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The Buzz About Bees

Education Podcasts

Learn all about honey bees, beekeeping and pollination told by a commercial beekeeper. This podcast isn’t just for beekeepers. I talk about all all kinds of pollinators, how we can help them thrive and talk to people who have dedicated their lives to helping bees. This podcast is for anyone who wants to learn more about bees. We release 2 episodes a month. One episode is about bees and pollinators. The second episode is about the basics of beekeeping.

Location:

United States

Description:

Learn all about honey bees, beekeeping and pollination told by a commercial beekeeper. This podcast isn’t just for beekeepers. I talk about all all kinds of pollinators, how we can help them thrive and talk to people who have dedicated their lives to helping bees. This podcast is for anyone who wants to learn more about bees. We release 2 episodes a month. One episode is about bees and pollinators. The second episode is about the basics of beekeeping.

Language:

English


Episodes

How to Create a Pollinator Garden

2/12/2021
One of the best ways you can help the bees is by planting food for the bees! Claire Jones, a garden designer and beekeeper, joins me on this episode. Learn what to plant for bees, why bees need flowers and which plants will help the bees the most. Claire also explains what grows well in containers, other places you can plant flowers other than your backyard and more. Show starts at 12:55 Help us out! Fill out our Treatment Free Beekeeping questionnaire at...

Duration:01:05:52

Michael Bush & the Role of the Beekeeper

11/18/2020
What are the bees trying to do and how can I help them accomplish what they're trying to do? That's Michael's take on the role of the beekeeper. In this episode I talk with Michael Bush, author of The Practical Beekeeper (as well as other books), and discuss his lazy beekeeping techniques, developing an intuition with your bees, treatment free beekeeping, how he got started, bee fever and more! Michael's website > http://bushfarms.com/bees.htm All of his books can be found on Amazon and...

Duration:01:30:49

The Life & Legacy of Eva Crane

10/25/2020
I wanted to take a break from the science of bees and beekeeping and share with you the story of one of the most well known and influential writers about beekeeping, Eva Crane. The Eva Crane story starts at 21:45. Your Free Getting Started Guide Download your free copy of The 7 Steps to Getting Started Keeping Bees at www.beekeepingmadesimple.com/freebeebook.

Duration:00:43:38

Randy Oliver from Scientific Beekeeping on breeding Varroa Resistant Bees, Mite Tests & More!

10/10/2020
Randy Oliver from scientificbeekeeping.com talks with me about his work breeding varroa resistant bees that are calm & gentle at his farm in CA. We also talk about the role of the beekeeper when it comes to dealing with varroa mites, why powdered sugar won't get you as accurate of a mite test result as alcohol or dish soap and much more. If you haven't yet, check out scientificbeekeeping.com for information about mite testing and mite treatment options. Our Fall sale is going on now! All...

Duration:00:36:27

The Flow Hive. What it's all about and my experience using one.

9/29/2020
This is my second year using a flow hive. My first year I didn't like it, but then I figured out some tricks to harvesting that made me appreciate its convenience. Why is it so popular? Who is it definitely NOT for? What tips do I have for those with a flow hive? These are all the things I address in this episode. Learn from my flow hive harvest mistakes! Watch my top 10 tips to harvesting from the flow hive at our blog. Try our online beekeeping course risk free! Sign up today at...

Duration:00:48:44

How to Make a Bee Hotel & Attracting Tunnel-nesting Bees

9/13/2020
There are over 19,000 different kinds of bees and 30% of them live in a tunnel or cavity. You can help these tunnel-nesting pollinators out by providing a place for them to call home. I'm not sure where the name came from, but kids these days are calling it a bee hotel. Making a bee hotel is a fancy way of saying you're collecting hollow tubes, putting them somewhere and leaving them alone all Spring and Summer. A bee hotel won't get you honey or beeswax, but some of the common...

Duration:00:25:02

What to do with old, dark comb

8/31/2020
You should take the old, dark comb out of my beehive, but then what? If you enjoy my podcast or have found it helpful, leave a review! I would really appreciate it. Watch the video: https://www.beekeepingmadesimple.com/blog/clean-old-dark-comb

Duration:00:14:35

How to Store Honeycomb Over the Winter

8/27/2020
What do people do with their frames of honeycomb after they extract the honey out? That's a big question that few people have a good answer for. You have insects and small animals that will want to eat it and make a home out of it if you don't keep it safe. Luckily, I have a few options for you. I explain what I do, what large apiaries do, and the extra options you guys in cold weather states can do. Check out our video that goes along with this episode -...

Duration:00:15:31

A Few Ways to Get Bees Out of a Honey Super

8/26/2020
It's honey harvesting time. Yay! But you have a box with thousands of bees in it. How do take the honey and leave the bees behind? I explain three options for you: • the recommended option for hobbyists • what many commercial apiaries do when working with thousands of hives • some gadgets that claim to do the work for you Watch our video on how to use bitter almond oil: https://www.beekeepingmadesimple.com/blog/bitter-almond-oil Want more beekeeping how-to information? Check out our...

Duration:00:17:29

A Look at Butterflies & How to Create a Butterfly Garden

8/15/2020
Butterflies! You've seen these beautiful creatures flying around and maybe even tried to catch one as a kid, but how much do you really know about them? Unlike honey bees, they're not great pollinators and they don't produce delicious food for us to eat. None the less, images of butterflies are everywhere - on cards, notebooks, mugs. They add beauty to the world and are a source of food for many animals. In this episode, I talk with Jessica McAtee, a butterfly expert, so we can learn all...

Duration:00:56:41

Bees in the Summer - Heat Waves, Robbing, Bearding & Hurricanes

8/1/2020
As I record this episode today, we are under a hurricane watch and dealing with other Summertime issues like robbing, bearding, high temperatures and dearth. I'll explain what all of these things are and what beekeepers and bee-lovers can do to help the bees when it's super hot out. Just for the fun of it, I'll also talk about honeydew honey (honey made from bug poop) and what to do if bees are visiting your pool. Download our free ebook, 7 Steps to Keeping Bees in Your Own Backyard, at...

Duration:00:36:57

My Experience Working for Commercial Apiaries - the good, the sexist and the annoying

7/16/2020
Before starting my own bee farm I worked for two other apiaries. One was a small farm and the other had 3,000 hives. I cared for bees, gave tours, bread queens, and was told I couldn't be a beekeeper because I was female. In this episode I tell the stories from my 7 years with these companies and witnessing Hawaii go through a terrible collapse of the bee population when the varroa mite arrived. See my photos & videos of the farms & moving the bees at...

Duration:00:40:17

Free bees! How to Lure a Swarm

7/1/2020
For most people, the last thing they want is a swarm of thousands of bees flying by their house, but if you're a beekeeper, it's the best day ever because it means free bees! This episode is about swarms, why bees swarm, and how to lure a swarm with a bait hive. Enroll in our online beekeeping class & start keeping bees! Use promo code PODCAST at beekeepingmadesimple.com for 20% off our Beekeeping for Beginners course. You could be keeping bees in just a couple of months. We'll show you how...

Duration:00:57:03

Beekeepers be warned. How COVID is Affecting Beekeeping.

6/23/2020
"Beekeeping! Let's give it a try." That's what a lot of people said when COVID-19 forced a lot of people into quarantine. I'm not dissing beginner beekeepers, but its causing problems for current beekeepers. In this episode I talk about: Take our beginner beekeeping class online! Learn more and enroll at BeekeepingMadeSimple.com. Use promo code PODCAST for 20% off.

Duration:00:57:03

Beekeeping on Rooftops - Interview with NYC Beekeeper Andrew Cote

6/8/2020
Ever wondered what it would be like to keep bees on the rooftops of buildings in New York City? In this episode I talk with author, and urban beekeeper, Andrew Cote, about his childhood growing up as a 4th generation beekeeper, his non-profit Bees Without Borders, why he tells people his profession is truck driver and all the work that goes into keeping bees in a big city (don't forget you have to pay the meter!). Check out Andrew's new book, Honey and Venom, Confessions of an Urban...

Duration:00:56:54

The 7 Steps to Getting Started Keeping Bees

5/26/2020
It can be overwhelming getting started keeping bees. There's equipment to buy, BEES to buy, lots of stuff to learn and getting stung! In this episode, I break down the steps I teach my students in our Intro to Beekeeping class. It's what I wish I knew when I was getting started and what has worked well for my students. I have a special gift for you! Download our ebook, The 7 Steps to Keeping Bees in Your Own Backyard for free! Go to beekeepingmadesimple.com. There's checklists, diagrams...

Duration:00:20:34

Asian Giant Hornet Update & Some of the Dumb Things I've Done as a Beekeeper

5/6/2020
Some myth busting about the Asian Giant Hornet & why it could potentially cause a lot of harm to the honey bee population. Then, I talk about all the dumb things I've done over the years as a beekeeper - why wearing fuzzy pants is a bad idea, how being a cheap beekeeper has led to a lot of these problems & why I've had to pull over on the side of a highway to let bees out of my car. If you're just getting started keeping bees or are thinking about it, I hope these stories encourage you to...

Duration:00:45:03

Why Beekeeping is the Ultimate Hobby for Self-sufficiency

3/27/2020
People are running to the store to stock up on food and other necessities, but what are they doing to become more self-sufficient? With just the five products you can harvest from a beehive, you can produce a sweetener, cough medicine, lotion, an immune boosting elixir, and protein-rich food. You can also create your own wood stain and furniture protector and make fabric water resistant. In this episode, I talk about the many things you can do with the products harvested from the beehive...

Duration:00:20:08

Royal Jelly - Is it Really the Fountain of Youth?

3/15/2020
Royal Jelly! What an amazing substance, or so they say. It can help with fertility, it can lower cholesterol, it adds collagen to your face and is a supplement that boosts your immune and gives you energy!! BUT, it's also harvested by killing baby queen bees. Is this substance ethical? You decide for yourself. In this episode I talk about what royal jelly is, how it's harvested, its uses, how expensive it is and what's in it. I'll also give my take on whether I think it is ethical or...

Duration:00:20:48

A Look at Oxalic Acid for Treating Mites

1/22/2020
I try to keep this podcast about topics that beekeepers & non-beekeepers can both enjoy, but this was a topic I thought deserved its own episode. Sorry non beekeepers. Oxalic acid is a popular treatment for varroa mites, but was only approved to be used in the U.S. in 2015. This episode talks about what oxalic acid is, the different methods it's used in the hive and my experience using it. Since my bees are in Hawaii where the weather is always warm and there is always brood present in the...

Duration:00:27:19