WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.660 May I have your attention, please? The following 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:10.519 is not the real Jeff Fox review. If you failed 00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:15.300 freshman science, but now teach honeybee anatomy 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:20.780 at your local bee club, you might be a beekeeper. 00:00:22.899 --> 00:00:27.339 If you use a queen clip to keep your hair out... 00:00:27.309 --> 00:00:32.429 your face during hive inspection, you might be 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:39.009 a beekeeper. If you go to the car wash and the 00:00:39.009 --> 00:00:42.850 attendant there says, I can't get rid of these 00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:48.289 orange spots on your vehicle, you might be a 00:00:48.289 --> 00:00:57.939 beekeeper. Welcome welcome to Be Love Beekeeping 00:00:57.939 --> 00:01:02.140 presented by Man Lake. A very special thank you 00:01:02.140 --> 00:01:05.280 to all those who contributed ideas for the new 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:08.599 versions of the not real Jeff Fox worthy intros. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:11.519 If you sent one in and didn't hear it today keep 00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:14.239 listening over the next few weeks you will probably 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:17.620 hear it. Our guest today is a special representative 00:01:17.620 --> 00:01:20.760 from Man Lake to discuss what we need to do for 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:24.250 our bees in the spring. plus new beekeeping inventions, 00:01:24.849 --> 00:01:27.370 wax -dipped woodenware, and much, much more. 00:01:27.829 --> 00:01:30.170 Before we check in with her, let's hear a couple 00:01:30.170 --> 00:01:32.790 new wild and crazy beekeeping stories from our 00:01:32.790 --> 00:01:39.810 listeners. From Arizona. I've had hives get so 00:01:39.810 --> 00:01:43.290 hot that frames of honey have melted and bees 00:01:43.290 --> 00:01:45.829 have come surfing right out of the entrance. 00:01:46.569 --> 00:01:50.019 And this from Oregon. The first time that I got 00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:53.640 stung was the day that I got a swarm call. Now 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:55.859 realize that this day I was just hanging out 00:01:55.859 --> 00:01:59.239 at home in my underwear. So at that time I just 00:01:59.239 --> 00:02:01.900 put on a whole bee suit, socks, boots, and went 00:02:01.900 --> 00:02:05.060 out. I didn't even realize that I had forgotten 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:08.960 to zip the ankles closed until we shook the swarm 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:12.439 out onto a sheet and a bee crawled up my leg 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:16.789 and stung my left butt cheek. Alright. Enough 00:02:16.789 --> 00:02:19.849 for the silliness today. Let's get on with our 00:02:19.849 --> 00:02:25.310 guest. I would like to welcome our special guest 00:02:25.310 --> 00:02:29.830 today, Jenna Prozoski. How are you, Jenna? I'm 00:02:29.830 --> 00:02:33.150 doing fabulous. I'm excited for spring. Definitely 00:02:33.150 --> 00:02:35.330 ready to get into the beekeeping season this 00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:38.330 year. Well, speaking of that, I want to jump 00:02:38.330 --> 00:02:41.050 into where you live and what it's like beekeeping 00:02:41.050 --> 00:02:44.189 there. You're in Minnesota. Yes. Are you sort 00:02:44.189 --> 00:02:47.650 of in the middle part of the state? North Central. 00:02:48.150 --> 00:02:51.189 So if you put a pin right in the center of Minnesota, 00:02:51.430 --> 00:02:54.550 we're about an hour north of there. So we do 00:02:54.550 --> 00:02:56.870 have harsher winters, colder temperatures in 00:02:56.870 --> 00:03:00.490 the wintertime. We just wrapped up a pretty nasty 00:03:00.490 --> 00:03:03.050 cold stretch where there was a lot of below zero 00:03:03.050 --> 00:03:06.069 temperatures. So I'm glad to be past that. I'm 00:03:06.069 --> 00:03:08.830 hoping that that's the last of it for this year. 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:11.819 for the listeners. We're recording near the end 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:14.300 of February. This isn't going to come out until 00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:18.830 in March sometime. Hopefully by March, you've 00:03:18.830 --> 00:03:22.590 got flowers and 60 degrees and who knows. In 00:03:22.590 --> 00:03:24.909 March, where we're at, we usually get at least 00:03:24.909 --> 00:03:29.710 one good snowstorm. It's usually around the big 00:03:29.710 --> 00:03:31.729 basketball tournament, college basketball tournament. 00:03:32.150 --> 00:03:34.849 We seem to always get a snowstorm beginning of 00:03:34.849 --> 00:03:37.610 March. And even sometimes we've gotten snow in 00:03:37.610 --> 00:03:40.870 early April, so our winters do last a long time 00:03:40.870 --> 00:03:43.759 here. I don't feel that sorry for you then. I 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:45.719 thought it was a lot colder in Minnesota, but 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:48.879 we've had snow in May. And a couple of years 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:54.120 ago, we had a freeze in our garden on June 30th. 00:03:54.460 --> 00:03:57.840 I as long as I've been gardening, I don't think 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:01.580 I've really had a hard freeze after the beginning 00:04:01.580 --> 00:04:07.139 of June. So I I'm lucky to have at least a little 00:04:07.139 --> 00:04:09.659 bit more temperate climate once we get into into 00:04:09.659 --> 00:04:12.960 June. Anyway, any idea how your personal bees 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:15.979 are doing this year? So I have three hives. It's 00:04:15.979 --> 00:04:18.939 not a huge beekeeper. I like to keep bees for 00:04:18.939 --> 00:04:21.680 pollination in my garden because I'm an avid 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:24.420 gardener. So far, so good. All three colonies 00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:27.050 were really strong going into the winter. Just 00:04:27.050 --> 00:04:29.829 as a preventative, I always add in extra winter 00:04:29.829 --> 00:04:33.550 feed just to be safe. I need to get into my hives 00:04:33.550 --> 00:04:35.649 yet to see exactly how much of that they have 00:04:35.649 --> 00:04:37.990 left. Because yesterday was really the first 00:04:37.990 --> 00:04:41.769 warm day that we've had this winter where I could 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:44.449 do that. So I'm hoping this week to get in. But 00:04:44.449 --> 00:04:46.829 so far, so good. All three are still buzzing 00:04:46.829 --> 00:04:49.939 inside their boxes. That is awesome. In fact, 00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:52.180 I'm doing the same thing today because we may 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:55.220 hit 50 degrees here today. We're having a little 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:57.639 warm snap, so I'm going to go see how they're 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:00.939 doing on food. And you should have bees even 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:02.980 flying then doing their cleansing flights at 00:05:02.980 --> 00:05:06.819 50. Yeah, yeah, so I'm pretty excited for this 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:09.259 afternoon and it's a nice sunny day, so I think 00:05:09.259 --> 00:05:11.899 it's going to be a good one. So I'm going to 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:15.060 let people know up front you are marketing director 00:05:15.060 --> 00:05:18.579 for Man Lake. We're in love with Man Lake around 00:05:18.579 --> 00:05:22.459 here as people know I'm not gonna apologize for 00:05:22.459 --> 00:05:25.920 that one little bit But I want to hear and we 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:28.259 are I promise listeners. We are not turning this 00:05:28.259 --> 00:05:31.339 into an infomercial today, but I think there's 00:05:31.339 --> 00:05:34.279 some things that People don't know about Man 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:36.939 Lake that'd be good for them to know for example 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:39.980 your app and your AI tool Can you just give us 00:05:39.980 --> 00:05:42.800 an idea of some of those things? Yeah, so over 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:45.759 the past year and a half, two years, we have 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:50.120 really put a lot of energy towards building resources 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:53.939 for beekeepers because we know, especially when 00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:56.860 you're first getting started, it's not necessarily 00:05:56.860 --> 00:06:01.680 an easy hobby to get into. There's tons of information 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:07.120 out there. tried to just become a reliable resource 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:10.839 for beekeepers. So on our website, we have Bella, 00:06:10.939 --> 00:06:14.639 who is an AI chatbot, and we have put a lot of 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.800 energy into training her. So she's giving good 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:20.980 information. So if you have just a general beekeeping 00:06:20.980 --> 00:06:24.100 question, you can go on and just type it in and 00:06:24.100 --> 00:06:26.980 she'll give you an answer. Some people are in 00:06:26.980 --> 00:06:29.920 Florida, some are in Alaska. How does Bella know 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:32.930 how to answer their questions? It is helpful 00:06:32.930 --> 00:06:36.709 if you can provide that information. So I'm in 00:06:36.709 --> 00:06:39.930 Florida, when should I feed my bees pollen substitute? 00:06:40.329 --> 00:06:42.389 So the more information that you put into your 00:06:42.389 --> 00:06:44.209 question, the better answer that you're going 00:06:44.209 --> 00:06:48.629 to get from her. And we have really put Bella 00:06:48.629 --> 00:06:52.050 to the test and we've asked customers, even commercial 00:06:52.050 --> 00:06:55.850 beekeepers to just throw some crazy questions 00:06:55.850 --> 00:06:58.589 out there. And the feedback has just been phenomenal 00:06:58.589 --> 00:07:01.519 on the answers that she's giving. She's very, 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:05.660 very good. Very, very smart. Yes. Thanks to all 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:08.139 the good information that went into it. Yeah, 00:07:08.259 --> 00:07:10.779 exactly. How about your app? What can you do 00:07:10.779 --> 00:07:14.240 on the app and why do I want the app versus just 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:17.060 looking up things on my computer? Yeah. So, you 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:19.040 know, a lot of people would think, oh man, like 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:21.360 has an app that's just for shopping. You can 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:23.360 shop on there. Absolutely. All of our products 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:26.519 are available there, but there's also a full 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:30.160 resource library. So We have our videos on there, 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:33.759 blog articles. There's also a plant identification 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:39.379 feature, which we layered in a list of bee friendly 00:07:39.379 --> 00:07:42.139 plants. So if you're out in your garden, you 00:07:42.139 --> 00:07:44.639 want to take a snap of that plant to see if it's 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:48.160 bee friendly, pull up the app, identify the plant, 00:07:48.180 --> 00:07:50.240 and it'll tell you whether or not it is good 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.500 for bees. So what if I'm out on a hike? in the 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:57.980 hills and I see some kind of plant that is just 00:07:57.980 --> 00:08:00.930 covered with bees. So I'm like, I want to get 00:08:00.930 --> 00:08:02.850 that in my yard, but I don't know what it is 00:08:02.850 --> 00:08:05.829 Will it do that also or only tell me if it's 00:08:05.829 --> 00:08:08.430 good for bees? No, it will identify and tell 00:08:08.430 --> 00:08:11.350 you what that plant is There's also a feature 00:08:11.350 --> 00:08:14.310 if you were to build a pollinator garden in your 00:08:14.310 --> 00:08:17.790 area You can select your region and it will list 00:08:17.790 --> 00:08:20.050 out all the pollinator friendly plants that are 00:08:20.050 --> 00:08:22.569 native to your area So you can focus on native 00:08:22.569 --> 00:08:25.329 plants that are bee friendly as well Okay, what 00:08:25.329 --> 00:08:28.250 if I'm somebody that doesn't want to use an app? 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:32.159 afraid of AI and I want to talk to a live person, 00:08:32.700 --> 00:08:35.720 is there some way to call Man Lake and say, hey, 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:38.620 I'm a brand new beekeeper or I've just been doing 00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:40.860 this a couple of years and I have a question 00:08:40.860 --> 00:08:44.799 about such and such. Yeah, we have a dedicated 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:47.240 customer service staff that will answer your 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:50.840 phone calls. One really exciting thing is that 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:54.399 a lot of them are also beekeepers and we have 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:57.669 also put them. through the University of Florida 00:08:57.669 --> 00:09:01.250 Master Beekeepers course. Not everyone has completed 00:09:01.250 --> 00:09:03.830 the course yet, but they are. That's that's part 00:09:03.830 --> 00:09:07.110 of their their training is to learn about beekeeping. 00:09:07.549 --> 00:09:10.649 So if you are getting started and you're uncertain 00:09:10.649 --> 00:09:14.330 of what to get, how many hives to start with 00:09:14.330 --> 00:09:17.029 and just those basic questions, just give us 00:09:17.029 --> 00:09:19.549 a call and we can answer those questions. OK, 00:09:19.629 --> 00:09:21.850 here's one thing that I want to know, and this 00:09:21.850 --> 00:09:24.009 may or may not have anything to do with Mad Lake. 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:27.960 but it has to do with equipment. How do we know 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:30.860 what is good equipment to buy? And I'm talking 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:35.500 wood and wear for starters. Boxes, frames, for 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:38.039 those of us that have bought them from different 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:41.860 places, and some of them seem to hold together 00:09:41.860 --> 00:09:45.259 real well. Some it seems like, oh, when the frames 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:48.759 get propolized and I pry that thing up, it's 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:52.620 splitting apart. Yep. How do I know what's quality 00:09:52.620 --> 00:09:57.320 so I know what to buy and not? So my best advice 00:09:57.320 --> 00:10:01.419 is make sure that you are buying from a trusted 00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:05.440 supplier that manufactures in the US that is 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.120 not importing their woodenware and is especially 00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:11.539 not importing their frames and foundation. And 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:15.720 I say that specifically because there are quality 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:20.259 control efforts in place with the beeswax coating 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:26.279 that we put on our foundation. And that is not 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:32.100 in place in other countries. So if you are buying 00:10:32.100 --> 00:10:35.039 products from Man Lake, I can confidently tell 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:38.580 you that it's safe for you to use in your hive. 00:10:38.659 --> 00:10:41.679 It's safe for your bees. If you're ordering off 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:44.639 of some of those Chinese apps where you can get 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:47.379 things super cheap. I cannot confidently tell 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:50.100 you that what you're getting is quality and what 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:51.799 you're getting is going to be safe for your bees. 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:55.559 Speaking of foundation, how do I know when to 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:58.519 replace it? Can I just keep foundation forever? 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:02.000 You can't. And the reason is, is that your bees 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.059 are out foraging and when they're bringing things 00:11:04.059 --> 00:11:06.419 back to the hive, they're not only bringing nectar 00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:08.539 and pollen back, they're bringing things from 00:11:08.539 --> 00:11:12.480 the environment. So over time, pesticides and 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:16.440 will build up in the hive. A general rule, five 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:19.000 years, you can stretch it out a little bit further, 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.279 but I think if you try to hold yourself to that 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:24.179 five -year mark, chances are you'll be switching 00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:27.460 it out around six or seven, if you're a beekeeper 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:31.080 like me. Well, and it's hard to ever switch it 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:35.539 out because it is the bees work so hard to draw 00:11:35.539 --> 00:11:39.820 out all that comb. And at some point, it's true 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:42.259 what you're saying. You do have to realize there's 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:45.120 a buildup of pesticides and stuff in there, and 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.159 there's times to just throw it away and let them 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:50.259 start over for their own health. Exactly. And 00:11:50.259 --> 00:11:54.860 you can see it in the color of the comb. It just 00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:58.460 darkens over time. And at a certain point, you 00:11:58.460 --> 00:12:03.419 just need to replace it. And one thing that I've 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:07.840 done that I've found Helpful is I don't replace 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:11.779 an entire box at one time So I'll just rotate 00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:15.440 certain frames out every year so I'll pull two 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:18.279 or four frames out and replace and basically 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.960 just you know move move the frames that were 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:23.700 in there in put my new frames on the outside 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:28.059 and then Just just rotate them out Speaking of 00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:30.100 that. What's the deal with black foundation? 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:34.299 If you have not used black foundation, you definitely 00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:36.549 should It's not necessary in your honey supers, 00:12:36.610 --> 00:12:41.850 but in your bird chamber, it is so much easier 00:12:41.850 --> 00:12:45.149 to see the eggs in the cells. It just provides 00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:47.850 that contrast to where it's night and day difference. 00:12:48.110 --> 00:12:52.350 It really is. So I'm guessing also in what you're 00:12:52.350 --> 00:12:54.269 doing, and I know you're going to all the trade 00:12:54.269 --> 00:12:57.250 shows and. and the Honey Bee Expos all over the 00:12:57.250 --> 00:12:59.789 country and stuff. Tell us about some of the 00:12:59.789 --> 00:13:02.129 new products you see out there, because I'm kind 00:13:02.129 --> 00:13:05.570 of a gadget guy, and I love hearing about anything 00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:09.049 new and whether you think they work or not. Give 00:13:09.049 --> 00:13:12.809 us an idea. The newest thing on the market, and 00:13:12.809 --> 00:13:16.750 everyone, I think, is offering some fashion of 00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:21.129 this, is the wax -dipped woodenware. And I actually 00:13:21.129 --> 00:13:23.700 would like to talk a little bit more about that 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:26.500 and how you know that you're getting something 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:28.500 that is wax -dipped. Because if you're looking 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:31.519 at our wax -dipped boxes, the finish on it isn't 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:35.940 all that different from just a regular box. I 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:38.860 mean, if you have an untreated box next to a 00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:41.740 wax -dipped box, there's just a slight color 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:44.500 difference. So you actually have to spray water 00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:48.740 on to see whether or not a box is wax -dipped. 00:13:48.909 --> 00:13:54.049 Because with the process, the boxes or woodenware, 00:13:54.250 --> 00:13:56.009 because we have tops and bottoms that are dipped 00:13:56.009 --> 00:13:59.250 as well, are dipped at such a high temperature 00:13:59.250 --> 00:14:03.090 that when you dip it into the solution, it actually 00:14:03.090 --> 00:14:06.330 almost boils the moisture out of your box and 00:14:06.330 --> 00:14:08.929 then the wax permeates it. So you don't really 00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:12.690 see it on the outside. But with the new wax -dipped 00:14:12.690 --> 00:14:15.309 products that are out on the market, those boxes, 00:14:15.610 --> 00:14:19.299 tops and bottoms, they're going to last 20 -25 00:14:19.299 --> 00:14:23.899 years out in the fields because you've sterilized 00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:26.039 but with that high temperature and you've removed 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:28.159 all the moisture from the wood -aware. And you 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.700 don't have to paint them, right? You don't have 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:33.519 to paint. It is a beautiful natural finish. You 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:36.120 certainly could paint if you wanted to and there's 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:39.600 people that will. I know there's a lot of beekeepers 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.720 that like to paint the outside of their boxes 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:44.750 if they've got several hives. next to each other, 00:14:44.870 --> 00:14:47.029 just so there's a little bit of differentiation. 00:14:47.629 --> 00:14:49.870 When the bees are coming and going, they can 00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:53.529 orient and identify which hive they belong to 00:14:53.529 --> 00:14:55.850 based off of what's on the outside of the box. 00:14:56.370 --> 00:14:58.649 But you don't have to paint. You can just leave 00:14:58.649 --> 00:15:01.730 it as that nice natural look for your backyard. 00:15:02.470 --> 00:15:05.690 They really are pretty. They're beautiful, absolutely 00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:09.409 beautiful and functional. And I've thought about 00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:12.519 taking some before I had heard about the whole 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:16.440 dipping process of taking some that were like, 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:19.840 quote, ready for paint and putting a nice varnish 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.559 on it. But most varnishes are toxic and you don't 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:25.759 want to do that to the bees. And even some paint, 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:28.480 you have to be careful. You have to pay attention 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:32.059 to what you're doing. And I think it's a bit 00:15:32.059 --> 00:15:34.299 of a misconception to new beekeepers that you 00:15:34.299 --> 00:15:36.600 can just paint your boxes and put your bees in 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:38.909 there right away. I would strongly recommend 00:15:38.909 --> 00:15:42.409 against that because there's also the fumes and 00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:44.909 the smell. So if you have a box that you're putting 00:15:44.909 --> 00:15:48.870 a brand new package of bees in and it's freshly 00:15:48.870 --> 00:15:52.129 painted, I think that you are increasing the 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:54.370 chance that that package could abscond and just 00:15:54.370 --> 00:15:58.850 up and leave. So don't want to encourage the 00:15:58.850 --> 00:16:01.809 bees to do that in any way. Well, yeah, off -gassing 00:16:01.809 --> 00:16:05.110 definitely is a thing. And they may leave or 00:16:05.110 --> 00:16:08.480 they may just not be quite as healthy. Yeah. 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:11.120 Because there's so much of it. So, so yeah, if 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:15.019 you want to paint, paint, leave it outside, let 00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:17.320 it be in the sun and air out for a few days. 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:20.059 Yeah. Air out, dry out, then put your frames 00:16:20.059 --> 00:16:22.659 in and put your bees in. Yeah. I think that's 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:26.039 really good advice. Any other new type inventions? 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:29.879 New inventions. I'm trying to think the biggest 00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:33.480 things. There is a new mite treatment that is 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:37.110 coming out. this spring, we're waiting on EPA 00:16:37.110 --> 00:16:40.610 approval. It's called Naroa. And I think that 00:16:40.610 --> 00:16:45.789 that could be a game changer. As far as new inventions, 00:16:46.049 --> 00:16:48.110 we also have a new high stand that's going to 00:16:48.110 --> 00:16:51.429 be coming out on the market. That's all the legs 00:16:51.429 --> 00:16:53.970 are adjustable. So you can put it on an uneven 00:16:53.970 --> 00:16:56.529 surface and adjust the legs to make sure that 00:16:56.529 --> 00:16:59.789 your hive is level. I'll take a couple of those. 00:17:00.009 --> 00:17:02.450 Yeah, we should have that in the next couple 00:17:02.450 --> 00:17:04.809 of months as well. There's a few other things 00:17:04.809 --> 00:17:06.410 that we're working on. I just can't talk about 00:17:06.410 --> 00:17:09.269 them yet. Top secret. We'll let you know when 00:17:09.269 --> 00:17:12.170 they come out. Top secret. I don't want to promise 00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:13.809 something, and then all of a sudden it's two 00:17:13.809 --> 00:17:17.049 years before we have it. Yeah, because if it's 00:17:17.049 --> 00:17:19.289 still in development, it may not work first time 00:17:19.289 --> 00:17:21.670 out. Yep, exactly. You don't want to be selling 00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:23.569 them until they're really tested and working 00:17:23.569 --> 00:17:27.410 well. Yeah. We've talked quite a bit about overwintering 00:17:27.410 --> 00:17:30.430 bees, and so I don't want to get into that. right 00:17:30.430 --> 00:17:32.630 now, even though you're in Minnesota. I want 00:17:32.630 --> 00:17:35.170 to talk about spring. What do you do for your 00:17:35.170 --> 00:17:39.150 bees in the spring? Really, as as my bees are 00:17:39.150 --> 00:17:43.009 coming into spring, it's our spring can be very 00:17:43.009 --> 00:17:47.529 late. So there's not necessarily a lot of forage 00:17:47.529 --> 00:17:51.349 available. So my my first thing is is it starts 00:17:51.349 --> 00:17:54.289 to warm up. I'm putting a pollen substitute honey 00:17:54.289 --> 00:17:57.740 on there. At Man Lake, we have a feed mill here 00:17:57.740 --> 00:18:01.099 in Hackensack. And so we make all of our pollen 00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:03.539 substitutes, both the dry and the patty formulas. 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:07.420 And we did just come out with a new one last 00:18:07.420 --> 00:18:09.900 year called our Rocket Fuel Patties that has 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:13.019 natural pollen as well as the Apis Biologics 00:18:13.019 --> 00:18:17.079 supplement in it, which adds vitamins, minerals, 00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:21.740 enzymes to really mimic the profile of natural 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:24.869 pollen. So that's one of the first things. that 00:18:24.869 --> 00:18:26.950 I'm putting out there as a pollen substitute 00:18:26.950 --> 00:18:30.009 and then syrup as well, just to allow that colony 00:18:30.009 --> 00:18:32.150 to build up before there actually is a nectar 00:18:32.150 --> 00:18:35.170 flow. One of the saddest things that I've ever 00:18:35.170 --> 00:18:39.430 seen was in February. Oh, yes, the bees are doing 00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:45.430 great. And in March or April, they're dead. And 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:49.250 they ran out of food in March. Yes. And that, 00:18:49.410 --> 00:18:53.029 believe me. If you are so fortunate as to have 00:18:53.029 --> 00:18:55.869 your bees get through winter, do not let them 00:18:55.869 --> 00:18:59.349 starve in the spring. Please. Please check if 00:18:59.349 --> 00:19:03.069 they need food, feed them. It's OK. It is OK. 00:19:03.329 --> 00:19:06.650 And if you put extra feed on there that does 00:19:06.650 --> 00:19:09.089 not get consumed and your bees make it through 00:19:09.089 --> 00:19:11.950 winter, I guarantee you you're not going to regret 00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:15.759 that because. It's expensive to replace bees, 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:19.059 but at the same time for anybody that's new to 00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:22.259 beekeeping and you do lose your bees, don't get 00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:26.480 discouraged. It happens to everybody and it's 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:29.400 okay. It's okay as long as you learn from it. 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:33.960 So make sure that you're going in and inspecting 00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:36.000 that hive thoroughly as you clean it out to try 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.759 to figure out what happened. If your bees have 00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:41.920 their heads stuck in the comb with their little 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:44.779 butts facing out, chances are that they did starve. 00:19:44.980 --> 00:19:47.400 And so you know next year that you need to add 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:50.200 additional feed. So whether it just be sugar 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:53.460 added on the top of the frames of the mountain 00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:56.519 camp method or use the winter patties that we 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:59.980 sell, it's just a cheap insurance policy to make 00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:01.980 sure that your hive makes it through winter. 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:05.940 And also moisture can be such a challenge, especially 00:20:05.940 --> 00:20:09.009 as we get closer to spring. Here the temperatures 00:20:09.009 --> 00:20:11.930 will bounce up and down one day. It'll be 50 00:20:11.930 --> 00:20:15.069 degrees the next day. It'll be 20 degrees and 00:20:15.069 --> 00:20:18.150 That can cause moisture issues in the hive So 00:20:18.150 --> 00:20:20.390 as you're coming into spring checking your moisture 00:20:20.390 --> 00:20:22.190 boards to make sure that they're not saturated 00:20:22.190 --> 00:20:24.109 to where they can still help control moisture 00:20:24.109 --> 00:20:28.029 levels can also also be a cheap insurance Just 00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:31.210 replacing out that moisture board So how do people 00:20:31.210 --> 00:20:35.369 know when to stop feeding bees? Really the bees 00:20:35.369 --> 00:20:38.920 will decrease their consumption. And you can 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:41.940 also just watch them as they're coming and going. 00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:44.900 If you're watching your bees and landing on the 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:47.920 entrance and you can see that their pollen sacks 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:50.440 are full, you don't need to be offering a pollen 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:52.299 substitute at that point because they're out 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:54.279 there and they're finding it. There's one thing 00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:57.759 I love to see. It is. I'd love to see bees coming 00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:01.440 in with those big. Yeah. Hunks of pollen stuck 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:03.539 on there. I think it is one of the most amazing 00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:06.039 and beautiful things you can see. It's fun to 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:08.980 watch and it's also really interesting to watch 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:11.740 the different colors that they'll bring in. Yeah. 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:14.980 And if you don't notice it on the bees themselves 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:18.200 when you're doing an inspection and you take 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:22.119 a frame out and you're like yellow, orange, red, 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:25.339 and all these colors in between, here's something 00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:28.180 to add to your app. In addition to the plant 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:31.960 identifier, a pollen identifier. I will take 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:37.920 that note down. Pollen color chart. I know that's 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:40.279 probably impossible, but it'd be cool to take 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:43.079 a picture and go, oh, well, that's from such 00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:46.240 and such a tree or something like that. Ask Bella 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:50.240 to do something along those lines. We all experience 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:53.180 dead outs from time to time and you mentioned 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:57.559 how to tell if your hive starved what other things 00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:01.099 if somebody has a dead out and they're Inspecting 00:22:01.099 --> 00:22:03.799 what else could they find that would help them 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:07.759 learn from what happened? For example, if they 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:11.519 went into fall with their Varroa counts a little 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:14.940 high How do they know that in the spring when 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:18.339 they have a dead out? That's a tough one I would 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:20.980 strongly recommend that you're monitoring and 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:24.019 treating early before going into winter as far 00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:28.119 as knowing for sure what your levels were when 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:30.920 that colony perished. I honestly, I don't know 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.539 the answer to that. Anything else from looking 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:37.160 at a dead out that could teach us something about 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:40.519 what happened? If moisture was an issue, a lot 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:43.660 of times you'll see just your bees down piled 00:22:43.660 --> 00:22:46.579 up at the bottom on your bottom board. A lot 00:22:46.579 --> 00:22:49.200 of times you'll see mildew in the hive and it 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:52.420 just, if moisture was the reason that your hive 00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:55.720 perished, it can be a pretty - It's gross. Gross 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:58.819 thing to clean out. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:01.720 yucky. One of the things that I've done is bought 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:05.359 a power washer. Yeah. So I can really scrub that 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:08.079 stuff out really good. Some people use a flame, 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:10.779 burn it, which seems like a really good idea 00:23:10.779 --> 00:23:14.569 too. You've been beekeeping long enough. I'm 00:23:14.569 --> 00:23:17.250 sure you've had some wild and crazy things happening 00:23:17.250 --> 00:23:21.789 to you. Give me an idea of one. Yes, I will tell 00:23:21.789 --> 00:23:26.190 you about the first swarm that I caught. It was 00:23:26.190 --> 00:23:31.349 my second year of beekeeping and I was out working 00:23:31.349 --> 00:23:34.109 in my garden and I keep my hives right in my 00:23:34.109 --> 00:23:38.410 garden and I noticed a lot of activity and I 00:23:38.410 --> 00:23:41.349 thought, oh great, they're swarming. Something's 00:23:41.349 --> 00:23:44.980 going on here. And I ended up leaving for a little 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:49.799 bit and coming back. And the swarm was in a tree 00:23:49.799 --> 00:23:54.039 just next to my hives, probably about 25 feet 00:23:54.039 --> 00:23:57.539 up in the air. And I am very fortunate that my 00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:01.380 husband owns a construction company. So I called 00:24:01.380 --> 00:24:04.400 him up and I said, these swarms, we need to get 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:07.579 up there. And we actually took a scissor lift 00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:10.200 and drove it to where the swarm was and lifted 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:14.369 up and cut the tree branch into just a cardboard 00:24:14.369 --> 00:24:17.950 box and I was able to catch my first swarm with 00:24:17.950 --> 00:24:21.309 a scissor lift. So it was pretty cool. You know 00:24:21.309 --> 00:24:23.690 how many swarm catchers would just absolutely 00:24:23.690 --> 00:24:27.910 kill to have access to a scissor lift? It definitely 00:24:27.910 --> 00:24:31.809 made it much easier and safer to get up to where 00:24:31.809 --> 00:24:33.710 they were because honestly they were high enough 00:24:33.710 --> 00:24:36.630 up in the hives. I wouldn't have felt comfortable 00:24:36.630 --> 00:24:38.470 climbing up there with the ladder. There's no 00:24:38.470 --> 00:24:41.410 way I would have just watched them go wherever 00:24:41.410 --> 00:24:43.819 they were going to go at that point. Twenty five 00:24:43.819 --> 00:24:47.079 feet is high. It was really high in the air. 00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:49.619 I couldn't believe it. I mean, even if you're 00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:54.059 up like 12 or 15 feet on a ladder and you're 00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:58.000 holding a box and if you're cutting off a limb, 00:24:58.019 --> 00:25:00.660 you've got some kind of cutting tool and you're 00:25:00.660 --> 00:25:04.440 trying to hold the ladder. Yeah. And I'm surprised 00:25:04.440 --> 00:25:07.240 more people don't die doing that every year. 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:10.759 Sorry, that's not funny, but that's really everyone 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:15.359 needs to. exercise caution when catching swarms 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:18.420 that are high up in trees. Yeah, okay. Well, 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:21.940 thank you for everything and for all the advice. 00:25:23.140 --> 00:25:26.380 And lastly, I know you've been at Man Lake for 00:25:26.380 --> 00:25:29.460 a long time. And I don't know very much about 00:25:29.460 --> 00:25:32.000 the history of the company. What do you know? 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:34.970 What do you want to tell us about it? So Man 00:25:34.970 --> 00:25:39.529 Lake was founded by Jack and Betty Thomas in 00:25:39.529 --> 00:25:44.329 1983. I started with the company about 13 years 00:25:44.329 --> 00:25:46.890 ago, and they were still actively involved at 00:25:46.890 --> 00:25:49.869 that point. So I was fortunate enough to be able 00:25:49.869 --> 00:25:54.289 to meet them and work with them. And they started 00:25:54.289 --> 00:25:57.890 Man Lake Bee Supply in their garage at their 00:25:57.890 --> 00:26:00.349 home on Man Lake, which is where the name came 00:26:00.349 --> 00:26:03.990 from. So there is a lake. or a chain of lakes 00:26:03.990 --> 00:26:06.829 in Hackensack that's Man Lake, Woman Lake, Child 00:26:06.829 --> 00:26:10.549 Lake. So that is where the name came from. Shortly 00:26:10.549 --> 00:26:13.269 after they started their supply business, they 00:26:13.269 --> 00:26:16.589 moved into the town of Hackensack, which for 00:26:16.589 --> 00:26:19.089 those of you that have not had the chance to 00:26:19.089 --> 00:26:21.609 visit here, there's about 300 people in this 00:26:21.609 --> 00:26:25.849 town. So it is a very, very small town. We actually, 00:26:26.130 --> 00:26:28.630 at certain points in our history, have employed 00:26:28.630 --> 00:26:30.670 more people than what actually lived in the town 00:26:30.670 --> 00:26:35.299 of Hackensack. So it's a pretty cool place to 00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:37.559 work because it is just a small town environment 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:40.740 and we are just the biggest company here. So 00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:44.599 it's really been a pleasure to work and work 00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:47.119 for this company and just seeing how we've been 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:51.440 able to grow. Jack and Betty founded the company. 00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:56.200 They expanded into California, then Pennsylvania, 00:26:56.779 --> 00:26:59.680 Texas. We bought Kelly Beekeeping. So now we 00:26:59.680 --> 00:27:02.660 have a location in Kentucky and also Florida. 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:06.559 And I've been able to be a part of that growth 00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:08.539 with the exception of the California location. 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:10.660 We had that when I started here, but everything 00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:13.180 else has been added on since I started at the 00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:16.059 company. So how many retail stores and how much 00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:19.150 of your business is online versus retail? So 00:27:19.150 --> 00:27:21.349 we have six retail stores. The majority though 00:27:21.349 --> 00:27:25.170 is still online just because our locations are 00:27:25.170 --> 00:27:28.289 not necessarily in really populated areas. The 00:27:28.289 --> 00:27:31.609 locations that we have were more so centered 00:27:31.609 --> 00:27:35.289 around commercial beekeeping and trying to have 00:27:35.289 --> 00:27:37.170 locations that are convenient for commercial 00:27:37.170 --> 00:27:40.329 beekeepers to access as they're moving around 00:27:40.329 --> 00:27:43.150 the country doing their pollination. Any other 00:27:43.150 --> 00:27:46.470 advice for new beekeepers or someone that maybe 00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:50.170 isn't one yet, but is thinking huh? That sounds 00:27:50.170 --> 00:27:52.890 interesting and by the way for people in that 00:27:52.890 --> 00:27:57.069 category It is wonderful and it's harder than 00:27:57.069 --> 00:28:00.690 you would expect Beekeeping definitely is harder 00:28:00.690 --> 00:28:02.970 than what you would expect and I would strongly 00:28:02.970 --> 00:28:07.130 encourage anyone that is thinking about getting 00:28:07.130 --> 00:28:11.940 started in beekeeping to take a year and do some 00:28:11.940 --> 00:28:16.059 research, so read some books, take a beginner's 00:28:16.059 --> 00:28:18.980 class, find a mentor if you have one in your 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:22.119 area, or join your local beekeeping club, and 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:26.079 take the time to learn about beekeeping in your 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:30.680 area before you actually get started. Then, once 00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:33.660 you get started, my best advice for a brand new 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:37.339 beekeeper is when you are doing your hive inspections, 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:40.740 do not feel like you have to find the queen. 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:44.160 everybody goes in and I can't find my queen. 00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:46.579 I don't think she's in there. I didn't see her. 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:51.740 And if you look at the frame, it is full of eggs 00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:54.599 and larvae, a beautiful brood pattern. You don't 00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:56.339 have to find your queen. Just make sure that 00:28:56.339 --> 00:28:59.220 she is laying eggs. If you see eggs, you have 00:28:59.220 --> 00:29:02.259 a queen. If you see eggs, you have a queen and 00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:05.279 don't take the time to tear apart your entire 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:08.160 colony looking for her. You know she's in there. 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:11.240 What if somebody just wants to take the time? 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:15.880 If you want to take the time, absolutely. Tips 00:29:15.880 --> 00:29:21.099 for finding your queen is look for a frame that 00:29:21.099 --> 00:29:25.299 has eggs in it, eggs that are just laid so they're 00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:27.339 going to be very tiny which they're the black 00:29:27.339 --> 00:29:29.160 foundation comes in very handy it's going to 00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:31.759 make it much easier for you to see those and 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:35.799 just slowly scan. You can watch the worker bees 00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:38.859 as well because oftentimes they'll circle around 00:29:38.859 --> 00:29:42.640 her so if you just watch their behavior sometimes 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:45.339 you can spot your queen that way. And by the 00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:48.599 way if you want to see the queen so bad and you're 00:29:48.599 --> 00:29:51.740 new at it so it's taking you an hour or two you 00:29:51.740 --> 00:29:54.940 are not making your bees happy. And they will 00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:58.059 likely let you know when they have reached their 00:29:58.059 --> 00:30:01.700 tolerance point for Joe Beekeeper and it's time 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:04.740 to go away and you start getting hit in the face, 00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:09.380 you know. Exactly. One last thing that I wanted 00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:12.380 to mention that has never before come up on this 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:16.240 show or today. And that is I know a lot of beekeepers 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:20.119 also like to keep backyard chickens. Seriously. 00:30:20.430 --> 00:30:23.630 Man Lake has poultry stuff too. Yes, you can 00:30:23.630 --> 00:30:26.809 do all of your shopping for your bees and your 00:30:26.809 --> 00:30:29.829 chickens on our website. Let's face it, the two 00:30:29.829 --> 00:30:32.150 hobbies go hand in hand. You have your little 00:30:32.150 --> 00:30:34.450 backyard farm. I'm sure a lot of you are gardeners 00:30:34.450 --> 00:30:38.609 as well. So hopefully someday down the road, 00:30:38.750 --> 00:30:41.369 we'll be able to get into that as well. And compared 00:30:41.369 --> 00:30:44.069 to bees, I can say from experience, chickens 00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:49.250 are much easier. They are. They are. They're 00:30:49.250 --> 00:30:53.450 dirtier, but they are much easier. Anyway, Jenna, 00:30:53.710 --> 00:30:56.269 I appreciate your time very much. Thanks for 00:30:56.269 --> 00:30:59.349 being with me today. Yeah, happy to be here. 00:31:01.609 --> 00:31:04.390 Thanks again for joining us here on Be Love Beekeeping 00:31:04.390 --> 00:31:08.180 presented by Man Lake. Another great place for 00:31:08.180 --> 00:31:11.180 more information on everything related to this 00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:14.660 podcast is in our email newsletter. You can sign 00:31:14.660 --> 00:31:18.240 up for it for free at BeLoveBekeeping .com. And 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:20.299 remember, if you're not just in it for the honey 00:31:20.299 --> 00:31:23.140 or the money, you're in it for the love. See 00:31:23.140 --> 00:31:23.799 you next week.