soapy water is usually the method of dispatching the bees. Leaving it closed for a day is a good idea before checking. If aggression is the issue, occasionally moving the bees to a less dangerous place is an option, though not always the best option. Vehicle, time of day and the like can be issues to work through. When dealing with overly defensive bees, safety for the beekeeper and the beekeeper's neighbors should always be the top concern. In this episode, Kim & Jim discuss this extraordinary, but necessary, course of action a beekeeper may face. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Let's face it. Unless you live in an isolated part of the world, if you keep bees, you will need to eventually deal with encounters between your bees and your neighbors. Encounters don't have to be negative. There are strategies you can use to minimize 'bad publicity' and 'hard feelings.' Some beekeeping clubs have written down these strategies and developed rules, Golden Rules, for beekeepers to help guide them to keep friendly relations with their neighbors. In this episode, our fearless hosts, Kim and Jim take up eight rules used by a UK beekeeping club and explore their experiences with neighbors, bees, and Golden Rules. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Packages arrive with a queen and together are installed in a hive of some kind. In a few days to a week the queen is released from her travel cage by either the bees or the beekeeper. Then the evaluation of that queen, and the bees, too, begins. How good is this queen? And when should I be able to decide if she needs replacing. A week? 2 weeks? A month? And how do you decide? There are some basic parameters you can use to evaluate her performance. You can look at the egg laying pattern she is producing, measure how many eggs she is laying each day, and note if most are workers and only a very few, if any, are drones. Experienced beekeepers can, because of lots of practice, estimate the amount of brood in the colony after a quick inspection, and can determine if she is producing what she should be producing depending the time she has had. Returning in a week, there should be a week's increase in the amount of brood noted. And how much is enough? But what if she isn't producing well? Spotty pattern? Hardly any brood - basically an unorganized nest? And when does she cross the line of being very new, to being very unproductive? Package queens can be tricky to work with, and Jim and Kim look at the ways to measure how she is doing, and what can be done with a queen that's only a C+ instead of an A+. There are several ways to make this work for the colony and for the beekeeper. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Today, Kim & Jim review questions and answers asked in an ancient A. I. Root Co. publication, published in 1910. What's changed, and what hasn't? Kim and Jim tackle questions asked 121 years ago. You'll be surprised at what they find. Do gentle bees make as much honey as mean bees? A question you still hear because sometimes it seems mean bees are more productive, right? Maybe, maybe not. What's the best smoker fuel? Oily rags? You're kidding, right? Pine needles, sawdust and the like too, but a petroleum-based product? Will it blow up in your smoker? What can you do when another beekeeper brings in a truckload of colonies and sets them down next door? Will everybody starve? Can you make them move? Can you stop them in the first place? And how much does a painted 10-frame hive with wired foundation full of bees cost? Then adjust that for inflation. Be sitting down when you read the answer to this one. ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

What is tanging? Basically, beekeepers use some sort of device, an old cooking pot for instance, to make a loud noise by beating it with a spoon or stick, while chasing an escaping swarm. It is thought this may convince the bees that a storm with thunder is approaching and they need to find a place to land, now, and then the beekeeper can capture them and return them to their home. When a beekeeper sees a swarm leave one of their hives, they will chase the swarm to recapture and return it to the apiary. While chasing it, the beekeeper typically crosses the property of several people, and by beating on a pan while chasing the swarm, will let property owners know that 1) the swarm of bees is theirs, and 2) the beekeeper is not there to trespass and offers no danger to the land owner. Or…Perhaps both, but isn't tanging and drumming the same? Not quite. When beekeepers want to move bees out of, say, a section of a hollow tree, they cut the tree, remove the section the colony is in and take it home. Then, they cut the bottom of this just so that there is a hole large enough for the bees to get through, turn the tree section upside down so the hole is now on top, place a new hive, skep or container on the section, and begin to 'drum' on the sides with a stick or old spoon. The sounds and effects of this cause the bees to want to leave, and leaving through the hole on what's now the top is the only way to go. The beekeeper continues this until all the bees have moved up. Kim and Jim briefly explore both of these older beekeeping techniques in today's show. But turn the volume up, it's loud out there. _________________ Be sure to check out the selection of Honey Bee Obscura Video Moments on the OneTewBee YouTube Channel. _________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Honey bees are purchased from commercial operations in business to sell bees to beekeepers. They can be sold as complete eight or ten frame hives with a queen, frames with comb, bees and brood and some stored food. Or, they may be sold as a 5-frame small colony, traditionally called a nucleus colony, or more commonly a Nuc, with a queen, comb, food and bees. Bees can also be bought in bulk – by the pound, traditionally in a container of some sort, without frames or comb. A queen accompanies the bees, protected in a wooden or plastic queen cage. For over 150 years the containers used to ship the bees from the seller to the purchaser was a box with the top, two sides and the bottom made of wood, with the remaining two sides covered with wire screen so the bees inside had adequate ventilation. A feeder can of sugar syrup is fastened in the box to provide food for the bees for the several days. Once received, the beekeeper removes the feeder from the opening in the top and the bees dumped through this opening. A new shipping box is now available and popular with some package producers. Made of plastic, it had the same dimensions as the traditional package, but all sides have tiny ventilation holes and the walls, top and bottom are thick enough that the bees inside can't reach through and sting someone holding the container, like they could through the screened containers. These, too, have a feeder provided inside with an opening on top. However, one end of the package is attached so it can be opened and the bees removed easily through this much larger opening. There are other significant differences between these two commonly used "packages," in how they are handled, the feeder can, how the bees can be removed, and what to do with the package when the bees are gone. Is this new package better, the same, or not as good as that decades old wood and wire box? Kim and Jim discuss these differences, both good and bad, in this segment of Honey Bee Obscura. _________________ Be sure to check out the selection of Honey Bee Obscura Video Moments on the OneTewBee YouTube Channel, including this one on hiving a package in the rain! https://youtu.be/HLNuFm27E64 _________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Old comb. What is old comb? Old comb is that which is darkened through generations of tiny bee's feet (ok, for the technically minded, tarsus and tarsal claws...) running across its surface. Is it good for years or should beekeepers pull and replace it? At what point should it be pulled? In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Kim and Jim discuss all things Old Comb. After listening to the episode, make sure you check out this Honey Bee Obscura video moment on the OneTewBee YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/s7GD29Z8zD4 _________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Spring inspections, especially early spring, need a balance of not too often, but often enough to avoid problems. The first thing you see is…what's left from last fall. In the south, these inspections took place some time ago, and in the north, they are just wrapping up, but what you find early on will help determine what needs to be done now. Mite testing is certainly on the agenda, but for today, we're going to pass on that and look at food, the queen, where the bees are in the hive and what all this will tell us. Of course, if you see lots of bees with twisted wings, a mite test isn't much of a question, but location of the bees, and is swarming or feeding going to be next? If the bees are in the bottom boxes, you're probably OK for a bit, but if they are in the top boxes, they are probably out of food, so check for honey right now. Too, if they are in the top, it may be crowded and swarming is on their agenda sooner rather than later…check to population's location. How's the queen? How does her brood pattern look, how much brood is there, and where is the most brood? If a solid pattern, and there's 6 – 8 frames fuller than not, you probably have a good queen with a hive full of bees thinking swarm. If a poor pattern, or only 2 – 3 frames, a new queen may be in order. Where can you get a queen now, and what kind of queen would you want? And what about feeding pollen sub and small hive beetles? Right now, the season is being decided for you. Don't let your bees down. Check out Honey Bee Obscura's Video Moment on Spring Inspections HERE. _________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Why do you keep a box full of bugs that you just know will sting? It should be an easy answer, but there's more here that you might think, especially if you're just getting started. Even if you've been doing this for years and you're doing everything right, someday, you will get stung, no matter what. But what about the beekeeper dressed in only shorts and a T-Shirt, who will take a colony apart, remove the queen, put it back together, and walk away with a smile – and no stings. You have to admire that skill or is it luck? Basic advice – always wear a veil, always. If you're going to be opening and moving things, wear at least a veil and a jacket. If you're going to be moving bees in the middle of the night or harvesting honey, wear a full suit with gloves and elastic around your cuffs and wrists. Even more basic advice – Respect stings, wear protective gear, take care of the people around you to reduce chances they will get stung, but just know, it's going to happen. It's all in a day's work. Listen to Kim & Jim today as they discuss this most basic and most painful aspect of beekeeping! _________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

So, how do you eat comb honey? It isn't a mystery, but until you have tried eating comb honey, it can be a tad daunting. At first, it's a beautiful product. Snow white cappings, beautiful honey, the perfect sweetener. But then, you take a sample and that chunk of comb honey begins to leak, and the honey runs out and covers the bottom of the dish you have it on, along with tiny chunks of the wax from the cells and the cappings and the foundation. Suddenly it's messy. Very messy. And the beauty of the honey only remains in the eye of the beholder. The plastic honey bear has made eating honey easy, neat, clean, and not messy. It has taken comb honey mostly off the tables of several generations of beekeepers and the people who like eating honey. Beekeepers make far less of it than when your grandparents were keeping bees and people now don't know what it is, how to handle it, nor how to eat it. And consider - comb honey is the least processed, best tasting honey you can eat. And the bees do it all. No harvesting, no extracting, no filtering, no heating, no bottling, and never touched by human hands. So, how do you eat comb honey? Just as fast as you can and then ask for seconds. It's that good. _________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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 _________________ 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! ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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 _________________ 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! ______________________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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/ __________ 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! 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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 __________ 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! 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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. __________ 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! 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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. __________ 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! 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

What beekeepers choose to wear for protection is determined by many factors. Kim and Jim explore several of the most influential choices today when talking about Protective Gear. Choices are mostly determined by what you have and what you will be doing during any particular visit. Or is it? Do you need to wear the same gear for a quick inspection as you do for moving hives? What about gloves? What kind of veil? There are so many different types to choose from. The catalogs are full of things to look at, dream about and order! Of course, as you learn more, you'll want more. That's what Christmas and birthdays are all about. Listen to Kim and Jim talk about their experiences with protective gear and you may save some money and look good at the same time! __________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Kim and Jim trade notes of the things about bees and beekeeping that are fun, enjoyable, educational and generous. It's about honey, gardens, a spring day, being an expert, capturing swarms and the things that work well when you work hard. The pluses outweigh the minuses, every time. __________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

When you look at a hive, you will see many different variations in hive equipment, components, tools and things to "make the beekeeper's job easier". So, what kind of equipment do you use? In this episode, Kim and Jim talk about covers and the rocks we put on them, inner covers, queen excluders, slatted racks and all kinds of bottom boards. It's amazing how much stuff beekeepers use. Listen today! __________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Checking your colonies on a cold, snowy, winter day isn't something you probably want to do, but colonies in our care need to be looked after – no matter the season. How and what you can and cannot check depend on where your bees are. A cold and blustery northeast Ohio is where Kim and Jim are today, but what about warmer places, like far southern Alabama, where Jim used to live? Kim and Jim explore what a beekeeper should be looking after and what to do when something is amiss, such as: Missing hive tops Plugged entrances Do they buzz when you come aknocking? What about "hefting" or "tipping" to determine stores? Can you open them in the Winter? Kim and Jim explore all these questions this time. Sit back and listen in on this short, informative discussion on checking your bees in mid-winter, no matter where your bees are sitting out the winter! __________ 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 Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Once you look at it, managing your space is probably the biggest challenge most beekeepers have. You have more bee equipment inside in the winter than the summer. What do you do with all of it? And once processing honey gets started, and done… what do you do with it all? Figure this out and keeping bees gets a lot less challenging. __________ Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Of course, it's best to leave enough food on going into winter so the bees don't get stressed or starve, but sometimes that isn't in the equation. You take too much honey or they simply didn't make enough during the summer. Then what? Several possibilities – fondant can work, sometimes or simply putting dry sugar on the inner cover or sugar blocks or what's probably best, sharing honey from colonies that have more than enough with those that don't. __________ Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Honey Bee Obscura is a brand new podcast focusing solely on honey bees and honey bee management. In fact... all things honey bees. Join each week as former Bee Culture editor and current cohost of Beekeeping Today Podcast, Kim Flottum and long time Bee Culture contributor and former OSU Extension Specialist, Dr. Jim Tew meet to explore and discuss important topics important to beekeepers everywhere in short, concise episodes. __________ Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom Copyright © 2021 by Growing Planet Media, LLC