Honey Bee Obscura Podcast

Listeners, Kim and Jim are busy in the bee yard this week and have chosen this episode from the archive, for your listening pleasure. Thank you for listening!

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

______________________

Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

______________________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Copyright © 2023 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

On today’s episode, Kim and Jim discuss all the pros and cons about marking queens.

Lots of questions come up when you mention marking queens. For most of us it’s a no brainer. “Look, there’s that yellow spot, there’s the queen!”

MARKING HER MAKES FINDING HER EASY, RIGHT?

Yes, but how does that yellow spot get there? Mostly, or at least often we just buy them marked so we don’t have to do it ourselves. Actually marking a queen can be a stressful moment in her life, and yours. How do you pick her up? How do you hold her? What paint do you use? What kind of brush or pen do you use? What about those contraptions that hold the queen for you? What if you get paint on her eyes? What happens if she escapes and flys away? And isn’t there some law or rule about what color you use this year as opposed to last year or next?

A marked queen makes keeping that colony happy, healthy, wealthy and wise is such a good idea. So this year, learn how. Here’s a trick. Practice on a couple hundred drones before you mark your first queen. You’ll be glad you did.

What do you think? Add your thoughts to the comments below!

__________________

Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

______________________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Copyright © 2023 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

American Foulbrood is in the news lately... and for a good, positive reason. But what does it mean if you determine or a state apiarist determines you have a case or two or more of AFB in your bee yard? A vaccine is not a cure. It is a means for prevention.

In today’s episode, Jim invites Beekeeping Today Podcast’s Jeff Ott on to talk about American Foulbood, the stigma attached to AFB and the go-to recommendation of burning all contaminated equipment, bees and wax is not one you want associated with your operation.

Not withstanding the recent news, AFB has dropped from the attention of today’s beekeepers - replaced by the devastation and losses caused by Varroa. But before varroa, there was American Foulbrood. It is likely many new beekeepers today have never seen AFB and would not recognize it, attributing a colony’s demise to Varroa. To complicate and obscure things even greater, a colony today with AFB will inevitably have Varroa.

Ignoring American Foulbrood is mistake that has deadly consequences. This is one disease you need to continually monitor for, especially in your weak and dead colonies.

We hope you enjoyed today's episode. Please follow today and leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you!

___________________

Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

______________________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Copyright © 2023 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

On today’s show, Kim and Jim discuss the most common ‘complaint’ a beekeeper who sells honey encounters. This is true whether you are selling from the back of your truck, at a roadside stand or even a local farmer’s market. What do you tell your customer who brings you or asks you about granulated honey in the jar? How you answer this may make the difference between a lifelong customer or someone who never buys honey again.

How one addresses this is as varied as there are people who eat honey. From stove tops, to microwave ovens (don’t do it), to electric blankets and even sawing the plastic bear in half (don’t do this either...). Kim and Jim discuss it all.

They’re not talking about five gallon buckets or barrels of honey, but consumer’s plastic bears, mason and queenlike jars. What is the best message for your customers so they don’t needlessly throw away good honey?

Listen in to the discussion. What do you you tell your customers? Let them know in the comments below!

We hope you enjoyed today's episode. Please follow or subscribe today and leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you!

___________________

Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

______________________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Copyright © 2022 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

In this episode, Jim revisits a small swarm he first discussed in June. As he inspects the colony, Jim shares his observations and strategies for nurturing this struggling swarm. Despite initial doubts, the colony has grown significantly, demonstrating resilience in the face of challenges such as wax moth infestations and minimal nectar flow. Jim highlights the importance of providing support through interventions like pollen substitutes and honey frames.

This episode offers practical insights into managing small, late-season swarms and emphasizes the delicate balance of beekeeping decisions. Join Jim for a candid look at the ups and downs of nurturing a small colony back to health.

Listen today!

______________________

Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Feeding your bees is a breeze with the Bee Smart Designs Ultimate Direct Feeder! By placing it on top of your uppermost box with a medium hive body around it, you can feed your bees directly while minimizing the risk of robbing. Plus, for a limited time, if you order a Bee Smart Designs Direct Feeder, you'll receive a free sample of HiveAlive and a coupon for future discounts with your new feeder! HiveAlive supplements, made from seaweed, thyme, and lemongrass, help your colonies thrive, boost honey production, reduce overwinter mortality, and improve bee gut health. Visit betterbee.com/feeder to get your new feeder and free HiveAlive sample today!

______________________

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

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Cartoons by: John Martin (Beezwax Comics)

Copyright © 2024 by Growing Planet Media, LLC