WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.660 May I have your attention, please? The following 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:11.179 is not the real Jeff Fox review If you used to 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:15.599 think beekeeping would be an inexpensive hobby 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:24.579 You might be a beekeeper If you are convinced 00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:30.160 your honey tastes better than any other in the 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:38.679 whole wide world. You might be a beekeeper. Okay, 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:42.479 let's do some simple math here. Now, if when 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:47.240 you run a financial analysis on what it really 00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:50.719 costs to produce your honey, and it comes out 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:55.579 to $20 a jar, and you think you're getting rich 00:00:55.579 --> 00:01:11.420 selling it for 15. Welcome, welcome to Be Love 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:13.799 Beekeeping presented by our good friends over 00:01:13.799 --> 00:01:17.799 at Man Lake. Today our guest is Cindy Elsenbeck 00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:20.819 from upstate New York and we'll be discussing 00:01:20.819 --> 00:01:24.540 beekeeping with children. So if you're a parent, 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:27.019 grandparent, aunt, uncle, school teacher, you 00:01:27.019 --> 00:01:29.599 name it, you'll get some great insights on how 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:31.939 to make beekeeping with the kids in your life 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:35.739 safe and fun. Before we jump into that, we have 00:01:35.739 --> 00:01:41.540 some news bits from around the globe. First, 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:45.799 from Italy, headline, plants produce more nectar 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:50.260 when they hear bees buzzing, scientists find. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:54.200 Okay, settle down, no jokes about plants not 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:57.140 having ears. Let's get into the research here 00:01:57.140 --> 00:02:01.060 for a second. According to this new study, plants 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:04.739 can actually hear bees buzzing and serve up more 00:02:04.739 --> 00:02:08.419 nectar when they're nearby. The research suggests 00:02:08.729 --> 00:02:11.770 that plants are a more active partner than previously 00:02:11.770 --> 00:02:14.469 thought in their symbiotic relationship with 00:02:14.469 --> 00:02:17.930 pollinators. The behavior could be a survival 00:02:17.930 --> 00:02:21.310 strategy that favors giving nectar and sugar 00:02:21.310 --> 00:02:25.610 to bees over so -called nectar robbers that do 00:02:25.610 --> 00:02:28.870 not offer plants any reproductive benefits. This 00:02:28.870 --> 00:02:32.490 is growing evidence that both insects and plants 00:02:32.490 --> 00:02:37.509 can sense and produce or transmit vibroacoustic 00:02:37.509 --> 00:02:41.580 signals. said Professor Francesco Barbero, a 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:44.379 zoologist at the University of Turin, who led 00:02:44.379 --> 00:02:47.960 the research. The findings add to the truly astonishing 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:50.699 multitude of ways that plants can perceive their 00:02:50.699 --> 00:02:53.719 surroundings, including the presence of beneficial 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:57.139 and harmful insects, temperature, drought, and 00:02:57.139 --> 00:03:01.319 wind. In the future, the team suggested, buzzing 00:03:01.319 --> 00:03:04.960 noises could be used on farms as an environmentally 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:07.919 friendly way to enhance the pollination of crops. 00:03:08.219 --> 00:03:11.080 While it's clear that buzzing sounds can trigger 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:13.879 nectar production, the scientists are now looking 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:17.300 into whether sounds from plants are being used 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:21.319 actively to draw in suitable pollinators. And 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:25.120 from Texas, a man is dead after bees swarm him 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:28.719 while mowing his lawn. So what happened here 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:33.099 is this guy's mowing his lawn, bees attack him, 00:03:33.240 --> 00:03:36.680 He runs for his vehicle. They follow him into 00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:40.379 it. He drives away, but there's bees in the car. 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:43.759 It causes him to crash. When police arrived at 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.680 the scene, they observed that the driver of the 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:49.539 vehicle was being swarmed by bees. So that's 00:03:49.539 --> 00:03:53.360 inside the car. A witness said she saw the man 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.120 and his truck nearby. Then the next thing you 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:59.500 know, I look down and hear a loud boom and he's 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:02.780 in my parents front yard. The man later identified 00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:05.379 as Stephen Daniel was mowing when he apparently 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:08.860 disturbed a large honeybee nest near an abandoned 00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:11.060 building. Though he was still being attacked 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:13.500 by the bees, officers were able to get him out 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:16.459 of his truck and into an ambulance, at which 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:19.980 point he lost consciousness and he died at the 00:04:19.980 --> 00:04:24.600 hospital a short time later. From Bulgaria? You 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:26.879 think the bee die -off here in the states is 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:30.850 bad. In Bulgaria this spring beekeepers have 00:04:30.850 --> 00:04:34.649 reported 90 % mortality rates among their bees. 00:04:35.449 --> 00:04:37.430 I'm not even going to say anything else about 00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:40.589 that. All right, let's put smiles back on our 00:04:40.589 --> 00:04:43.509 faces. We have a fun topic today. So let's get 00:04:43.509 --> 00:04:50.910 right to it. Children and beekeeping. I would 00:04:50.910 --> 00:04:54.009 love to welcome to the show today, Cindy Elsenbeck. 00:04:54.550 --> 00:04:57.410 Cindy, good morning. How are you? Good morning, 00:04:57.610 --> 00:05:01.379 Eric. I am fantastic. And you're in upstate New 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:04.860 York? Yes. Yep. Foothills of the Adirondacks. 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:08.360 Beautiful, beautiful country. It sounds beautiful. 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:12.560 Where is that from the Finger Lakes? Oh, probably 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:16.920 about four hours. Oh, it's a long ways. Okay. 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:19.740 Yeah. All right. That shows my ignorance and 00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:22.000 geography today. So I've already embarrassed 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:25.360 myself, but I have been to the Finger Lakes region, 00:05:26.259 --> 00:05:28.560 beautiful area, and I'll get out to your part 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:31.199 of the state next time. We're going to have fun 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:33.959 today because we're going to be talking about 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:38.459 involving kids, children in beekeeping. You're 00:05:38.459 --> 00:05:42.000 an expert on the topic. Come on, admit it. Alright, 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.240 okay. I hate to use the word expert, but it is 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:47.579 something that I am passionate about and I've 00:05:47.579 --> 00:05:51.259 been doing it since COVID. Fantastic. I want 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:53.819 to hear how did you get started in it? What made 00:05:53.819 --> 00:05:57.959 you think, hey, I'm going to put kids in harm's 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:02.329 way? That was an unusual way of putting it. However, 00:06:03.069 --> 00:06:07.689 it is more than putting them in harm's way. It's 00:06:07.689 --> 00:06:11.170 more helping them to alleviate the fears that 00:06:11.170 --> 00:06:14.350 children seem to have with honeybees that unfortunately 00:06:14.350 --> 00:06:17.649 many times they get from the adults in our lives. 00:06:18.950 --> 00:06:23.329 When I was gifted a beehive, nothing I ever thought 00:06:23.329 --> 00:06:26.250 in my whole life that I would do. My son and 00:06:26.250 --> 00:06:28.829 daughter -in -law and three granddaughters gave 00:06:28.829 --> 00:06:30.730 me a beehive. And I said, oh, nice. And what 00:06:30.730 --> 00:06:33.889 am I supposed to do with this? I took a year, 00:06:33.990 --> 00:06:36.709 learned everything, touched bees, played with 00:06:36.709 --> 00:06:39.529 bees, treated bees, you name it. And of course, 00:06:39.850 --> 00:06:44.370 I fell madly in love with honeybees. And I love 00:06:44.370 --> 00:06:48.050 children. It is just built in. It's who I am. 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:51.519 The year after I had been keeping bees, I said, 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:55.319 I need to share this amazing insect with kids. 00:06:56.139 --> 00:07:00.959 So I contacted some schools and I started zooming 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:06.040 and I prepared PowerPoint presentations and thank 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:09.579 goodness for Zoom, I was able to share amazing 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:14.560 facts and pictures and stories about honeybees 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:19.620 and kids got so excited. That is awesome. When 00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:22.759 did you start doing things in person with bees 00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:27.060 and kids? As soon as I could. So as soon as I 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:29.779 started doing it with a mask on, so as soon as 00:07:29.779 --> 00:07:32.319 schools opened back up, I was invited to come 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:35.800 in. Like I said, I started with a mask. Not my 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:40.579 favorite. I am a bit expressive and I like the 00:07:40.579 --> 00:07:43.410 kids to be able to see my face. That's how I 00:07:43.410 --> 00:07:46.910 started. So I would probably say 2022, as soon 00:07:46.910 --> 00:07:51.129 as we were having some limited access. Prior 00:07:51.129 --> 00:07:54.089 to that, though, I had some homeschool children 00:07:54.089 --> 00:07:59.790 come over to my house and we did a garage education 00:07:59.790 --> 00:08:02.689 session. And then we went out and I have kid 00:08:02.689 --> 00:08:05.370 suits because as you already know, Eric, I have 00:08:05.370 --> 00:08:08.329 grandchildren that are beekeepers as well. So 00:08:08.329 --> 00:08:11.519 we took them out in the beehives and They did 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:13.399 a lot of observing and a couple of the older 00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:16.399 ones wanted to hold a frame and they're well 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:21.100 protected. And it's just, it's just so much fun. 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:24.879 I love talking to kids about bees. Let's talk 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:28.300 about the fear first. Okay. If you were to guess 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:31.660 on percentages here, because kids are also super 00:08:31.660 --> 00:08:35.179 curious, what percent are really sort of overcome 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:39.139 with fear versus some that have maybe too much 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:41.340 curiosity where they're not going to be safe. 00:08:42.019 --> 00:08:44.179 And those that are in a good place in the middle, 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:48.000 like your perfect grandchildren. Thank you. I'm 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.360 going to say that there's at least 25 percent 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:54.659 that are really afraid. And it's one of the things 00:08:54.659 --> 00:08:58.720 that I often ask when I get started. Sometimes 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:01.320 I hear things like not only are they afraid, 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:05.860 but they hate. bees. And it's that sting story. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.340 And that's the elephant in the room. And I kind 00:09:08.340 --> 00:09:11.200 of have to get to the sting story before I get 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:14.919 to too much else. Because once we get to questions 00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:17.559 and answers, they all want to share their sting 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:22.320 story. So we don't want that to distract from 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.080 the importance and the excitement. So we do a 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:27.820 couple of sting stories, and we discuss that, 00:09:28.019 --> 00:09:32.649 yes, indeed, honeybees sting, however. they are 00:09:32.649 --> 00:09:36.549 way too busy collecting food for their family 00:09:36.549 --> 00:09:40.110 to chase children around the yard and sting them. 00:09:40.669 --> 00:09:44.970 So 25 % I would say are just either don't like 00:09:44.970 --> 00:09:48.590 them at all or are terrified of them. Probably 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:54.789 about 50 % are okay with them and I'd say there's 00:09:54.789 --> 00:10:00.009 if there is 25 % that are where my granddaughters 00:10:00.009 --> 00:10:04.309 are, this is an amazing insect. There are classrooms 00:10:04.309 --> 00:10:09.309 that I have visited more than once. I have gone 00:10:09.309 --> 00:10:12.809 and seen the same group of children when they 00:10:12.809 --> 00:10:15.750 were in first grade, second grade, third grade. 00:10:15.789 --> 00:10:19.409 I just did their fourth grade presentation. Those 00:10:19.409 --> 00:10:22.429 kids can't wait. There is no fear. They can't 00:10:22.429 --> 00:10:24.730 wait to hear what I'm gonna tell them, what I'm 00:10:24.730 --> 00:10:29.350 gonna show them. learn something new, and they 00:10:29.350 --> 00:10:34.730 just love honeybees. So the sting is real, and 00:10:34.730 --> 00:10:37.070 we're not going to say that it's not, and they 00:10:37.070 --> 00:10:39.690 want to know if I've been stung, and I tell them, 00:10:39.809 --> 00:10:44.269 yes, I have. But as we know, it's always my fault. 00:10:45.070 --> 00:10:50.039 So we address it, but we get past it. And that 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:52.179 just reminds me, that is one of the most common 00:10:52.179 --> 00:10:55.639 questions with any non beekeeper when they find 00:10:55.639 --> 00:10:59.259 out you're a beekeepers. Do you get stung? Right. 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:02.940 Right. Oh, yes, I do. Well, of course. Right. 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.860 Of course. But we manage it. We manage it with 00:11:06.860 --> 00:11:10.340 protective suits and smoke and things like that. 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:12.879 Exactly. It's not out of control. And then there 00:11:12.879 --> 00:11:15.720 are some really weird people like me that do 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:19.480 a little stinging on purpose. And we have a whole 00:11:19.480 --> 00:11:22.679 episode on apotherapy that people can go listen 00:11:22.679 --> 00:11:27.539 to, but I find it fascinating. And I don't like 00:11:27.539 --> 00:11:30.740 the pain, but I love the results from it. That 00:11:30.740 --> 00:11:34.500 is not medical advice. That is just Eric's personal 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:37.759 experience here. I want to talk about the fear 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:41.059 just a little bit more. Do you very often run 00:11:41.059 --> 00:11:44.340 into kids that... Were actually stung by something 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:47.120 else and call it a bee because that's what their 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:50.019 parents called it How do you educate on that? 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:53.039 So I would say go let's go back to percentages 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:56.259 I would say 95 % of the children that have been 00:11:56.259 --> 00:12:00.039 stung have not been stung by a honeybee Anything 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:04.080 the flies and stings is a bee Adults, kids, it 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:06.159 doesn't matter. It's a bee and they put them 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:09.620 all in the bee. So in addition to keeping bees 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:12.700 and teaching about bees, I love to take pictures 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:17.220 of bees. So I have enlarged pictures of... many 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:20.779 wanna bees. So I have yellow jackets that look 00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:24.960 an awful lot like a honeybee and wasps. And we 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:27.840 talk about the stinging insects and the difference 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:31.879 between the honeybee who is working for her family, 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:37.440 who's collecting that food, who is not, like 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:40.059 I said, not going to chase them and the wasp 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:44.980 who is actually a meat eater and is going to 00:12:45.599 --> 00:12:50.259 possibly eat our little honeybee. And then there 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:54.220 is the sting issue. And most children surprisingly 00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:57.360 know that honeybees die when they sting. So we 00:12:57.360 --> 00:13:00.720 always bring that up. So if they sting, do you 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:03.159 really think that they want, if they die, do 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:07.200 you really think that they want to sting you? 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:09.799 If that is gonna be the end of their life. They 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:14.360 only do it if they're absolutely terrified. as 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:17.539 opposed to those other stinging insects, whose 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:20.539 stingers are like a pin instead of a fish hook, 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:23.240 and they can sting you as many times as they 00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:25.240 want to. And sometimes it seems like they're 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:28.799 just having a bad day and they want to. Oh, it's 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:31.279 not just a bad day. I think sometimes they just 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:35.559 do it for fun. Just for funsies. Look at that 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:38.360 guy on his bicycle. This is what happens to me. 00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:42.549 Let's go sting that guy five times. Yeah, I was 00:13:42.549 --> 00:13:45.070 in my car just finished a bee presentation. All 00:13:45.070 --> 00:13:46.610 of a sudden, I was like, ouch, did one of my 00:13:46.610 --> 00:13:49.350 bees get out? No, it was a wasp stung me three 00:13:49.350 --> 00:13:54.330 times in my own car. So what I tell children 00:13:54.330 --> 00:13:59.029 is there are singing insects out there. And the 00:13:59.029 --> 00:14:04.450 best defense is to not freak out, to not run, 00:14:04.889 --> 00:14:07.889 to not flail your arms around, because whatever 00:14:07.889 --> 00:14:11.899 it is is going to be intimidated. But most likely, 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:15.500 you are not being stung by a honeybee. Okay, 00:14:15.500 --> 00:14:18.019 I like that. Let's talk protective gear for a 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:22.340 minute. When I work with new beekeepers, I recommend, 00:14:22.779 --> 00:14:25.720 and this is just my personal thing, you get a 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:29.360 bee suit from head to toe. And you completely 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:32.320 wrap up, you have the thickest gloves you can 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:35.299 deal with and everything else, because if you 00:14:35.299 --> 00:14:37.200 do that, that's going to help alleviate some 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:40.629 of your fear. The less fear and anxiety that 00:14:40.629 --> 00:14:43.690 we have, then the less anxious the bees are going 00:14:43.690 --> 00:14:46.570 to be. They're going to be calmer. We're calmer. 00:14:47.169 --> 00:14:50.590 It's a whole circular thing here. Do you do the 00:14:50.590 --> 00:14:54.360 same thing with children? Absolutely. And just 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:57.759 as a little aside, I do teach adult beekeeping 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:00.960 classes as well. And it's the same philosophy. 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:05.480 Do not watch people on YouTube with their hair 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:08.940 flowing in the breeze and a short sleeve shirt 00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:11.320 scooping out handfuls of bees. Don't watch it 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:15.470 because they are singing insects. Like you said, 00:15:15.590 --> 00:15:18.230 we want you to be comfortable. So especially 00:15:18.230 --> 00:15:20.690 with children. So my granddaughters received 00:15:20.690 --> 00:15:24.009 their first bee suits when they were four and 00:15:24.009 --> 00:15:27.470 five. The two that are actively keeping bees. 00:15:27.590 --> 00:15:30.909 I have five of them that like to go out in the 00:15:30.909 --> 00:15:32.990 bees, but two are actively keeping bees. They 00:15:32.990 --> 00:15:37.029 have their own hives. So it started with just 00:15:37.029 --> 00:15:40.250 exactly that. From the ankles to the top of the 00:15:40.250 --> 00:15:44.210 head, full suit, leather gloves. You would think 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:47.620 that teaching children to be calm in the bee 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:52.440 yard would be difficult. And maybe for some children 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:55.759 it might be. And so far I've been very fortunate. 00:15:55.799 --> 00:16:00.440 I have not had an extremely anxious child who 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:03.700 is making a lot of noise or being overly active 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:07.320 in the bee yard. But they do incredibly well. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:11.720 When you tell a child the bees can sense how 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:16.559 you're feeling. and they need you to be quiet 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:22.620 and to be slow. I am amazed by how well they 00:16:22.620 --> 00:16:24.940 do inspecting the hives. And then the children 00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:28.879 who are not mine, that we have friends of my 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:31.460 grandchildren come over. I guess I do homeschool 00:16:31.460 --> 00:16:34.980 groups that come over. I have adults that come 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:39.850 over. Beekeeping is just so cool. They... Also, 00:16:40.309 --> 00:16:44.450 some will come and hold a frame. When the granddaughters 00:16:44.450 --> 00:16:46.649 come over, they go in their own hives, whatever 00:16:46.649 --> 00:16:49.230 their temperament is, they know what we have 00:16:49.230 --> 00:16:52.889 to do in those situations. When I bring a guest 00:16:52.889 --> 00:16:56.529 over who doesn't know a lot about bees and maybe 00:16:56.529 --> 00:16:59.110 is a little anxious, I'd pick that hive that, 00:16:59.169 --> 00:17:01.190 you know, we all have that one that, boy, this 00:17:01.190 --> 00:17:05.210 hive is just so sweet. This hive just... is always 00:17:05.210 --> 00:17:08.210 easy going. I can go in here anytime and hardly 00:17:08.210 --> 00:17:10.410 have to use smoke. And that's what I'm going 00:17:10.410 --> 00:17:13.710 to use because it's going to be, again, that 00:17:13.710 --> 00:17:18.950 much more memorable experience that is nice and 00:17:18.950 --> 00:17:22.009 calm and pleasant, because that's what we want, 00:17:22.130 --> 00:17:24.930 right? We want them to have a good time. So what 00:17:24.930 --> 00:17:27.150 are some of the things that get them really into 00:17:27.150 --> 00:17:32.299 it? That they just get loving it? And I'm thinking 00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:34.819 of one off the top of my head while you're thinking. 00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:39.019 I had a new bee last year come over this young 00:17:39.019 --> 00:17:42.880 lady and I had a frame out and there was a bee 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:47.279 emerging right then and there. And I pointed 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:50.299 it out and that was like, wow, that's so cool 00:17:50.299 --> 00:17:52.839 to see that happening. What kinds of things turn 00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:57.140 on kids like that? Yeah, the visual is definite. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:03.230 Kids... love to see bees actually being bees. 00:18:20.310 --> 00:18:23.750 pollen substitutes, food and feeders, and the 00:18:23.750 --> 00:18:26.269 knowledge base to help you know how to use it, 00:18:26.509 --> 00:18:30.450 including Bella, their AIB -keeping genius. Just 00:18:30.450 --> 00:18:32.529 look for her icon in the bottom right -hand corner 00:18:32.529 --> 00:18:36.390 of your screen at manlikeltd .com. While you're 00:18:36.390 --> 00:18:39.470 there, don't forget your discount code MLBlove10, 00:18:39.549 --> 00:18:42.430 it's in the show notes, for $10 off your first 00:18:42.430 --> 00:18:49.450 $100 purchase. have an observation hive that 00:18:49.450 --> 00:18:52.250 is just a single frame observation hive that 00:18:52.250 --> 00:18:57.049 I can easily take into classrooms. And the kids 00:18:57.049 --> 00:19:00.470 will spend, and I keep it covered up until the 00:19:00.470 --> 00:19:03.029 end of what we need to talk about or what I'd 00:19:03.029 --> 00:19:05.829 like to talk about, what I'd like to share with 00:19:05.829 --> 00:19:09.690 them. Because once I take the cover off that 00:19:09.690 --> 00:19:13.670 observation hive, it is like a magnet. And it 00:19:13.670 --> 00:19:17.319 is, oh, look at this one. Sometimes, so. I always 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:19.839 clean my observation hive before I go. Maybe 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:21.380 there's a little piece of paper towel in there. 00:19:21.539 --> 00:19:24.079 Well, here's a honeybee carrying around a piece 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:26.819 of paper towel. Here's a worse one. This just 00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:29.740 happened last week. Somebody must have gotten 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:33.619 pinched in the door when I shut it and screwed 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:37.400 it tight because there was a bee carrying around 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:43.200 another bee body part. The kids are not upset 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:47.509 or freaking out. They're amazed. And of course, 00:19:47.569 --> 00:19:50.089 the poor little girl, she's working, trying to 00:19:50.089 --> 00:19:53.769 find her way to do her job to get that body part 00:19:53.769 --> 00:19:56.809 removed. And she can't find out. They feel bad 00:19:56.809 --> 00:20:00.130 because she can't complete her job. And they 00:20:00.130 --> 00:20:02.650 wonder why she keeps going. And I tell them it's 00:20:02.650 --> 00:20:07.509 because her job is to take dead bees out of the 00:20:07.509 --> 00:20:10.589 hive. I do not bring my queen. I leave her home. 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:13.279 Sometimes I'll mark a drone just so they have 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:16.140 something to find. And they like that. That's 00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:18.140 one of the first questions they always ask is, 00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:20.079 where's the queen? I want to find the queen. 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:23.259 So it is fun to have something for them to be 00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:26.599 able to find. They've had the same experience. 00:20:26.740 --> 00:20:30.299 They see bees emerging, capped brood. I don't 00:20:30.299 --> 00:20:32.160 like to bring a lot of that. In the summertime, 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:35.140 it's OK. But this time of year, it's a little 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:38.759 cool. I don't like to have them leave home. They 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:42.160 just sit and watch. So then I've kicked it up 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:44.960 a notch. I have a living observation hive in 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:48.059 an elementary school. So I found this grant through 00:20:48.059 --> 00:20:51.779 the Bee Cause, and I said, oh, I love kids. I 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:54.599 want to put a bee hive in a school. What school 00:20:54.599 --> 00:20:57.220 is ever going to let me put live bees in a school? 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:00.099 Well, I found one. And not only put live bees 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:02.259 in, but drill a hole through an outside wall 00:21:02.259 --> 00:21:05.099 in a building? No problem. It's on the second 00:21:05.099 --> 00:21:07.619 floor outside the library, which is perfect. 00:21:08.370 --> 00:21:12.109 And I am able to teach the kids. We usually do 00:21:12.109 --> 00:21:13.950 second and third grade, because that's when they're 00:21:13.950 --> 00:21:16.509 learning about insects and life cycle. And then 00:21:16.509 --> 00:21:19.589 they can go out and see the bees. They also see 00:21:19.589 --> 00:21:22.329 them many times during the day. The cool thing 00:21:22.329 --> 00:21:26.329 about the observation hive is we all know honey 00:21:26.329 --> 00:21:29.230 bees build wax wherever they can, right? There's 00:21:29.230 --> 00:21:32.650 a spot, oh, let's put some wax here. So of course, 00:21:32.730 --> 00:21:36.160 they put wax on the plexiglass. and the kids 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:40.500 can see inside the cells as the life cycle progresses. 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:43.940 It is amazing. They get to see the waggle dance. 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:46.880 They can find the queen, and hopefully they do. 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:51.700 So it's eight frames double -sided. It's just 00:21:51.700 --> 00:21:54.980 the coolest thing. So I've seen a lot of portable 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:57.900 observation hives. Explain a little bit more 00:21:57.900 --> 00:22:00.000 about this permanent one that you have at the 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:03.059 school. What does it look like? How does it attach? 00:22:03.549 --> 00:22:08.450 Did you just take one wall off of the box and 00:22:08.450 --> 00:22:11.130 have that be plexiglass? Tell me what's going 00:22:11.130 --> 00:22:15.789 on here. Yeah, so it is up and down. It is eight, 00:22:16.049 --> 00:22:20.549 so it's four. frames, one on top of the other. 00:22:20.609 --> 00:22:24.049 They slide into grooves. And then the other side 00:22:24.049 --> 00:22:27.470 are four more frames that slide into grooves. 00:22:27.509 --> 00:22:30.430 So you have frame side back to back. So you can 00:22:30.430 --> 00:22:33.210 only see one side of the frame. You can't see 00:22:33.210 --> 00:22:36.420 what's going on in the middle. And then outside 00:22:36.420 --> 00:22:39.720 is plexiglass, and it's all screwed tight. It's 00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:43.220 safe. They cannot get out. There's vents on the 00:22:43.220 --> 00:22:46.079 side. There's a hole at the top to put in sugar 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:49.089 syrup if you need to. Tray in the bottom. for 00:22:49.089 --> 00:22:52.089 Varroa mite to fall into. And then there's a 00:22:52.089 --> 00:22:54.410 hole that's drilled through the wall. And there's 00:22:54.410 --> 00:22:56.890 a tube that the bees, it's not really a tube, 00:22:56.910 --> 00:22:59.509 it's a short space actually, where they come 00:22:59.509 --> 00:23:02.650 and go. There's a little porch, that's what I 00:23:02.650 --> 00:23:04.970 call a porch, a little landing right outside 00:23:04.970 --> 00:23:09.930 this hole. And the hive is on a bracket that 00:23:09.930 --> 00:23:12.730 swivels. So they can look at one side and they 00:23:12.730 --> 00:23:15.569 can look at the other. And when they're not using 00:23:15.569 --> 00:23:18.559 it, it has a quilted cover that keeps it because 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:21.759 we know honey bees work in the dark. So it keeps 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:24.859 it covered. It's in a place that is warm enough. 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:28.460 They get to see the progression. So you know 00:23:28.460 --> 00:23:30.519 how we talk about, so now all of a sudden they 00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:33.079 start bringing in nectar and they make honey. 00:23:33.319 --> 00:23:35.180 All of a sudden they're seeing frames that are 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:40.240 honey. It is just amazing. Right outside there's 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:43.339 a door that goes out onto the roof, which is 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:48.680 perfect. It's a flat roof. So... I can take that 00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:51.980 observation hive outside. You can block the entrance. 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:54.740 I have two friends that help me because it is 00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:59.039 heavy. And we don't want them to swarm, if at 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:02.019 all possible. So we can take that out and we 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:03.920 can pull some frames of brood, just like we were 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:06.220 going to do a split in one of our eight -frame 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:09.539 hives. beehives at home so we can pull some of 00:24:09.539 --> 00:24:14.039 that brood, put in some empty frames and potentially 00:24:14.039 --> 00:24:18.319 prevent them from swarming. So it's managed very 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:22.119 similar to an eight frame beehive that we might 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:25.140 have, except we can't add honey supers. Do you 00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:28.359 have a picture you can send? Absolutely. Of course 00:24:28.359 --> 00:24:30.759 you have pictures. You said you take bee pictures 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:32.950 too. Go ahead and send a picture. We'll figure 00:24:32.950 --> 00:24:36.150 out how to post this maybe to our Instagram page 00:24:36.150 --> 00:24:38.130 or something like that. All right, you got it. 00:24:38.210 --> 00:24:42.049 That will be fun. I will be happy to. How about 00:24:42.049 --> 00:24:45.750 an awkward topic? How do you explain to these 00:24:45.750 --> 00:24:48.829 kids about drones and exactly what their life 00:24:48.829 --> 00:24:51.009 is all about? I knew that's what you were going 00:24:51.009 --> 00:24:54.289 to say because it always comes up, right? So 00:24:54.289 --> 00:24:58.880 I want My sessions to be interactive. I don't 00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:01.579 want to stand up there and talk at kids I want 00:25:01.579 --> 00:25:03.480 it to be so I'll go in saying oh, we're gonna 00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:05.180 talk about life cycle next thing I know we're 00:25:05.180 --> 00:25:08.180 doing pollination and we're doing this It's just 00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:10.640 like, you know, we talked about with your podcast. 00:25:10.859 --> 00:25:15.519 Let's go with wherever it goes So I always talk 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:18.460 about who lives inside the hive Everybody seems 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:20.799 to know there's a queen and that it has to be 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:23.000 a queen and there's one we're good with it Then 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:26.900 we get to the next two members And the first 00:25:26.900 --> 00:25:31.119 question I ask is who do you think does most 00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:35.640 of the work in the beehive? If you think the 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:37.819 boys, I always do the boys first because guess 00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:41.279 what? That's who they think does most of the 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:44.279 work. So I say, who thinks, you know, boys do 00:25:44.279 --> 00:25:46.819 most of the work? Most of the children raise 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:49.900 their hand. And then who thinks the girls do 00:25:49.900 --> 00:25:51.700 most of the work? And we get a few, and then 00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:56.019 I raise my hand. And I tell them that not only 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:58.880 do the girls do most of the work, they literally 00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:04.700 do all of the work. And we go through. absolutely 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:07.819 everything, but the big things of taking care 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:11.240 of the babies and making the home and bringing 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:14.339 home the groceries. That's when I talk to kids, 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:16.480 I say, no, but the flower is a grocery store 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:20.480 for honeybees and they bring home the groceries. 00:26:21.299 --> 00:26:26.539 Before I even get to say anything about boy bees, 00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:30.579 hands go up. So if the girls do all the work, 00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:34.009 what's the boy bee do? and you know it's coming. 00:26:35.049 --> 00:26:41.210 So without getting into detail, I tell them that 00:26:41.210 --> 00:26:45.769 as we all know, you need a boy and a girl for 00:26:45.769 --> 00:26:49.170 there to be babies. So the boy's job is so that 00:26:49.170 --> 00:26:52.509 the queen can have babies. Now if I'm talking 00:26:52.509 --> 00:26:55.789 to adults, I can go into more details, but with 00:26:55.789 --> 00:27:00.910 kids, I leave it pretty simple as that. I try 00:27:00.910 --> 00:27:04.009 to find a positive spin on our drone. So I will 00:27:04.009 --> 00:27:08.089 say things like in the spring, their bodies are 00:27:08.089 --> 00:27:10.589 a little bigger, so they may help keep the hive 00:27:10.589 --> 00:27:14.569 a little bit warmer in the spring. And then we 00:27:14.569 --> 00:27:18.930 talk about how long do bees live. So when we 00:27:18.930 --> 00:27:22.549 talk about what happens to the boy bees in the 00:27:22.549 --> 00:27:27.460 fall, the young men seem to get a little... upset, 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:30.319 and some of the girls as well, that the poor 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:33.680 drones get kicked out, but I assure them that 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:37.119 when the queen starts laying in the spring, not 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:39.359 to worry, well actually starts laying in the 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:42.900 winter, not to worry, she is going to start laying 00:27:42.900 --> 00:27:46.359 boys first. They are needed. They are important 00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:51.859 to the hive. They just don't do much work. Like 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:54.259 I say, they're the teenagers in the basement 00:27:54.259 --> 00:27:57.059 playing video games, going out drinking with 00:27:57.059 --> 00:28:01.339 their buddies. You got it. Yep. I want to hear 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:04.680 more about your granddaughters. How old are they 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:10.059 and how is this affecting the grandmother -granddaughter 00:28:10.059 --> 00:28:14.880 relationship? Oh, there have been so many positive 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:18.299 things from this, Eric, that it's Just amazing. 00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:23.059 So they are currently 11 and 10. There's about 00:28:23.059 --> 00:28:26.259 a year and a half between them. So the one just 00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:30.880 turned 10 and they have been in the bee yard 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:34.940 since they were four and five. One of my favorite 00:28:34.940 --> 00:28:38.980 pictures is one of the older granddaughter who 00:28:38.980 --> 00:28:43.160 at the time was five. When you get excited about 00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:46.819 something, you can easily transfer that to other 00:28:46.819 --> 00:28:51.059 people. So after spending a year learning about 00:28:51.059 --> 00:28:54.740 bees, I shared, I shared, I shared. How exciting, 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:57.740 how wonderful. So it's time to go out in the 00:28:57.740 --> 00:29:00.579 bees. They're all suited up. They've got their 00:29:00.579 --> 00:29:02.980 boots on over the bottoms of their pants. They've 00:29:02.980 --> 00:29:05.299 got their gloves on, little tiny peanuts, and 00:29:05.299 --> 00:29:08.730 out we go. The older one, the only thing she 00:29:08.730 --> 00:29:13.410 wanted to do was feed the bees. I just want to 00:29:13.410 --> 00:29:15.970 feed the bees. And to this day, her favorite 00:29:15.970 --> 00:29:20.309 thing is watching her bees and caring for them. 00:29:20.849 --> 00:29:24.990 So she goes out. This was an installation. We 00:29:24.990 --> 00:29:27.470 installed a nuc. They came out and they watched. 00:29:27.690 --> 00:29:30.009 They did pick up some frames that didn't have 00:29:30.009 --> 00:29:32.769 as many bees on them. So the five -year -old 00:29:32.769 --> 00:29:37.309 picks up a dandelion. and she stands there and 00:29:37.309 --> 00:29:40.730 don't you know a bee comes and lands on that 00:29:40.730 --> 00:29:45.150 dandelion and that is my favorite picture of 00:29:45.150 --> 00:29:50.109 this five -year -old so proud holding this dandelion 00:29:50.109 --> 00:29:55.170 that it's just it's mind -boggling they open 00:29:55.170 --> 00:29:59.769 their mouth that they're 10 and 11, so last year, 00:29:59.809 --> 00:30:03.869 9 and 10, they, without assistance, open their 00:30:03.869 --> 00:30:07.490 hives. They inspect their hives. They need a 00:30:07.490 --> 00:30:09.710 little help taking honey supers off, but so do 00:30:09.710 --> 00:30:14.210 I some days. But the one of my granddaughter's 00:30:14.210 --> 00:30:17.759 hives had swarmed. And so I told her they love 00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:20.240 to find their queen. So I said to her, don't 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:23.640 even worry. That queen is not marked. Haven't 00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:26.859 had a chance to mark her yet. Don't even worry 00:30:26.859 --> 00:30:29.720 about finding your queen. Look for signs that 00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:32.799 she's there. Look for your eggs and your larva. 00:30:33.539 --> 00:30:35.880 So I have both of them. So I'm kind of going 00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:37.960 between hives because I want to show me things 00:30:37.960 --> 00:30:40.680 and ask me things. So all of a sudden she goes, 00:30:40.859 --> 00:30:43.849 oh, I found my queen. I said, no. No, you didn't. 00:30:43.970 --> 00:30:47.470 Because it's not marked, you can't. So I go about 00:30:47.470 --> 00:30:51.509 helping the others. Really, I'm really sure this 00:30:51.509 --> 00:30:54.670 is my queen. So I go over, sure enough, there 00:30:54.670 --> 00:30:59.369 she had found her unmarked queen. They are incredible. 00:31:00.049 --> 00:31:05.369 And our relationship is just phenomenal. They, 00:31:05.369 --> 00:31:07.710 when I go to their classes, they get to help 00:31:07.710 --> 00:31:14.309 talk. They are excited that I come. They are 00:31:14.309 --> 00:31:21.089 proud of me. So this past January, my 11 -year 00:31:21.089 --> 00:31:25.289 -old was chosen to go to the North American Honey 00:31:25.289 --> 00:31:30.950 Bee Expo as scholarship for next gen. So that's 00:31:30.950 --> 00:31:35.390 our relationship. It was the most amazing time. 00:31:35.470 --> 00:31:38.880 And she was so excited, just the two of us. got 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:42.920 to go and visit the vendors and listen to speakers 00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:45.440 and oh oh we have to sit in the front row she 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:48.220 says because you know we don't want to miss anything 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:54.619 amazing it is just it's wonderful and that same 00:31:54.619 --> 00:32:00.319 little girl when she graduated from pre -k she 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:03.880 literally crawled down the aisle because she 00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:06.940 didn't like anybody looking at her. She now does 00:32:06.940 --> 00:32:09.779 presentations in front of her class. It has built 00:32:09.779 --> 00:32:13.819 her self -esteem, her confidence. I'm telling 00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:17.380 you, getting your kids excited about bees, it's 00:32:17.380 --> 00:32:20.859 a great thing. And this certainly isn't just 00:32:20.859 --> 00:32:24.359 grandparents and grandchildren. This is parents 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:29.220 and your children. And I'm sure we could think 00:32:29.220 --> 00:32:33.000 of a lot of other relationships, too. But I think 00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:36.980 it's brought probably a new level of closeness 00:32:36.980 --> 00:32:40.420 that you would not have had otherwise. Yep. And 00:32:40.420 --> 00:32:44.039 someday in the very, very distant future, you're 00:32:44.039 --> 00:32:45.940 going to be gone and guess where your grandkids 00:32:45.940 --> 00:32:49.180 are going to remember the most. Right. I think 00:32:49.180 --> 00:32:53.400 so. I think so, too. I agree. All right. Couple 00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:55.819 more things before I let you go. I want to hear 00:32:55.819 --> 00:32:58.240 a wild and crazy beekeeping story. You are a 00:32:58.240 --> 00:33:01.019 fun person, which means you probably have 50 00:33:01.019 --> 00:33:05.319 of them. Give us one or two. All right. Oh, two. 00:33:05.480 --> 00:33:10.940 Good. OK. So I'll tell you my first since I get 00:33:10.940 --> 00:33:15.240 to do two. So the first one is not as crazy as 00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:18.390 the second one, but it's pretty hysterical. So 00:33:18.390 --> 00:33:21.210 I wanted an observation hive. So I'm getting 00:33:21.210 --> 00:33:23.769 to go to schools and I want to bring my bees, 00:33:23.910 --> 00:33:26.349 right? Because we already talked about how much 00:33:26.349 --> 00:33:30.549 kids love seeing bees and watching them. So I 00:33:30.549 --> 00:33:35.410 need an observation hive. So Jim too has directions 00:33:35.410 --> 00:33:38.130 online for free to build an observation hive. 00:33:38.190 --> 00:33:41.289 So my husband's pretty crafty. So I gave him 00:33:41.289 --> 00:33:44.589 said instructions and I said, build me this observation 00:33:44.589 --> 00:33:48.650 hive. So he did. and he's up, yeah, I'm just, 00:33:48.650 --> 00:33:51.289 I'm not crazy about how it came out. I'm not 00:33:51.289 --> 00:33:54.349 sure that this is really gonna be, I said, it's 00:33:54.349 --> 00:33:58.289 fine, it's fine. So I go out, pull a frame of 00:33:58.289 --> 00:34:04.519 bees, I put it in, I shut it up, I... Take it 00:34:04.519 --> 00:34:07.200 back up to the garage as I get up there. Bees 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:09.820 are pouring out of this thing left and right. 00:34:10.360 --> 00:34:12.179 Hundreds of bees are just pouring out of this 00:34:12.179 --> 00:34:14.960 and I'm freaking out. Not because the bees are 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:17.699 pouring out because I want to show the kids. 00:34:18.219 --> 00:34:21.840 So I'm grab the duct tape. I'm duct taping the 00:34:21.840 --> 00:34:25.420 thing around and around. I probably ended up 00:34:25.420 --> 00:34:28.019 with about 100 bees still in there and the children 00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:31.530 did see them and they enjoyed it, but. We ordered 00:34:31.530 --> 00:34:34.210 an observation hive online and it's been much 00:34:34.210 --> 00:34:38.090 better than mine. My poor husband tried very 00:34:38.090 --> 00:34:41.789 nicely to create. By the way, as a beekeeper, 00:34:42.510 --> 00:34:45.469 if you have never had an experience of driving 00:34:45.469 --> 00:34:49.809 with a car or truck full of bees flying around, 00:34:49.929 --> 00:34:53.469 you're not there yet. All their level. All right, 00:34:53.530 --> 00:34:56.349 go ahead. Story number two. So the other one, 00:34:56.349 --> 00:34:59.570 again, it involved children. So I had a presentation 00:34:59.570 --> 00:35:02.289 in the morning, nine thirty. I had to be there 00:35:02.289 --> 00:35:06.050 at nine thirty. So I wanted to wait until the 00:35:06.050 --> 00:35:09.989 very last minute to get the bees out of the hive, 00:35:09.989 --> 00:35:12.210 because we know that the morning they're not 00:35:12.210 --> 00:35:15.409 morning insects. That's not their time of day. 00:35:15.949 --> 00:35:20.670 So I was dressed and ready to go. So put on my 00:35:20.670 --> 00:35:25.480 jacket. put on my gloves and lit my smoker. Now, 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:29.300 I happen to be wearing black capris, and capris 00:35:29.300 --> 00:35:31.260 may not be as popular anymore. They're kind of 00:35:31.260 --> 00:35:33.940 a cross between a short and a pant, and they 00:35:33.940 --> 00:35:36.340 were black. But, you know, I had on a yellow 00:35:36.340 --> 00:35:38.980 top, you know, I gotta, you know, look the part 00:35:38.980 --> 00:35:43.539 here. So I go out to the beehive and I take off 00:35:43.539 --> 00:35:48.900 the outer cover and... instantly greeted by thousands 00:35:48.900 --> 00:35:53.260 of little faces. So I smoked them. Well, oh darn, 00:35:53.440 --> 00:35:57.699 that smoker went out. Oh, I said to myself, that's 00:35:57.699 --> 00:36:01.800 okay. I'm just gonna pull one frame. I really 00:36:01.800 --> 00:36:06.380 don't need that smoker. So a few more bees came 00:36:06.380 --> 00:36:08.719 out and at this point I got a couple of stings 00:36:08.719 --> 00:36:11.679 on top of my hand through my gloves. I wear nitrile 00:36:11.679 --> 00:36:14.440 gloves at this point of my beekeeping career. 00:36:15.179 --> 00:36:18.260 Took a couple of stings, but again, you know, 00:36:18.320 --> 00:36:21.619 it's for the kids. So I'm not done. I'm not going 00:36:21.619 --> 00:36:25.260 to give up yet. So I pull out a frame. Well, 00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:31.119 with that, anger ensued and the backs of my calves 00:36:31.119 --> 00:36:33.900 got stung. And I did what I tell children never 00:36:33.900 --> 00:36:38.199 to do. I ran like a fool to the house, flailing 00:36:38.199 --> 00:36:43.070 my arms, being chased by thousands of bees. Well, 00:36:43.070 --> 00:36:45.010 probably not. But you know how it seems like 00:36:45.010 --> 00:36:48.050 at the time. It seems like that. So I get up 00:36:48.050 --> 00:36:51.409 to the house. They don't follow me into the garage. 00:36:52.369 --> 00:36:56.909 So what did I do? I lit my smoker. I went back 00:36:56.909 --> 00:37:00.469 out and I got that frame of me. Put it in my 00:37:00.469 --> 00:37:04.070 observation while I took it. Determination. And 00:37:04.070 --> 00:37:07.760 I have learned now that it's probably better 00:37:07.760 --> 00:37:11.559 to grab that frame of bees in the afternoon and 00:37:11.559 --> 00:37:14.800 let them sit in the nice garage just overnight 00:37:14.800 --> 00:37:18.079 than try to risk doing it in the morning again. 00:37:18.980 --> 00:37:21.340 Oh, it's fun to learn all these lessons, isn't 00:37:21.340 --> 00:37:25.159 it? Hey, any last minute advice for parents, 00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:28.519 grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers that want 00:37:28.519 --> 00:37:32.260 to work with kids? Get them interested. Show 00:37:32.260 --> 00:37:36.059 them the amazing thing that are honey bees children 00:37:36.059 --> 00:37:39.820 are Just blown away when they find out that that 00:37:39.820 --> 00:37:43.920 honeycomb is made from wax that the bees actually 00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:48.739 make on their own bodies that They don't have 00:37:48.739 --> 00:37:51.719 a nose yet. They have an incredible sense of 00:37:51.719 --> 00:37:55.440 smell That they don't have ears yet. They can 00:37:55.440 --> 00:37:59.539 communicate with vibration the amazing things 00:37:59.539 --> 00:38:04.519 that are Part of a honeybee are incredible things 00:38:04.519 --> 00:38:06.679 to share with children. And when they become 00:38:06.679 --> 00:38:10.659 amazed, they become much less afraid. Great way 00:38:10.659 --> 00:38:13.280 to put it. Cindy, thank you so much for being 00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:15.559 on the show. And you know what? Thank you for 00:38:15.559 --> 00:38:18.400 reaching out to me and offering to be on the 00:38:18.400 --> 00:38:21.559 show just to let everybody know out there. If 00:38:21.559 --> 00:38:24.360 you're a plain old beekeeper or have a fun story. 00:38:24.949 --> 00:38:28.150 or want to chit chat about bees, hey, I'm always 00:38:28.150 --> 00:38:31.230 here. Shoot me an email. You can find all that 00:38:31.230 --> 00:38:33.789 in the show notes and on the website. And we 00:38:33.789 --> 00:38:36.250 would love to hear from you. And thanks again, 00:38:36.309 --> 00:38:38.730 Cindy. Thank you, Eric. It was my pleasure to 00:38:38.730 --> 00:38:42.170 be here. And I just hope that everyone has a 00:38:42.170 --> 00:38:44.730 great day. And we always remember to be happy. 00:38:47.909 --> 00:38:50.449 Thanks again for joining us here on Be Love Beekeeping, 00:38:50.710 --> 00:38:54.420 presented by Man Lake. Remember right now to 00:38:54.420 --> 00:38:58.219 follow or subscribe and share this podcast. Also 00:38:58.219 --> 00:39:00.559 a quick shout out to Vita Bee Health for their 00:39:00.559 --> 00:39:04.019 support. Vita's Varroa Control range of products 00:39:04.019 --> 00:39:07.960 includes Apistan, Apigard, and now Varroxan, 00:39:08.239 --> 00:39:11.619 Extended Release Oxalic Acid Strips. Thanks guys. 00:39:12.460 --> 00:39:15.179 Enjoy spring everybody, enjoy your bees, and 00:39:15.179 --> 00:39:17.559 remember, if you're not just in it for the honey 00:39:17.559 --> 00:39:20.480 or the money, you're in it for the love. See 00:39:20.480 --> 00:39:22.980 you next week. you