WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.660 May I have your attention, please? The following 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:10.919 is not the real Jeff Fox review. If you do more 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:16.899 splits than a gymnast, you might be a beekeeper. 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:23.379 If you use a queen clip to keep your hair out 00:00:23.379 --> 00:00:28.239 of your face during hive inspection, you might 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:38.570 be a beekeeper. says what's this sticky stuff 00:00:38.570 --> 00:00:45.990 on your door handles you might be a beekeeper 00:00:45.990 --> 00:00:56.270 welcome welcome to be love beekeeping presented 00:00:56.270 --> 00:00:59.539 by our great friends over at man lake Today, 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:02.100 we'll be traveling to the Great White North for 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:04.780 a lively discussion with a beekeeper whose bees 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:10.620 are clustered for seven months of the year. But 00:01:10.620 --> 00:01:13.340 first, we're beginning to get answers to the 00:01:13.340 --> 00:01:17.459 Great American Bee Die Off of 2025. This press 00:01:17.459 --> 00:01:22.140 release is titled, New USDA Research Links Early 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:26.299 2025 Honey Bee Losses to High Viral Loads and 00:01:26.299 --> 00:01:29.540 Mite Resistance. Now, please bear with me as 00:01:29.540 --> 00:01:32.280 I'm going to read most of this so that you can 00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:34.780 hear exactly what the researchers are saying. 00:01:35.819 --> 00:01:39.319 New research from the U .S. Department of Agriculture's 00:01:39.319 --> 00:01:44.480 Agricultural Research Service, USDA, ARS, sheds 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:47.420 light on the causes behind the catastrophic honeybee 00:01:47.420 --> 00:01:50.459 colony losses reported by commercial beekeepers 00:01:50.459 --> 00:01:53.920 earlier this year. The findings point to alarming 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:58.099 high levels of viral infections vectored by Varroa 00:01:58.099 --> 00:02:01.640 destructor, Varroa mites, with resistant genes 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:05.000 to a common treatment as key drivers of colony 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:08.439 collapse. The study, which analyzed samples from 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:11.919 six major commercial beekeeping operations affected 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:14.740 by the losses, provided the most detailed evidence 00:02:14.740 --> 00:02:17.780 to date of the biological factors behind the 00:02:17.780 --> 00:02:21.400 widespread die -offs. Collectively, these operations 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:25.400 managed nearly 184 ,000 colonies, or roughly 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:29.379 7 % of all U .S. hives, and reported losses averaged 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:33.360 over 60 % just as bees were being staged for 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:37.099 California's almond pollination season. Quote, 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:40.199 the beekeeping and bee health community appreciates 00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:44.219 the work of the USDA ARS Bee Research Laboratories. 00:02:44.909 --> 00:02:47.969 They quickly took samples of lost colonies, and 00:02:47.969 --> 00:02:50.870 now that they've released the analysis, beekeepers 00:02:50.870 --> 00:02:53.930 can better understand what happened and take 00:02:53.930 --> 00:02:57.750 action," said Matt Malicka, Senior Project Director 00:02:57.750 --> 00:03:00.750 at Keystone Policy Center, which facilitates 00:03:00.750 --> 00:03:03.689 the Honey Bee Health Coalition. We understand 00:03:03.689 --> 00:03:06.449 more analysis is occurring, and we look forward 00:03:06.449 --> 00:03:08.969 to learning more about the other potential causes 00:03:08.969 --> 00:03:13.180 of these significant colony losses. Researchers 00:03:13.180 --> 00:03:16.500 found that deformed wing virus and acute bee 00:03:16.500 --> 00:03:20.539 paralysis virus in both pooled colony samples 00:03:20.539 --> 00:03:24.000 and individual bees showing shaking and other 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:27.800 signs of morbidity. Experimental inoculation 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:30.659 further confirmed these viruses as the likely 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:35.159 cause of mortality in collapsing colonies. Crucially, 00:03:35.530 --> 00:03:38.789 All varroa mites collected from affected colonies 00:03:38.789 --> 00:03:42.509 tested positive for a genetic marker linked to 00:03:42.509 --> 00:03:45.870 resistance to amitras, the most commonly used 00:03:45.870 --> 00:03:49.169 miticide in commercial beekeeping. This finding 00:03:49.169 --> 00:03:52.610 underscores the urgent need for new tools and 00:03:52.610 --> 00:03:56.219 integrated pest management strategies. Quote, 00:03:56.219 --> 00:03:59.099 this is a critical moment for honeybee health, 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:01.960 said Patty Sundberg, president of the American 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:04.840 Beekeeping Federation. We can't continue relying 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:08.240 on a single line of defense against Varroa. These 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:10.860 mites are evolving quickly and our management 00:04:10.860 --> 00:04:14.620 tools must evolve just as fast. We also need 00:04:14.620 --> 00:04:17.759 to find treatments for these viruses and we await 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:21.139 the release of how pesticide exposure and poor 00:04:21.139 --> 00:04:24.759 nutrition amplify the impacts from these viruses. 00:04:25.420 --> 00:04:29.079 While viruses and varroa were confirmed as primary 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:33.560 contributors, the USDA ARS research also acknowledges 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:37.399 other stressors, including pesticide exposure, 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:40.560 poor nutrition, and environmental conditions 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:44.459 may have exacerbated the losses. The findings 00:04:44.459 --> 00:04:47.939 released this week are a crucial first step in 00:04:47.939 --> 00:04:50.939 providing beekeepers actionable information, 00:04:51.579 --> 00:04:54.199 added Stephen Coy. president of the American 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:57.540 Honey Producers Association. It highlights the 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:00.579 necessity for additional miticides and methods 00:05:00.579 --> 00:05:03.939 of controlling varroa and the associated viruses. 00:05:04.740 --> 00:05:07.680 We urge the USDA to provide the results of the 00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:10.899 impacts of nutritional, chemical, and environmental 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:14.439 stress as soon as possible. Beekeepers need a 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:16.819 complete picture of what happened in order to 00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:18.939 make sound decisions regarding the health of 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:23.740 our colonies. In 2021, the Honey Bee Health Coalition 00:05:23.740 --> 00:05:27.459 published Guide to Varroa mite controls for commercial 00:05:27.459 --> 00:05:30.360 beekeeping operations, which laid out a vision 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.699 that addresses the risks of amatraz resistance 00:05:33.699 --> 00:05:37.839 created by off -label use. The continuous use 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:41.699 of off -label amatraz with increasing dosage 00:05:41.699 --> 00:05:45.199 as it becomes less effective is likely to cause 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:48.829 amatraz to lose its effectiveness. And I'll add 00:05:48.829 --> 00:05:51.970 in here, it sounds like that's exactly what happened. 00:05:52.910 --> 00:05:56.930 The USDA ARS researchers have submitted a manuscript 00:05:56.930 --> 00:06:00.149 to a scientific journal for peer review. Now, 00:06:00.149 --> 00:06:02.670 if you are the kind of person that wants to read 00:06:02.670 --> 00:06:05.329 the whole study straight from the horse's mouth, 00:06:05.910 --> 00:06:08.610 we will have that link in our show notes. So 00:06:08.610 --> 00:06:11.050 go ahead and click down there and geek out to 00:06:11.050 --> 00:06:16.240 your heart's content. I'd like to welcome to 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:19.480 the show today, Rae -Lynn White, coming to us 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:23.220 from, oh my gosh, Newfoundland, Canada. How are 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:25.680 you, Rae -Lynn? I'm doing great, and I really 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:27.600 love the way you pronounced it. It was proper. 00:06:27.860 --> 00:06:30.860 Like, that's the way you say it. Newfoundland 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:34.519 or Rae -Lynn? Newfoundland. I'm like, don't kind 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:37.120 of fool that up, but you got it right on. Well, 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:39.139 I cheated. I've actually had somebody else on 00:06:39.139 --> 00:06:41.660 the show last year from Newfoundland. That's 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:44.620 great. Absolutely. And she gave me the whole 00:06:44.620 --> 00:06:47.860 rundown on, do not say newfound land or anything 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:50.459 like that, or you get a big time trouble. You 00:06:50.459 --> 00:06:53.160 are good. But I have you on the show because 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:55.399 you're an expert in manuka honey, and that's 00:06:55.399 --> 00:06:59.279 what we're talking about today. Oh, give it up. 00:06:59.939 --> 00:07:03.180 I'm glad this is now live. Would you like to 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:06.399 explain our inside joke to people? I was on an 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:10.779 interview on CBC, which is a live television 00:07:10.779 --> 00:07:13.990 show, but They also do audio podcasts and it's 00:07:13.990 --> 00:07:17.089 also on YouTube. Anyway, they had callers call 00:07:17.089 --> 00:07:19.430 in and one of the callers called in and asked 00:07:19.430 --> 00:07:24.310 me about Manuka honey. And unfortunately, I'm 00:07:24.310 --> 00:07:27.490 not too familiar about Manuka honey, being from 00:07:27.490 --> 00:07:29.509 Newfoundland and all. We don't have that honey 00:07:29.509 --> 00:07:32.769 here. So I can pass that to you if you want to 00:07:32.769 --> 00:07:35.449 do a better explanation of it. I'm going to do 00:07:35.449 --> 00:07:38.129 this instead. I'm going to invite a listener 00:07:38.129 --> 00:07:41.939 from New Zealand to get a hold of me. Okay. Eric 00:07:41.939 --> 00:07:45.079 at Be Love, Be Keeping dot com. Someone that 00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:47.720 can talk about manuka honey and we'll do it sometime. 00:07:48.500 --> 00:07:50.519 Fabulous. I would love that actually to be educated 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:52.899 about that. But you and I are not going to fake 00:07:52.899 --> 00:07:54.439 our way through that one. We're going to talk 00:07:54.439 --> 00:07:57.000 about things we know a little bit about. And 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:59.639 the first one, I can't do that one either because 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:01.540 you don't know anything about Varroa because 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:04.600 you don't have to deal with it. No, I do know 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:07.430 a lot about Varroa. simply because we always 00:08:07.430 --> 00:08:09.689 like a prevention, we always want beekeepers 00:08:09.689 --> 00:08:12.529 to be aware of it and educated about it. But 00:08:12.529 --> 00:08:15.610 thank goodness, we are probably one of the only 00:08:15.610 --> 00:08:18.050 places in the world, I think, that doesn't have 00:08:18.050 --> 00:08:21.689 Varroa. We had a guest on the show that is on 00:08:21.689 --> 00:08:24.870 Maui, or not Maui, Kauai. They don't have Varroa 00:08:24.870 --> 00:08:28.709 there yet or Molokai. Other than that, I don't 00:08:28.709 --> 00:08:31.209 know. I know Australia didn't do it for a while, 00:08:31.290 --> 00:08:33.149 but they certainly have it now, unfortunately, 00:08:33.370 --> 00:08:36.340 right? I'm guessing Antarctica is Varroa free. 00:08:36.740 --> 00:08:41.240 Yeah, I would think so. So in Newfoundland back 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:45.620 in 1985, I believe the date, the government passed 00:08:45.620 --> 00:08:48.799 a law basically saying that you were not allowed 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.639 to import any honeybees into the province. So 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:54.799 they did that because of the whole Varroa and 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:56.820 trying to stop it before it even got started. 00:08:57.700 --> 00:09:00.120 And thankfully, it actually was successful. And 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:01.960 like I said, we have no Varroa here in the island. 00:09:02.250 --> 00:09:05.830 That's fantastic. You are blessed. Tell us a 00:09:05.830 --> 00:09:09.269 little bit more about beekeeping there. We know 00:09:09.269 --> 00:09:11.870 that the weather's got to be rough. Yeah. Tell 00:09:11.870 --> 00:09:14.570 us a little bit about that and things that you 00:09:14.570 --> 00:09:18.289 do and don't do as beekeepers. For example, I 00:09:18.289 --> 00:09:20.370 don't think you do a lot of pollination service. 00:09:20.889 --> 00:09:23.870 No. So Newfoundland is a huge, huge province 00:09:23.870 --> 00:09:28.250 in Canada. It is over a half million people, 00:09:28.289 --> 00:09:30.330 but it's more land than people. So most people 00:09:30.330 --> 00:09:33.409 are actually in the St. John's and surrounding 00:09:33.409 --> 00:09:36.730 area, not so much all over. So we have a lot 00:09:36.730 --> 00:09:40.590 of land that's not even used. Our biggest struggle 00:09:40.590 --> 00:09:42.929 here in Newfoundland with beekeeping is the weather. 00:09:43.730 --> 00:09:45.889 And that differs like in the East Coast is way 00:09:45.889 --> 00:09:48.070 different than the West Coast. So East Coast, 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:51.610 we don't get as much snow. However, we get cold 00:09:51.610 --> 00:09:54.960 temperatures and we get a lot of frost and thaw, 00:09:55.299 --> 00:09:57.059 yeah, freeze and thaw, freeze and thaw, which 00:09:57.059 --> 00:09:59.159 is obviously really hard for honeybees because 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:01.639 they're in the cluster. They get tricked, they 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:04.559 come out, and then they have to go back in. And 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:05.879 another thing, too, when you think about our 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:08.139 honeybees are in the cluster about seven months 00:10:08.139 --> 00:10:11.360 of the year. So that's a long time. And during 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:13.440 that time, you know, we have to kind of peak 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:15.580 up on a kind of mild day to see if they have 00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:18.519 thought in it and close it up quick. So that's 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:20.419 one of the big struggles we have in Newfoundland 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:23.860 is the weather. And again, like, our spring is 00:10:23.860 --> 00:10:27.779 not that great. I'm only now, and it's June 6th. 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:31.000 No, June, what day is it? June 3rd. Is it June 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:34.240 3rd? And I'm only now seeing drones actually 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:38.279 in the hive. So very late. They're not sexually 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:41.299 mature yet. So I have some queens probably going 00:10:41.299 --> 00:10:43.299 to go out mating next week. And I'm hoping that 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:46.039 they're going to do well with that. But like 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:48.840 I said, everything's a lot slower and a lot at 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:50.659 a slower pace here in Newfoundland with bees. 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:53.740 Yeah, without long of a time of them, I'll call 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:56.059 it trapped in the hive. I mean, if it's too cold, 00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:58.899 they can't go outside, so they're trapped. There's 00:10:58.899 --> 00:11:00.940 a couple of things. One, obviously, they need 00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:03.519 enough to eat. Yeah. So I'd like to hear about 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:06.500 why you feed them. But are there problems with 00:11:06.500 --> 00:11:09.059 the fact that they can't take a cleansing flight 00:11:09.059 --> 00:11:13.600 for months? OK, so let the eating part. So I 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:16.720 really encouraged. encourage beekeepers, new 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.840 and seasoned beekeepers, that they have a hundred 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:21.740 pounds of honey going into their hive every winter. 00:11:22.059 --> 00:11:26.080 And when you think about it, that's not just 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:28.399 a winter, that's seven months basically, that's 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:30.100 what they have to chow down on for that amount 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:33.340 of time. On top of that, I also, like when we're 00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:36.840 getting into March, I often say that's the real 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:38.799 high month that we get a lot of losses, simply 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:41.580 because bees run out of food. So I'm often encouraging 00:11:41.580 --> 00:11:44.039 people, you know what, go check to make sure 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:46.909 they have I mean, I'm not saying you obviously 00:11:46.909 --> 00:11:48.850 cannot go up and do a live check and see if they 00:11:48.850 --> 00:11:51.190 have honey because it's too cold, but I would 00:11:51.190 --> 00:11:54.669 always make sure like March that they have some 00:11:54.669 --> 00:11:57.690 fondant and constantly put fondant right on until 00:11:57.690 --> 00:12:00.750 probably the first week in May. So that's the 00:12:00.750 --> 00:12:02.850 feeding part. And yes, you're right in regards 00:12:02.850 --> 00:12:05.250 to being trapped in the box. They are very much 00:12:05.250 --> 00:12:08.389 so. Usually like in April, sometimes we have 00:12:08.389 --> 00:12:12.299 warmer days. I often joke that We are, you know, 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:13.879 through school and stuff, I've learned, you know, 00:12:13.980 --> 00:12:16.559 honey bees don't come out, yes, like 12 to 15 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:19.059 degrees. However, bees in Newfoundland are flying 00:12:19.059 --> 00:12:21.679 free at probably six. They're very different 00:12:21.679 --> 00:12:24.539 bees. They're very hardy bees. They're very climatized 00:12:24.539 --> 00:12:27.899 to our weather and temperature. So there's nothing 00:12:27.899 --> 00:12:30.120 but seeing bees flying around at six degrees. 00:12:30.580 --> 00:12:33.759 So we get a kind of a warm day in April. We call 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:36.639 it yellow rain. It's everywhere. They just hold 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:39.360 it in and obviously let it out when they can. 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:41.639 But yeah, and then it gets a point where it goes, 00:12:41.860 --> 00:12:43.399 they're freezing again. Obviously, then they're 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:45.080 trapped in again until probably the first week 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:47.519 in May. So again, we have the yellow rain again. 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:51.879 So it's kind of constant. So they're very herdy 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:54.419 bees. I think they're very, and very healthy, 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:56.480 obviously, because you mentioned it, Varroa, 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:59.480 but we also don't have wax moth. We don't have 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:02.340 hide beetle. We don't have tracheal mites. We 00:13:02.340 --> 00:13:06.659 don't have... Foul brood? No, no foul brood, 00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:09.480 European or American. Like, yeah, I mean, our 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:11.019 bees are really the big thing with us is the 00:13:11.019 --> 00:13:14.559 weather. And a lot of people going into the winter 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:17.019 really don't know how to insulate their hives 00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:19.100 properly. So you get a lot of moisture buildup. 00:13:19.179 --> 00:13:22.139 And obviously, I always say wet bees, unfortunately, 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:24.620 are dead bees when it comes in the winter time. 00:13:25.100 --> 00:13:27.720 Yeah. What's your philosophy on that insulation? 00:13:28.279 --> 00:13:30.879 Yeah. So for me, I took the leap this year, actually, 00:13:31.139 --> 00:13:35.360 and I overwinterized my hive. Eleven hives going 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:37.620 into the winter, and all of them survived. I'm 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:39.720 pretty happy about that. I actually put them 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:43.080 in a shed. The shed itself isn't insulated, however, 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:45.659 obviously it protects it from the wind. In Newfoundland, 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:47.700 that's probably the most important thing to do. 00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:51.059 The wind is so cold and bitter. I did insulate 00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:54.139 them even though they were in this shed. So I 00:13:54.139 --> 00:13:56.500 go a little bit overboard with insulation, I 00:13:56.500 --> 00:13:59.679 feel. However, I do the proper ventilation so 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:02.360 that there's no water buildup or dampness within 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:05.220 the hive. So I use the Bridget insulation that 00:14:05.220 --> 00:14:09.039 you buy at Kent's. And I go all around it, obviously 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:11.279 cover it. And then I have a top pillow, which 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:14.620 is about eight inches high on the top of it, 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:17.620 like going right over your inner cover. And I 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:19.840 keep the entrance completely open. So there's 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:23.539 no condensation. There's a right moisture and 00:14:23.539 --> 00:14:25.179 proper circulation. So we're not getting a lot 00:14:25.179 --> 00:14:27.159 of buildup moisture in the high. Yeah. And I 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:29.100 think that's a mistake that a lot of us make 00:14:29.100 --> 00:14:32.080 is we want to insulate it so much that we close 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:35.000 it all up. I did that one year. And they have 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:37.840 to have some ventilation. Yeah. Even if it's 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:41.179 cold. I actually do. I have two hives that here 00:14:41.179 --> 00:14:44.240 at the prison here in St. John's, so the federal 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:46.559 prison. So I also do be keeping down there with 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:49.919 the inmates. Now those hives down there, I kept 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:52.779 them outside. I just insulate them like I just 00:14:52.779 --> 00:14:55.799 mentioned. And they were the strongest hives 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:59.100 I have. Even though like they weren't inside, 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:01.750 they were boom, and I'm already after making 00:15:01.750 --> 00:15:04.190 two splits on them. And it's only like middle, 00:15:04.549 --> 00:15:07.549 first part of June. I've heard about inmate programs 00:15:07.549 --> 00:15:09.629 before. I've read about some of them. Haven't 00:15:09.629 --> 00:15:11.809 had anybody on the show yet talking about them. 00:15:12.269 --> 00:15:14.669 Tell me a little bit about how that works. Yeah. 00:15:14.830 --> 00:15:17.610 How many inmates do you work with? So I was up 00:15:17.610 --> 00:15:21.370 in my apiary, working away and I overheard Jan 00:15:21.370 --> 00:15:23.549 Buehle, who's the facilitator for the steaming 00:15:23.549 --> 00:15:26.240 scarab project. So the Phoenix Garden projects, 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:28.980 they're basically more about plants and planting 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:31.159 and getting our hands in the dirt, and it's obviously 00:15:31.159 --> 00:15:33.840 quite beneficial. When I heard that, my ears 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.240 like peaked. I was like, okay, we have to get 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:39.399 bees in there too. So, to be honest with you, 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:41.559 it was really easy to do. They were very open 00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:44.039 with it. They provide funding for hives. They 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:48.120 provide funding for bees. And off I went, and 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:51.200 I went in. So we do a group every Monday during 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:53.440 the winter, like fall and winter. That group 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:57.809 is Just be education. So we developed a module 00:15:57.809 --> 00:16:00.929 And everything every chapter obviously is all 00:16:00.929 --> 00:16:03.669 about beekeeping and we didn't kind of leave 00:16:03.669 --> 00:16:06.590 out the big words You know spermatheca or propolis 00:16:06.590 --> 00:16:09.110 those words are all there for the for the inmates 00:16:09.110 --> 00:16:11.629 to learn and learn how to pronounce them properly 00:16:11.629 --> 00:16:15.830 So yeah, so there's nine men in the group and 00:16:15.830 --> 00:16:19.389 when they're actually discharged obviously The 00:16:19.389 --> 00:16:21.950 wait list to this group is really long. They 00:16:21.950 --> 00:16:24.809 quickly fill up. So we usually keep it at nine. 00:16:25.649 --> 00:16:27.929 They learn through the fall and the winter and 00:16:27.929 --> 00:16:29.809 then in the spring and summer they're out with 00:16:29.809 --> 00:16:33.049 me in the hives. So when I go down, obviously 00:16:33.049 --> 00:16:35.529 this time of year, I always say to beekeepers, 00:16:35.669 --> 00:16:37.570 you need to check your hive once a week just 00:16:37.570 --> 00:16:39.830 to make sure things are okay, that a queen, there's 00:16:39.830 --> 00:16:42.350 no swarm cells, all that good stuff. So I go 00:16:42.350 --> 00:16:45.210 down once a week and I get to take four inmates 00:16:45.210 --> 00:16:48.070 out with me. when I do the hive checks. So there's 00:16:48.070 --> 00:16:50.029 certain inmates down there that they can do a 00:16:50.029 --> 00:16:52.490 complete hide inspection and me just standing 00:16:52.490 --> 00:16:55.169 back and they're doing it all on their own and 00:16:55.169 --> 00:16:56.990 they knew nothing obviously about bees when they 00:16:56.990 --> 00:17:00.029 first came in prison. So for me as a social worker 00:17:00.029 --> 00:17:02.330 you know I think beekeeping and social work goes 00:17:02.330 --> 00:17:04.910 hand in hand and some of the biggest deepest 00:17:04.910 --> 00:17:07.329 conversations I've had with inmates have been 00:17:07.329 --> 00:17:10.450 while we're beekeeping. It's a very much mindful 00:17:10.450 --> 00:17:13.809 activity. It's really grounding. It's just the 00:17:13.809 --> 00:17:15.670 boars and the bees. That's all they think about. 00:17:15.730 --> 00:17:17.210 They don't think about the problems they've had 00:17:17.210 --> 00:17:19.690 in the community or their loved ones. You know, 00:17:19.769 --> 00:17:22.150 at that point, they're just all about the bees. 00:17:25.029 --> 00:17:27.009 Quick break to thank our presenting sponsor, 00:17:27.390 --> 00:17:31.019 Man Lake. I've found that Man Lake has absolutely 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:33.519 everything I need to take care of the health 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:36.319 of my bees, mite checks and treatments, beetle 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:39.140 management, hive health and nutrition, pollen 00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:42.819 substitutes, food and feeders, and the knowledge 00:17:42.819 --> 00:17:45.700 base to help you know how to use it, including 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:49.339 Bella, their AI beekeeping genius. Just look 00:17:49.339 --> 00:17:51.279 for her icon in the bottom right hand corner 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:55.079 of your screen at manlakeltd .com. While you're 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:57.779 there, don't forget your discount code MLBlove. 00:17:57.799 --> 00:18:01.160 It's in the show notes. For $10 off your first 00:18:01.160 --> 00:18:07.660 $100 purchase. So it's very successful. I was 00:18:07.660 --> 00:18:10.000 hoping to add more hives down there this year, 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:13.839 but I feel it's the amount of time it takes for 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:16.539 me to do a hive inspection. It takes up too much 00:18:16.539 --> 00:18:18.400 time for the correctional officers to actually 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:20.720 add more hives. So we're going to keep it at 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.859 two and just get the boys out more and let them 00:18:23.859 --> 00:18:26.640 do the hive inspections. Does it ever seem scary 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:29.279 to go in there and do that? Not at all. You know, 00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:32.000 I've, if anything, I've been treated with utmost 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:35.920 respect. The boys are so appreciative of what 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:38.680 we do. I mean, this is all volunteer, right? 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:41.319 No one is getting paid for this. And they know 00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:43.779 obviously that I'm going in because I want to 00:18:43.779 --> 00:18:46.720 teach and I want them to learn and enjoy beekeeping. 00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:49.980 So if anything, I was always treated with respect 00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:54.369 and Yeah, it's just wonderful and one day we 00:18:54.369 --> 00:18:56.769 actually had correctional officers two correctional 00:18:56.769 --> 00:18:59.250 officers actually join us and that's like in 00:18:59.250 --> 00:19:01.630 some prisons That's like a big no -no, right? 00:19:02.009 --> 00:19:04.490 But they did and they actually you've seen a 00:19:04.490 --> 00:19:07.009 correctional officer and an inmate All the barriers 00:19:07.009 --> 00:19:09.170 down boundaries down and they're interacting 00:19:09.170 --> 00:19:11.849 as people which they should be so it's pretty 00:19:11.849 --> 00:19:14.609 precious That is great and they know it's a privilege. 00:19:14.609 --> 00:19:16.869 So yeah, they're probably on their very best 00:19:16.869 --> 00:19:19.529 behavior Absolutely and a great skill for them 00:19:19.529 --> 00:19:23.019 to learn. Yeah There's one prisoner or inmate 00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:25.819 that's actually going to be sent to a federal 00:19:25.819 --> 00:19:28.859 penitentiary, the provincial, and that's why 00:19:28.859 --> 00:19:31.059 he says he's going to miss the most is the beekeeping. 00:19:31.819 --> 00:19:35.359 So it's sad, but hopefully he'll find an opportunity 00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:38.539 wherever he might go and develop that a little 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:40.980 bit further. You're doing some good out there 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:43.559 in the world with beekeeping. That's something 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:46.960 that we love to push here. By the way, Rae Lynn 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:50.420 is known on social media as Bee Haven. That's 00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:54.359 right. big time, big time group following her. 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:57.240 Let's talk about community a little bit. It's 00:19:57.240 --> 00:19:59.859 one thing I love about beekeepers. Everybody 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:02.480 gets along. You and I were both at the North 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:05.559 American Honey Bee Expo. I didn't know you then, 00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:08.859 but I'll see you there this next year. Absolutely. 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:12.140 Beekeepers are a great community. And there are 00:20:12.140 --> 00:20:16.319 all kinds of clubs all over the world. And every 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:20.259 club has their own personality. And I just wanted 00:20:20.259 --> 00:20:24.059 to get a little bit of your input on what kinds 00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:26.380 of things can you do to make a club experience 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:29.059 a good one? That's a good question, actually. 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:33.160 So I was involved in the club here in St. John's 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:35.700 or in Newfoundland and Labrador. Unfortunately, 00:20:35.819 --> 00:20:37.839 it wasn't a very pleasant experience for me. 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:41.779 And that's why B. Halen was born. I really kind 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:44.480 of sat down one night and I kind of thought about... 00:20:44.109 --> 00:20:46.730 what would I like to see in a club or what would 00:20:46.730 --> 00:20:49.589 I like for new beekeepers or even seasoned beekeepers 00:20:49.589 --> 00:20:54.450 to experience. And one of the big pillars of 00:20:54.450 --> 00:20:58.210 Bee Haven was kindness. Ask your questions and 00:20:58.210 --> 00:21:01.470 no made fun of, no bullying. So all of that was 00:21:01.470 --> 00:21:04.150 what Bee Haven was actually built on and I'm 00:21:04.150 --> 00:21:07.609 really happy to what it has come to today. So 00:21:07.609 --> 00:21:11.130 for example, following over, I think it's almost 00:21:11.130 --> 00:21:14.069 36 ,000 followers. A lot of them are in the US, 00:21:14.230 --> 00:21:17.890 which surprises me. Germany, I have some in Mexico. 00:21:18.549 --> 00:21:21.329 It's just overwhelming when I see where people 00:21:21.329 --> 00:21:24.170 are from. But the group is such a community group. 00:21:24.470 --> 00:21:27.549 And we have beekeepers, seasoned beekeepers, 00:21:28.549 --> 00:21:30.369 answering questions of new beekeepers. I don't 00:21:30.369 --> 00:21:32.269 have to do a thing. It's almost like it's rolling 00:21:32.269 --> 00:21:35.109 on its own now. The rules are set, the boundaries 00:21:35.109 --> 00:21:38.430 are up, and it's just totally beekeeping, and 00:21:38.430 --> 00:21:41.109 it's respectful, and it's a very educated place 00:21:41.109 --> 00:21:43.529 to be. But what about clubs? You said you didn't 00:21:43.529 --> 00:21:45.890 have a great experience and you don't have to 00:21:45.890 --> 00:21:48.130 go into detail because we don't want to slam 00:21:48.130 --> 00:21:52.490 on anybody here, but maybe maybe teach us what 00:21:52.490 --> 00:21:56.430 is good citizenship in a club. Yeah, so I think 00:21:56.430 --> 00:21:59.390 respect is a big thing, you know, and for me 00:21:59.390 --> 00:22:02.289 as a newbie keeper back when I had joined that 00:22:02.289 --> 00:22:05.170 club, I wanted to learn and that was a big thing 00:22:05.170 --> 00:22:07.750 for me and my personality is like I'm not going 00:22:07.750 --> 00:22:11.519 to do a half job. I want to do all the job. So 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:13.619 when I started beekeeping, I wanted to know as 00:22:13.619 --> 00:22:16.480 much information as I could and as much education. 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:20.579 So then I sought out the University of Montana 00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:23.460 Beekeeping Program, and I enrolled in that very 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:26.180 tough course, very educational course. I loved 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:28.720 it. But, you know, unfortunately, some people 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:32.039 weren't happy about that or not very wanting 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:34.839 to use the information or the education that 00:22:34.839 --> 00:22:37.380 I received. Certainly I would pass it on. And 00:22:37.380 --> 00:22:39.200 I was frowned upon for actually trying to better 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:42.099 myself with that. So that didn't sit well with 00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:45.319 me. A lot of conversations with my hubby. And, 00:22:45.339 --> 00:22:48.680 you know, as a social worker, again, didn't feel 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:51.099 that it was appropriate or the right way to treat 00:22:51.099 --> 00:22:54.180 a person. So again, that's when I kind of off 00:22:54.180 --> 00:22:57.200 -rooted and I haven't looked back. And since 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:59.880 I've kind of went on my own and started up Bee 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:03.039 Haven, I think I've enjoyed beekeeping so much 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:05.700 more. It's not about drama. It's not about... 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:09.500 you know, who's better than who, it's about camaraderie, 00:23:09.859 --> 00:23:12.539 it's about respect and just learning from each 00:23:12.539 --> 00:23:15.299 other. And I'm glad you mentioned about the Bee 00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:17.559 Expo because that's what I feel here. When I 00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:20.500 walked into the Bee Expo the first day, it was 00:23:20.500 --> 00:23:22.740 just such a warm feeling and everybody was in 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:25.440 a great spirit. You could talk about bees for 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:27.500 like eight hours and no one would think you're 00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:30.079 a geek. Like it was cool to be able to have those 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:32.710 conversations. And you know what? You could have 00:23:32.710 --> 00:23:35.670 had the most successful YouTuber there. And when 00:23:35.670 --> 00:23:37.609 you approached them, they were just like you've 00:23:37.609 --> 00:23:40.369 known them for years. That's my experience anyway, 00:23:40.369 --> 00:23:43.630 but I cannot wait to go back and see some of 00:23:43.630 --> 00:23:46.369 those guys next year. Kamen puts on a good show 00:23:46.369 --> 00:23:48.930 and a lot of good people go. I mean, it was worth 00:23:48.930 --> 00:23:52.309 going to. So there's your free plug, Kamen. Oh, 00:23:52.390 --> 00:23:55.430 Kamen's a good guy. He doesn't give me free entrance, 00:23:55.769 --> 00:23:59.599 but we'll plug it anyway. Yeah. But yeah, I've 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:03.539 heard horror stories from people around our country. 00:24:04.059 --> 00:24:06.460 Some love their beef club. Some have been like, 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:09.759 oh, there was this big war between treatment 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:12.079 -free people and people that really think you 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:14.460 have to treat a lot, because there are a lot 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:17.779 of different philosophies in beekeeping. And 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:21.440 so I'm with you. Let's just show respect and 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:24.500 realize that everybody does things a little bit 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:27.079 different and that's okay. Yes, exactly. And 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:29.299 I think we want to learn from bees. When you 00:24:29.299 --> 00:24:31.559 think about the hive and how they work together, 00:24:31.940 --> 00:24:34.119 you know, and they respect one another, you know 00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:35.980 what, I think there's a lot of lessons we can 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:38.220 learn from the beehives on what they do and how 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:41.059 they build a hive and make it strong. So speaking 00:24:41.059 --> 00:24:43.279 of social media, one thing that I saw on your 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:47.584 Facebook page just recently was something about... 00:24:47.579 --> 00:24:50.940 Queen cups versus Queen cells and helping people 00:24:50.940 --> 00:24:53.339 understand the difference and what they mean. 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:58.000 Would you give us a little 101 on that? I really 00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:01.539 enjoy that topic very much. And again, more geared 00:25:01.539 --> 00:25:03.500 towards, you know, the beginner beekeepers, because 00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:05.900 I remember when I was starting, you know what, 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:08.140 if I saw a bunch of swarm cells, I didn't know 00:25:08.140 --> 00:25:10.480 they were swarm cells. It just never dawned on 00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:12.960 me. And again, as a new beekeeper. You know, 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:15.299 you try and educate yourself as much as you can 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:16.900 before you get your bees, but obviously you're 00:25:16.900 --> 00:25:19.319 not going to learn anything, everything. I mean, 00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:21.500 everybody learns every day about beekeeping, 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:24.640 something new. So yes, so the difference between 00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:27.339 a cup and an actual cell or a super procedure 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:30.980 cell or a swarm cell, big differences. The queen 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:33.339 cups to me, when I think of a queen cup, I think 00:25:33.339 --> 00:25:36.400 of practicing. So honeybees are always practicing 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:39.359 if mom becomes, you know, if mom dies or if mom 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:42.549 becomes sick or and how to replace. Queen cups 00:25:42.549 --> 00:25:45.509 to me, they're practicing. I used to always think, 00:25:45.569 --> 00:25:47.349 oh my gosh, to building queen cups or something 00:25:47.349 --> 00:25:49.309 wrong, I got to have a look. That's not always 00:25:49.309 --> 00:25:52.349 the case. When you see a queen cup with an egg 00:25:52.349 --> 00:25:54.950 or a larvae in it, yeah, that's when you start 00:25:54.950 --> 00:25:57.509 to have to worry and wonder what's going on. 00:25:57.970 --> 00:26:00.930 Even worry more or wonder more if you think you 00:26:00.930 --> 00:26:03.809 have a very good laying queen, very healthy queen, 00:26:03.849 --> 00:26:06.769 and you start seeing queen cups. And a lot of 00:26:06.769 --> 00:26:09.680 people... you know, discuss the fact of the placement 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:11.900 of queen cells or the placement of queen cups. 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:14.599 To me, typically, swarm cells are supposed to 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:16.880 be at the bottom of the frame. Supercedure cells 00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:18.980 would be in the middle of the frame. Obviously 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:20.680 bees are going to throw those curve balls every 00:26:20.680 --> 00:26:22.119 now and then. They're not going to follow them, 00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:25.180 but always. However, you know, just recently 00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:28.000 I had a new follower reach out to me and said, 00:26:28.099 --> 00:26:30.279 you know what, I have something very similar 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:32.920 in my hive. And the picture was a bunch of swarm 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:35.519 cells on the bottom of a frame. So I messaged 00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:38.529 her privately. and had a good chat with her and 00:26:38.529 --> 00:26:41.849 kind of gave her directions of what I would do 00:26:41.849 --> 00:26:45.410 if it was my hive. And sure enough, it was swarm 00:26:45.410 --> 00:26:48.390 cells. And she went out yesterday morning and 00:26:48.390 --> 00:26:50.769 she actually made a split. She took the swarm 00:26:50.769 --> 00:26:52.910 cells from the bottom box, put it in the top 00:26:52.910 --> 00:26:55.569 box, separated them. Bang, she's got two hives. 00:26:55.730 --> 00:26:59.309 And hopefully, the swarm tendency has been gone. 00:27:00.089 --> 00:27:03.950 So yeah, it can be a very confusing topic to 00:27:03.950 --> 00:27:05.710 new beekeepers, the difference between the two 00:27:05.710 --> 00:27:08.809 different cells. For those that don't understand 00:27:08.809 --> 00:27:11.309 yet what they look like, explain the difference 00:27:11.309 --> 00:27:13.990 in what they look like. So they know which one 00:27:13.990 --> 00:27:17.329 is a cup versus a cell. So the the swarm cells 00:27:17.329 --> 00:27:20.089 and the superstition cell obviously looks the 00:27:20.089 --> 00:27:22.670 same. It's like I always compare it to like a 00:27:22.670 --> 00:27:24.569 peanut. You know those old -fashioned peanuts 00:27:24.569 --> 00:27:26.470 you used to crack and eat. Exactly that's what 00:27:26.470 --> 00:27:30.250 it looks like. Now a cup is just not even half 00:27:30.250 --> 00:27:33.130 of a cell actually. It's just like a little dish. 00:27:33.269 --> 00:27:36.289 How about that? It's a little dish and it doesn't 00:27:36.289 --> 00:27:38.470 hopefully get any bigger. And there's usually, 00:27:38.549 --> 00:27:40.950 if you have a healthy queen and your hive is 00:27:40.950 --> 00:27:42.950 not overpopulated, there's not going to be an 00:27:42.950 --> 00:27:45.650 egg late in that. So they look quite different. 00:27:45.690 --> 00:27:48.009 So if you see, you'll know the difference obviously 00:27:48.009 --> 00:27:50.710 when you see them. So just to summarize, if you 00:27:50.710 --> 00:27:54.750 see a queen cup, should you panic? No, not panic. 00:27:54.849 --> 00:27:57.250 However, have a look in it. If there's an egg 00:27:57.250 --> 00:28:00.250 or a larvae, yeah, not panic. Just have a look 00:28:00.250 --> 00:28:02.309 in your hive and see the health of your hive, 00:28:02.349 --> 00:28:04.430 what's going on in your hive. whether you have 00:28:04.430 --> 00:28:06.970 a queen, whether your hive is overpopulated. 00:28:07.390 --> 00:28:09.549 And then if all that checks the box says, well, 00:28:09.690 --> 00:28:12.250 I would definitely either you could split the 00:28:12.250 --> 00:28:15.809 hive or you could actually take that egg and 00:28:15.809 --> 00:28:17.329 make another new. There's a lot of different 00:28:17.329 --> 00:28:20.289 things you can do when you find a cup with an 00:28:20.289 --> 00:28:22.589 egg in it. All right. I gave you a little bit 00:28:22.589 --> 00:28:25.910 of warning earlier. I want to hear a wild and 00:28:25.910 --> 00:28:28.769 crazy beekeeping story from up there in Newfoundland 00:28:28.769 --> 00:28:32.049 or Labrador or somewhere around you. Something 00:28:32.049 --> 00:28:34.329 that happened to you. Yeah, so I'm going to tell 00:28:34.329 --> 00:28:37.690 the story. I wasn't going to, but it's my first 00:28:37.690 --> 00:28:41.349 swarm. As a brand spanking new beekeeper, brand 00:28:41.349 --> 00:28:44.009 new suit, I was good to go. I got the call, buddy. 00:28:44.190 --> 00:28:46.589 I was like, obviously I should have had my things 00:28:46.589 --> 00:28:49.450 packed away and organized as I do now on my truck. 00:28:49.890 --> 00:28:52.490 I didn't. So at first I got the call and then 00:28:52.490 --> 00:28:56.250 I started thinking I had to get a wire. Anyway, 00:28:56.349 --> 00:28:58.950 so I went through the garage, got stuff I did 00:28:58.950 --> 00:29:02.269 not need, packed it in, off I went. So it was 00:29:02.269 --> 00:29:04.390 at the university. The swarm has been there, 00:29:04.390 --> 00:29:06.849 was there probably about two to three days. There 00:29:06.849 --> 00:29:09.049 was a lot of calls on it and I eventually got 00:29:09.049 --> 00:29:12.009 to me. So I booted and the adrenaline rush, I 00:29:12.009 --> 00:29:13.730 just have to say, and you probably know as well, 00:29:14.029 --> 00:29:16.150 you get, when you get that call there's a swarm 00:29:16.150 --> 00:29:19.609 is like unexplainable. It's just an awesome feeling. 00:29:19.750 --> 00:29:24.670 So I booted it on April. And why is that? It 00:29:24.670 --> 00:29:27.069 just shouldn't be that big a deal. I don't know 00:29:27.069 --> 00:29:29.769 if anyone gets it. I hope they do. Normalize 00:29:29.769 --> 00:29:32.829 it for me. Well, especially when you're new. 00:29:33.029 --> 00:29:36.009 It's like freebies plus a whole new experience 00:29:36.009 --> 00:29:39.349 plus plus plus. So this was at the university. 00:29:39.609 --> 00:29:42.269 So I went in. It was like 10 o 'clock in the 00:29:42.269 --> 00:29:45.309 night. There wasn't a person to be in sight. 00:29:45.430 --> 00:29:47.309 It was a pretty scary place in the dark. But 00:29:47.309 --> 00:29:49.980 I went. And they had all this, you know, you 00:29:49.980 --> 00:29:52.279 know, the police tape don't cross. They had all 00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:55.319 that around the swarm. So I went in. Of course, 00:29:55.339 --> 00:29:57.880 you know, swarms aren't aggressive, right? What 00:29:57.880 --> 00:30:00.859 I was told. That's what I learned. But anyway, 00:30:01.059 --> 00:30:04.099 so I go in. Somebody lied to me. Oh, yeah. I 00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:06.900 go in. I didn't have my day. I'm like, how you 00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:08.579 doing ladies? What are you doing here tonight? 00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:10.440 Ladies. So I started to talk to them when I went 00:30:10.440 --> 00:30:12.660 over to touch them. Well, holy cow. They were 00:30:12.660 --> 00:30:15.630 like Africanized bees. They're like, boom. So 00:30:15.630 --> 00:30:19.069 I booted it over to the Jeep and I got my my 00:30:19.069 --> 00:30:21.089 veil on and I tell you they weren't friendly 00:30:21.089 --> 00:30:24.750 at all and Anyway, the tree it was just a different 00:30:24.750 --> 00:30:27.369 tree. It wasn't a tree I could shake was this 00:30:27.369 --> 00:30:29.089 big old tree and they were like stuck in the 00:30:29.089 --> 00:30:31.630 middle of it How the heck do I get him out of 00:30:31.630 --> 00:30:33.509 there? So, you know what? I got the hands going 00:30:33.509 --> 00:30:35.950 and I just scooped them scoop by scoop put them 00:30:35.950 --> 00:30:38.390 in the box Eventually, obviously the Queen was 00:30:38.390 --> 00:30:41.420 in there and all of them walked in But afterwards, 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:44.000 I was told, I wish I had known this information 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:46.920 before I went, that the bees were there probably 00:30:46.920 --> 00:30:51.119 three days. And it was drizzly. So obviously 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:53.880 they were super cranky, they were cold, and they 00:30:53.880 --> 00:30:56.960 were hungry. So all that's a recipe for mean 00:30:56.960 --> 00:31:00.319 bees. I just wish I had known that before. However, 00:31:00.660 --> 00:31:03.099 lesson learned, I will never approach a swarm 00:31:03.099 --> 00:31:06.500 without my veil on ever again. And I often say 00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:08.400 to people, you really need to wear your bee suit 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:10.900 going after a swarm. Now, not everybody feels 00:31:10.900 --> 00:31:13.480 that way, but I guess I learned the hard way. 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:16.559 I'll always wear my bee suit. OK, now we've all 00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:19.680 seen people on YouTube that are all done up, 00:31:19.799 --> 00:31:22.319 have perfect makeup and everything and no bee 00:31:22.319 --> 00:31:25.119 suit whatsoever, no protective gear, and they 00:31:25.119 --> 00:31:27.079 go in there for those swarms. Would you please 00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:30.319 explain how they can do that? And is it a good 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:33.480 idea for beginners, by the way? So I'm not going 00:31:33.480 --> 00:31:36.500 to get in trouble, am I? So, you know, a lot 00:31:36.500 --> 00:31:38.180 of those things that you see on Facebook with 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:40.240 the perfect hair and the makeup and the tight 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:43.559 jeans and whatever, I think, you know what, it's 00:31:43.559 --> 00:31:45.640 staged. And that's just my opinion. I'm not saying 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:47.299 that that's exactly what happens. That's just 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:50.779 my opinion. When they can go in and this board 00:31:50.779 --> 00:31:53.740 comes really easy off the floor to expose this, 00:31:53.740 --> 00:31:58.980 you know, five frame or five thing of wax of 00:31:58.980 --> 00:32:01.920 hive, like, it doesn't happen that easy. I just 00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:03.579 think of some of the states that I get in when 00:32:03.579 --> 00:32:06.579 I'm beekeeping like, holy cow, like it's not 00:32:06.579 --> 00:32:09.259 good. So when you go in perfect and their nails 00:32:09.259 --> 00:32:11.839 done, these people have their nails done. I had 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:14.240 no idea. I think it's very staged. That's just 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:17.440 my opinion. My opinion is they've checked out 00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:20.839 that swarm first. Yeah. If they were smart, they 00:32:20.839 --> 00:32:23.759 checked it out first. If they were doing a cutout, 00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:26.059 they did the cutting the day before. So the bees 00:32:26.059 --> 00:32:29.680 have calmed back down. Yeah. And yes, I was also 00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:33.319 taught that swarms are so nice. You don't even 00:32:33.319 --> 00:32:35.420 need your bee suit or anything. The first one 00:32:35.420 --> 00:32:38.400 that I did was huge and it was not nice, but 00:32:38.400 --> 00:32:42.380 I captured a relatively small one last week that 00:32:42.380 --> 00:32:45.440 was actually on my property and they were the 00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:48.759 sweetest things ever. I could have had makeup 00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:52.619 and nails and everything on and gone out and 00:32:52.619 --> 00:32:55.299 scooped them up. They just, for some reason, 00:32:55.720 --> 00:32:58.299 looked like they were gonna be sweet and I had 00:32:58.299 --> 00:33:00.839 a veil on I didn't have gloves or anything and 00:33:00.839 --> 00:33:04.279 they were just Yeah, they were just happy to 00:33:04.279 --> 00:33:06.240 be there and happy to go where I wanted them 00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:09.700 to go But it's not always that way folks. No 00:33:09.700 --> 00:33:13.279 when you get into beekeeping and you know You 00:33:13.279 --> 00:33:15.980 don't and this is just my opinion, right? I mean 00:33:15.980 --> 00:33:18.660 obviously, you know, I work I'm it for you know 00:33:18.660 --> 00:33:21.240 a social worker I work within the system and 00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:23.059 you know, obviously I wear dresses and all that 00:33:23.059 --> 00:33:25.230 kind of stuff, but I'm beekeeping No, that's 00:33:25.230 --> 00:33:27.609 not the way that I present myself because it's 00:33:27.609 --> 00:33:31.730 just not easy to do when you're in like 19 degree 00:33:31.730 --> 00:33:34.289 Fahrenheit. What's that in Fahrenheit with you 00:33:34.289 --> 00:33:38.150 guys? 19 degrees. Having done the math in my 00:33:38.150 --> 00:33:42.009 head, that is 66 .2 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 00:33:42.009 --> 00:33:43.829 a little low, actually, for some of the places 00:33:43.829 --> 00:33:48.130 up in the United States. So let's say it's about 00:33:48.130 --> 00:33:50.430 100 degrees here in Newfoundland and you're in 00:33:50.430 --> 00:33:52.920 a bee suit. You're warm, you're sweaty, you're 00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:55.660 sweating, you got honey all over you. You're 00:33:55.660 --> 00:33:58.160 not the best sight, I'm just saying. That's just 00:33:58.160 --> 00:34:00.400 my opinion. Yeah, do you think bees react to 00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:02.099 the sweat? Do you think they like it or hate 00:34:02.099 --> 00:34:04.880 it? Absolutely. I think they don't like it, actually. 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:06.440 And the same thing with your breath. I mean, 00:34:06.619 --> 00:34:09.460 bees are really involved. Smell, yes, the sight, 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:11.460 but like pheromones are so important for honey 00:34:11.460 --> 00:34:13.980 bees. And I think absolutely they react to that 00:34:13.980 --> 00:34:16.320 stuff. Well, here's your trivia for the day. 00:34:16.360 --> 00:34:18.940 Their sense of smell is 50 times stronger than 00:34:18.940 --> 00:34:22.679 that of a dog. Yeah, so interesting things that 00:34:22.679 --> 00:34:25.300 we can't smell they often can and when you think 00:34:25.300 --> 00:34:27.280 about it They don't have noses. So that's even 00:34:27.280 --> 00:34:29.360 cooler because it's their antenna that picks 00:34:29.360 --> 00:34:31.380 up that well I thought they smelled through their 00:34:31.380 --> 00:34:33.820 ears funny man, which they don't have either. 00:34:33.820 --> 00:34:37.420 Come on really man Alright, leave us with one 00:34:37.420 --> 00:34:40.380 bit of advice and then I've got one last question 00:34:40.380 --> 00:34:43.559 for you after that Well, you know what? And again, 00:34:43.559 --> 00:34:46.119 I'm going to go on the rant of, you know, personal 00:34:46.119 --> 00:34:48.920 equipment and protective. And I just tell a story. 00:34:48.940 --> 00:34:51.380 And this is a wonderful man out in the West Coast 00:34:51.380 --> 00:34:55.260 of Newfoundland. He was a new beekeeper. So he 00:34:55.260 --> 00:34:58.639 was actually going to do some nukes, like create 00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:00.719 some nukes with his other beekeeper. I'm going 00:35:00.719 --> 00:35:03.059 to call him beekeeper. So anyway, he went out 00:35:03.059 --> 00:35:05.360 and he did nukes. He didn't wear a suit. This 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:08.599 beekeeper is supposed to be experienced, supposed 00:35:08.599 --> 00:35:11.280 to be teaching other people how to beekeep. told 00:35:11.280 --> 00:35:13.539 him not to wear a suit, told him not to wear 00:35:13.539 --> 00:35:15.619 any equipment whatsoever, just come on, we'll 00:35:15.619 --> 00:35:20.519 do it. He got stung over 160 times and he was 00:35:20.519 --> 00:35:25.639 in eMERGE. In one day? In one day. Oh man. So 00:35:25.639 --> 00:35:27.619 he was in eMERGE, they had to give him adrenaline, 00:35:28.119 --> 00:35:32.119 he was really sick, like really sick. So my piece 00:35:32.119 --> 00:35:35.260 of advice, wear your equipment, absolutely. And 00:35:35.260 --> 00:35:37.239 another piece of advice, can I say two? You can 00:35:37.239 --> 00:35:40.139 do three if you want. So another piece of advice 00:35:40.139 --> 00:35:42.860 I have is that you know what I don't know this 00:35:42.860 --> 00:35:45.320 everywhere But there's some beekeepers in Newfoundland. 00:35:45.380 --> 00:35:47.380 They're a little bit shady and that's sad to 00:35:47.380 --> 00:35:51.000 say However, when you go pick up your nuke make 00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:53.800 sure you're getting it from a reputable You know 00:35:53.800 --> 00:35:56.380 beekeeper and that you have a queen and that 00:35:56.380 --> 00:35:58.199 you have what's supposed to be in a new Which 00:35:58.199 --> 00:36:00.360 should be you know your resource grains your 00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:02.579 brood and most importantly Like I said your queen 00:36:02.579 --> 00:36:04.739 because there's some beekeepers that sell nukes 00:36:04.739 --> 00:36:07.119 that don't have a queen and that's not a good 00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:10.070 start for a new beekeeper, absolutely. How do 00:36:10.070 --> 00:36:12.849 people know a reputable one? How do they tell? 00:36:13.469 --> 00:36:15.530 Yeah. So word of mouth is a big thing, especially 00:36:15.530 --> 00:36:17.409 here in Newfoundland. I mean, we're a very small 00:36:17.409 --> 00:36:21.489 province. I have many beekeepers that I know 00:36:21.489 --> 00:36:23.630 of that I pass on their names because I know 00:36:23.630 --> 00:36:25.449 that I trust them and they love bees just as 00:36:25.449 --> 00:36:28.030 much as I do and know what should be in a nuc. 00:36:28.289 --> 00:36:31.289 So ask around, make sure you, you know, you ask 00:36:31.289 --> 00:36:33.710 your questions. And you know what? I'm also a 00:36:33.710 --> 00:36:36.099 fan that a couple of days before you go pick 00:36:36.099 --> 00:36:38.039 up your nuke, it's okay to say, can I come over 00:36:38.039 --> 00:36:40.280 and have a look and have that beekeeper go through 00:36:40.280 --> 00:36:42.440 the nuke with you and look at your queen and 00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:44.380 look at the resources in your frames to make 00:36:44.380 --> 00:36:46.400 sure you're getting what you're paying for. In 00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:49.239 Newfoundland, nukes are probably going at about 00:36:49.239 --> 00:36:52.920 $3 .50 here in the province. And that's Canadian. 00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:56.420 That's a lot. Yeah. Well, that's Canadian, so 00:36:56.420 --> 00:37:01.829 that's like $100 US, right? Yeah. Yep. I'm exaggerating 00:37:01.829 --> 00:37:04.889 there. It's not that bad of an exchange rate. 00:37:04.969 --> 00:37:08.809 It is. Oh, it's pretty bad. Let me do some math, 00:37:09.050 --> 00:37:14.190 Rae -Lynn. It's 0 .73. So now that I've done 00:37:14.190 --> 00:37:20.369 my math via Google, about $255. And I see them 00:37:20.369 --> 00:37:24.769 anywhere from 150 to 200 plus here. OK, yeah. 00:37:24.969 --> 00:37:27.289 So that's a little on the high side for what 00:37:27.289 --> 00:37:29.630 we see, but, you know, they're different everywhere. 00:37:30.389 --> 00:37:33.369 OK. And I think, again, with Newfoundland, you're 00:37:33.369 --> 00:37:35.789 not allowed to import honey bees. So when you 00:37:35.789 --> 00:37:38.409 are starting off, you have to try to find a beekeeper 00:37:38.409 --> 00:37:40.510 within the province that are willing to sell 00:37:40.510 --> 00:37:43.929 you bees. I remember when I started, I had this 00:37:43.929 --> 00:37:47.070 wonderful, and I really look up to him, Peter 00:37:47.070 --> 00:37:49.829 Armitage here in the city, and he sold me my 00:37:49.829 --> 00:37:51.590 bees. And he had an interview with me, actually. 00:37:51.650 --> 00:37:53.920 You're four. He let me take the bees. So I thought 00:37:53.920 --> 00:37:56.719 that was pretty cool. Good for him. Yeah, he's 00:37:56.719 --> 00:37:58.960 a wonderful beekeeper. I look up to him. He's 00:37:58.960 --> 00:38:02.099 a mentor for sure. And I remember that. And he 00:38:02.099 --> 00:38:03.900 had to, you know, there was requirements. You 00:38:03.900 --> 00:38:06.900 had to have a course and it was great. Good. 00:38:07.199 --> 00:38:09.719 Yeah, I agree. All right. Advice number three. 00:38:10.079 --> 00:38:13.400 Get a mentor. Perfect. Yeah, big time. Yeah, 00:38:13.500 --> 00:38:15.840 a lot of people. And you know what? On the site, 00:38:15.920 --> 00:38:18.519 I get a lot of questions around the day and I 00:38:18.519 --> 00:38:20.480 absolutely love it. And I try to get to every 00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:23.590 single one of them. I've actually done first 00:38:23.590 --> 00:38:26.650 hide inspections with people over FaceTime. I 00:38:26.650 --> 00:38:28.230 mean, it's just unfortunately, that's the way 00:38:28.230 --> 00:38:30.570 it is sometimes. And if there's nobody around, 00:38:30.590 --> 00:38:33.190 you know, I'm always up for help. But yeah, so 00:38:33.190 --> 00:38:35.590 make sure you, you know, find, try to find yourself 00:38:35.590 --> 00:38:38.489 a reputable beekeeper as a mentor that is going 00:38:38.489 --> 00:38:41.869 to like nurture you, respect you, encourage you, 00:38:42.010 --> 00:38:44.190 not kind of talk down to you or tell you how 00:38:44.190 --> 00:38:46.230 to do it. Because everyone bee keeps differently. 00:38:47.009 --> 00:38:50.010 Raylene can be found at Bee Haven all over the 00:38:50.010 --> 00:38:52.610 place online. And hey, we just might put a link 00:38:52.610 --> 00:38:54.809 in the show notes, too. Thank you for having 00:38:54.809 --> 00:38:56.889 me. It was great to have a conversation. Hey, 00:38:56.949 --> 00:38:59.429 I still have one last question for you. You cannot 00:38:59.429 --> 00:39:03.550 get away this easy. But I can tell, I can tell 00:39:03.550 --> 00:39:07.389 from our previous conversation also that you 00:39:07.389 --> 00:39:11.389 really love bees. Tell us why. What is it about 00:39:11.389 --> 00:39:15.769 them? Oh, I absolutely love bees. So I saw a 00:39:15.769 --> 00:39:17.670 thing, I put it on my Facebook site actually, 00:39:17.730 --> 00:39:20.190 and it was like, I'm in a relationship with honeybees. 00:39:20.269 --> 00:39:23.590 And that explains it for me perfectly. I love 00:39:23.590 --> 00:39:27.010 building bees. I love making healthy bees. There's 00:39:27.010 --> 00:39:29.530 nothing like going up in the morning in my apiary 00:39:29.530 --> 00:39:32.309 and just hearing them buzz and watching them 00:39:32.309 --> 00:39:34.929 going in and out of the hive. I don't know. It's 00:39:34.929 --> 00:39:37.409 just something about bees that's so relaxing 00:39:37.409 --> 00:39:39.860 and it's therapeutic. It's really good for your 00:39:39.860 --> 00:39:42.239 mental health. And I also love how it brings 00:39:42.239 --> 00:39:45.480 people together. So you have a bunch of people 00:39:45.480 --> 00:39:48.059 in a room, you don't know anything about them. 00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:51.000 As soon as a bee comes up, you know, if they're 00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:53.159 beekeepers, obviously, the conversation starts. 00:39:53.420 --> 00:39:56.380 and it's the best conversations you'll ever have. 00:39:56.679 --> 00:40:00.480 Like when you go into, like I said, the Bee Expo. 00:40:00.840 --> 00:40:02.659 You know, everyone was strangers when you first 00:40:02.659 --> 00:40:04.599 walk in. But I'll tell you, by the end of the 00:40:04.599 --> 00:40:07.500 Bee Expo, everyone's like your friend. It's wonderful 00:40:07.500 --> 00:40:10.119 how it brings people together. Awesome. All right. 00:40:10.159 --> 00:40:16.260 Thanks a lot, Rae -Lynn. Thank you. Thanks again 00:40:16.260 --> 00:40:19.019 for joining us here on Bee Love Beekeeping, presented 00:40:19.019 --> 00:40:22.949 by Man Lake. Remember right now to follow or 00:40:22.949 --> 00:40:26.570 subscribe and share this podcast. Also a quick 00:40:26.570 --> 00:40:29.010 shout out to Vita B Health for their support. 00:40:29.710 --> 00:40:32.570 Vita's Varroa Control range of products includes 00:40:32.570 --> 00:40:36.989 Apistan, Apigard, and now Varroxan Extended Release 00:40:36.989 --> 00:40:40.849 Oxalic Acid Strips. Thanks guys. And remember, 00:40:41.130 --> 00:40:43.309 if you're not just in it for the honey or the 00:40:43.309 --> 00:40:46.010 money, you're in it for the love. See you next 00:40:46.010 --> 00:40:46.329 week.