WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:06.660 in a world brimming with complexity few creatures 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:12.839 embody harmony like the honeybee with tireless 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:17.699 precision she dances from bloom to bloom each 00:00:17.699 --> 00:00:22.420 motion guided by millennia upon millennia of 00:00:22.420 --> 00:00:28.800 instinct each act in service to the whole and 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:34.560 then There are the beekeepers, watchful stewards 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:40.500 of this ancient symbiosis. Part agriscientist, 00:00:40.840 --> 00:00:45.460 part poet, they move along their hives with the 00:00:45.460 --> 00:00:50.539 efficiency of mow, levy and curly, tending to 00:00:50.539 --> 00:00:54.219 the bees' needs as best they can comprehend, 00:00:54.859 --> 00:00:59.670 and with the infrequency of a waterfall in the 00:00:59.670 --> 00:01:05.569 Sahara, sometimes running off flapping and flailing 00:01:05.569 --> 00:01:12.150 like a penguin on a hot sidewalk. This is their 00:01:12.150 --> 00:01:23.969 journey. Welcome, welcome to Be Love Beekeeping 00:01:23.969 --> 00:01:26.769 presented by our great friends and partners in 00:01:26.769 --> 00:01:30.099 beekeeping. Man Lake. Today we're continuing 00:01:30.099 --> 00:01:32.439 our discussion with two of the most fun beekeepers 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:36.129 around, Kim and Steph. Last week we got started 00:01:36.129 --> 00:01:39.950 with our top 10 list of decisions to make before 00:01:39.950 --> 00:01:43.109 you take the leap into beekeeping. Today we pick 00:01:43.109 --> 00:01:46.069 up where we left off discussing all the clothing 00:01:46.069 --> 00:01:49.030 and equipment you need to get started, hive placement, 00:01:49.329 --> 00:01:52.129 hive stands, varroa treatment, and a whole bunch 00:01:52.129 --> 00:01:55.709 more. But first let's take a minute to go Inside 00:01:55.709 --> 00:01:59.510 the Hive, this feature presented by Primal Bee. 00:01:59.930 --> 00:02:03.390 Bees can give each other, oh shall we say, driving 00:02:03.390 --> 00:02:07.030 directions, specific ones, and they do it by 00:02:07.030 --> 00:02:10.810 dancing in the dark. When a forager finds a great 00:02:10.810 --> 00:02:13.870 patch of flowers, she flies home and performs 00:02:13.870 --> 00:02:17.129 what's called a waggle dance on the face of the 00:02:17.129 --> 00:02:20.030 comb. She runs in a straight line while shaking 00:02:20.030 --> 00:02:22.889 her body, then loops back around and does it 00:02:22.889 --> 00:02:26.590 again. The angle of that straight run tells the 00:02:26.590 --> 00:02:29.590 other bees which direction to fly relative to 00:02:29.590 --> 00:02:33.139 the sun. The length of the run tells them how 00:02:33.139 --> 00:02:36.659 far away it is. The more enthusiastic the dance, 00:02:37.020 --> 00:02:39.639 the better the food source. Keep in mind she's 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:43.900 doing this on a vertical comb in total darkness, 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:48.240 translating a horizontal flight path into a gravity 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:51.419 -based code. The other bees crowd around and 00:02:51.419 --> 00:02:54.479 read the message with their antenna, and it works. 00:02:54.819 --> 00:02:58.020 Bees can navigate to food sources miles away 00:02:58.020 --> 00:03:01.719 from a single dance. The scientist who figured 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:05.599 this out, Carl von Frisch, spent decades watching 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:08.840 bees dance before he cracked the code. He won 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:13.219 the Nobel Prize for it in 1973. Next time on 00:03:13.219 --> 00:03:16.680 Inside the Hive, we'll talk about where wax actually 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.460 comes from, and here's a hint, it doesn't come 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:23.289 from flowers. And if I could just add a little 00:03:23.289 --> 00:03:26.629 thing to Inside the Hive, the waggle dance is 00:03:26.629 --> 00:03:29.849 amazing, but as you can imagine, it's not perfectly 00:03:29.849 --> 00:03:33.310 accurate. There's a new piece of research just 00:03:33.310 --> 00:03:36.949 out from the University of Freeburg titled, Honey 00:03:36.949 --> 00:03:40.169 Bees Navigate More Precisely Than Previously 00:03:40.169 --> 00:03:44.530 Thought. In fact, bees will fly the same flight 00:03:44.530 --> 00:03:48.150 path within just a couple of centimeters to and 00:03:48.150 --> 00:03:51.659 from resources and their hive. Quoting the study 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:55.240 here, it was previously known that the directional 00:03:55.240 --> 00:03:58.400 information in the waggle dance is good, but 00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:02.180 it's not entirely accurate. In other words, if 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:05.060 I were to use my finger to point a direction 00:04:05.060 --> 00:04:08.460 for you to walk, it may be just a few degrees 00:04:08.460 --> 00:04:12.080 inaccurate. And over a few hundred yards or say 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.439 a mile, you could end up many meters away from 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:18.529 where I thought I was pointing. The research 00:04:18.529 --> 00:04:21.970 has shown that individual bees navigate much 00:04:21.970 --> 00:04:25.470 more accurately to destinations that they are 00:04:25.470 --> 00:04:29.250 already familiar with. Because of this individuality, 00:04:29.629 --> 00:04:32.629 we may conclude that the inaccuracy of the waggle 00:04:32.629 --> 00:04:35.649 dance is not due to the bees' limited navigational 00:04:35.649 --> 00:04:40.009 abilities, but rather individual animals are 00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:43.129 spatially much more accurately oriented than 00:04:43.129 --> 00:04:47.829 their dance can possibly communicate. Honey bees, 00:04:47.949 --> 00:04:52.810 they are amazing. Now, let's circle back with 00:04:52.810 --> 00:04:59.829 Kim and Steph. So that was the next thing I wanted 00:04:59.829 --> 00:05:03.750 to jump into is where do you buy bees? And I 00:05:03.750 --> 00:05:05.750 know we just covered half of it, but fill in 00:05:05.750 --> 00:05:08.490 the rest of the blanks for me. So we talked about 00:05:08.490 --> 00:05:11.449 this and aside from getting them from a supplier 00:05:11.449 --> 00:05:13.689 such as us, Man Lake, and like you just said, 00:05:14.350 --> 00:05:16.740 we I think you should get them locally. If they're 00:05:16.740 --> 00:05:19.759 acclimated to your area, chances are you probably 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:21.819 know the beekeeper. If you're getting bees from 00:05:21.819 --> 00:05:24.620 him, you know where your bees came from, you 00:05:24.620 --> 00:05:27.319 know the environment that they've lived in. So 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:30.399 I agree in getting your bees locally if you can. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:34.259 Go to, check out your local bee association online. 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:36.980 A lot of times they'll post if somebody has nukes 00:05:36.980 --> 00:05:41.860 for sale. And ask lots of questions. When I first 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:45.300 got started, I got packages from a local store, 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:49.560 beekeeping store. And because I didn't know what 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:53.300 to ask, well, they were actually bees from California. 00:05:54.019 --> 00:05:56.600 They had just been in the almonds. They had never 00:05:56.600 --> 00:05:59.600 spent time in the state that I'm in, let alone 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.720 the part of the state that I'm in. And so I might 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:05.100 as well have just gone to Los Angeles and bought 00:06:05.100 --> 00:06:07.980 them or something because I didn't know to ask. 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:10.759 And if you don't have that, hey, buying them 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:14.040 and having them sent to you works great. So you 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:16.500 have options out there. Yes, it's important to 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:18.660 ask a lot of questions and no question is a dumb 00:06:18.660 --> 00:06:21.459 question. Absolutely. You don't know how will 00:06:21.459 --> 00:06:24.259 you learn without asking. So even when you pick 00:06:24.259 --> 00:06:26.459 your bees up, what do I do from here? I know 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:28.980 that you had a story with your niece where she 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:32.850 went to pick up her bees. And she was thinking, 00:06:33.009 --> 00:06:34.949 well, what do I do now? And the person she bought 00:06:34.949 --> 00:06:37.709 the bees there from was there and was able to 00:06:37.709 --> 00:06:40.250 explain to her exactly what to do. And we also 00:06:40.250 --> 00:06:43.189 will do the same. We love to be able to explain 00:06:43.189 --> 00:06:45.949 because it's confusing. I did, you know, you're 00:06:45.949 --> 00:06:48.529 not really sure. And you can go to a place like 00:06:48.529 --> 00:06:52.009 YouTube and you can see 10 different beekeepers 00:06:52.009 --> 00:06:55.769 installing a package 12 different ways. Yeah, 00:06:55.850 --> 00:06:59.100 absolutely. And that rule applies to anything 00:06:59.100 --> 00:07:01.779 that you want to talk about in beekeeping. There's 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:04.699 so many different ways to do it and what one 00:07:04.699 --> 00:07:07.980 beekeeper does in their area may or may not work 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:11.540 for you and may not fit your beekeeping philosophy. 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:14.879 Some people are very rough on their bees. There 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:18.120 are also gentler ways to install packages and 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:22.180 nooks. Agree. I wholeheartedly agree. All right, 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:25.620 let's jump into other equipment that we need. 00:07:25.740 --> 00:07:27.680 We already talked about this is going to cost 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:31.560 you a few dollars, but it's important to be outfitted 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:35.879 right from the start. So let's talk about the 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:39.040 essentials. I mean, there's lots of extras people 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:41.500 can get, but really the necessities. What do 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:44.079 you need to start with? You need to be protected 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:48.199 from stings. And I'd like to say you need to 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:52.000 be protected to your comfort level. So not everybody's 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.519 comfort level is the same when it comes to wearing 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:58.459 protective gear. I like to be fully suited. My 00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:00.759 partner, on the other hand, does not. He only 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:04.199 wears a jacket. It's important to go with your 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:06.540 comfort level, not what somebody else recommends, 00:08:06.620 --> 00:08:10.399 but a jacket, gloves, at the very least, a jacket 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:13.019 and gloves. And by jacket, you're talking about 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:15.860 the veil over your face as well. Right. With 00:08:15.860 --> 00:08:19.019 the veil, yeah. Let's talk about that protective 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:22.079 clothing a little more before we move on. One 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:26.470 of the things that I find is it is so important 00:08:26.470 --> 00:08:31.250 to be calm with your bees. And for new beekeepers, 00:08:31.490 --> 00:08:36.909 being fully protected from head to toe can really 00:08:36.909 --> 00:08:40.730 help us be more calm. Now as you get more used 00:08:40.730 --> 00:08:43.909 to the bees and you spend lots of time with them, 00:08:43.950 --> 00:08:46.990 maybe years, and you want to wear a little bit 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:50.860 less protective clothing, That's great. I learned 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:53.340 for example the first thing that I got rid of 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:57.120 were the big bulky gloves Because I found I was 00:08:57.120 --> 00:08:59.620 squishing bees I was dropping frames and doing 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:03.360 things like that that was not calm for the bees 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:07.320 and So I moved on from that, but that's not right 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:11.120 for everybody Exactly. We actually talk about 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:15.509 this a lot and that Wearing what you feel comfortable 00:09:15.509 --> 00:09:19.509 helps you to, as you said, be calm and be able 00:09:19.509 --> 00:09:22.409 to tend to your bees in a little more peaceful 00:09:22.409 --> 00:09:25.769 and gentle way. If you're not worried about bees 00:09:25.769 --> 00:09:29.230 around your face or your hands or your ankles. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.980 you tend to be in a calmer space where you're 00:09:32.980 --> 00:09:36.539 able to do those weekly inspections and focus 00:09:36.539 --> 00:09:40.279 on gently handling the frames and looking at 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:43.340 each, you know, piece of foundation and whatnot. 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:47.559 So yeah, we found that we are real big believers 00:09:47.559 --> 00:09:51.159 in the proper PPE. But obviously, everyone is 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:53.340 different with that. And there's nothing wrong 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:56.700 with. everyone having their individual and you're 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:58.799 even going to have a different style of glove 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:01.320 that you like as you said that you you learned 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:03.679 that the gloves you had were actually causing 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.279 harm. Sometimes you do have to go with the different 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:10.240 style too. I prefer the rubber gloves or our 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:13.960 new tech yeah the tactical gloves because they 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:16.539 fit my fingers better and therefore I'm able 00:10:16.539 --> 00:10:18.940 to lift those frames up without being too clumsy 00:10:18.940 --> 00:10:21.960 and I can still feel that my hands are protected. 00:10:22.299 --> 00:10:25.740 And I'll say too, I've been beekeeping for the 00:10:25.740 --> 00:10:28.279 better part of five years now, and I am most 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:30.620 comfortable when I'm completely suited up from 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:33.779 head to toe. And that's just the way I like to 00:10:33.779 --> 00:10:39.139 get into the hive is 100 % protection. You also 00:10:39.139 --> 00:10:41.539 don't know, you know, you could be going in your 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:44.929 hive. nine times out of ten and those bees are 00:10:44.929 --> 00:10:47.610 just fine and you go in there on that tenth time 00:10:47.610 --> 00:10:50.750 and they're just not having it. And if you're 00:10:50.750 --> 00:10:53.909 not properly suited at that point, you will regret 00:10:53.909 --> 00:10:56.909 it. You absolutely will. Yeah, this is not a 00:10:56.909 --> 00:11:00.149 competition. If you want to be fully suited up 00:11:00.149 --> 00:11:02.909 head to toe. Good for you. I have no problem 00:11:02.909 --> 00:11:05.889 with that whatsoever. Everybody has seen a few 00:11:05.889 --> 00:11:09.389 people on YouTube that have their hair done and 00:11:09.389 --> 00:11:12.730 their makeup on and they look perfect and they're 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:15.529 handling bees with their bare fingers and everything 00:11:15.529 --> 00:11:18.409 else. I wouldn't suggest that when you're brand 00:11:18.409 --> 00:11:23.870 new and for most people never. Okay, do we need 00:11:23.870 --> 00:11:27.990 anything else on PPE? No, I don't think so. But 00:11:27.990 --> 00:11:31.330 just know this isn't a contest. It's not who's 00:11:31.330 --> 00:11:34.149 the better beekeeper or who's more brave because 00:11:34.149 --> 00:11:37.549 they're wearing less protective equipment. Doesn't 00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:40.129 matter. I like that. Do what you're comfortable 00:11:40.129 --> 00:11:43.610 with, please. What else do people need to buy 00:11:43.610 --> 00:11:46.659 right off the bat and have on hand? I would say 00:11:46.659 --> 00:11:49.340 frames. Have some extra frames available. Have 00:11:49.340 --> 00:11:53.279 an extra hive body. Have an extra super available 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:56.419 and the frames to go with both of them. Have 00:11:56.419 --> 00:11:59.240 an extra hive setup if you can because you never 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:01.559 know what's going to happen. You might catch 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:04.259 a swarm. Somebody might call you and say there's 00:12:04.259 --> 00:12:07.039 a swarm at my house. Can you come get it? And 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:09.399 if you want more bees you want to be prepared. 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:12.419 Okay a little bit of extra equipment. What else? 00:12:12.779 --> 00:12:15.159 You'll want a smoker. and that's to go along 00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:18.240 with your PPE. You'll wanna have a smoker and 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:21.379 you'll wanna actually light your smoker before 00:12:21.379 --> 00:12:23.779 you go down to your hive each time. Whether or 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:26.279 not you use it, that's another thing, but you 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:28.659 wanna be prepared and have it going ahead of 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:32.019 time just in case. So the smoker, smoker fuel, 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:35.539 a hive tool is important. A couple hive tools. 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:37.799 A couple of hive tools because you're probably 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:41.279 gonna lose one. But a hive tool. is probably 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:43.860 your best friend in the bee yard sometimes because 00:12:43.860 --> 00:12:46.659 you're going to need it to open the hive, pry 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:49.679 your frames out, to do other things. You may 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:52.779 have to use it as a screwdriver once, but you 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:56.759 never know. And hive tools are inexpensive. Trust 00:12:56.759 --> 00:13:00.159 me, if you think you don't need one, you need 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:03.320 one. Or ten. By the way, do you have a favorite 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:06.799 style of hive tool? I personally like a J hook. 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.820 I love that I can just do a flat end and then 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:13.700 a prying end. I love a J hook. I do too, but 00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:16.899 explain what that is. Oh, sure. I don't have 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:21.659 one on me. So it looks just like a regular end 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:25.200 that you can pry, like a flat end. And then the 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:29.450 other end is shaped like a J. and but it's also 00:13:29.450 --> 00:13:32.149 flat but that is so you can literally pry things 00:13:32.149 --> 00:13:35.169 up. I'm surprised I don't have one on my desk 00:13:35.169 --> 00:13:39.990 actually. Here's your normal hive tool. That's 00:13:39.990 --> 00:13:42.789 actually my favorite. The j -hook I'm going to 00:13:42.789 --> 00:13:46.149 show you is an extreme example. Most of them 00:13:46.149 --> 00:13:50.250 are not quite this big but this one works awesome 00:13:50.250 --> 00:13:52.649 and even has a thing here like a lot of them 00:13:52.649 --> 00:13:55.490 do so you can hang them on a nail or screw or 00:13:55.490 --> 00:13:59.659 something. I would say if you're a beginner, 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:02.919 buy any hive tool. These are under what? Under 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:06.779 10 bucks. These are maybe 15 or 20. I don't know. 00:14:07.379 --> 00:14:10.000 You're going to end up buying more than one anyway. 00:14:10.299 --> 00:14:13.139 So start with one, see what you like and experiment 00:14:13.139 --> 00:14:16.039 with some others. But you're going to use a hive 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:18.000 tool every single time that you're out with the 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:21.019 bees. Absolutely. You absolutely are. There have 00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:22.840 been times when I've been to the bee yard and 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:25.039 somehow didn't have a hive tool and couldn't 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:28.360 do anything at all. So I do have a quick story 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:30.879 with that too, because we would often go out 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.799 to our apiary unprepared without a hive tool, 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:35.759 thinking there would already be some out there. 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:40.000 I've already had to pry open my hive with a mouse 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:43.539 guard because I was not going to go all the way 00:14:43.539 --> 00:14:46.000 back to get my hive tool, and I don't recommend 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:49.460 that. So from now on, we have multiple hive tools 00:14:49.460 --> 00:14:51.840 everywhere, don't we? Everywhere. Everywhere. 00:14:52.409 --> 00:14:54.889 any kind of style because whatever gets the job 00:14:54.889 --> 00:14:57.870 done, whatever you feel comfortable with and 00:14:57.870 --> 00:15:00.169 being able to pry open from the propolis and 00:15:00.169 --> 00:15:02.710 everything. And they make tiny ones too, like 00:15:02.710 --> 00:15:05.490 the same exact thing, but just in a tiny size. 00:15:05.929 --> 00:15:09.539 So we sound like we like high tools a lot. Well 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:12.159 they're an inexpensive thing and we use them 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:16.139 all the time so I get it. And if you're a beginner 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.039 and you've never opened up a hive that the bees 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:21.279 have been in for a while, there's a thing called 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:24.080 propolis. And that's why you need a hive tool 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.620 because you're prying these things apart. Once 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:31.039 you get inside you've got frames to get out. 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:33.799 There is wax, there's propolis, there's all kinds 00:15:33.799 --> 00:15:37.879 of sticky stuff going on. and you just need a 00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:40.500 tool for some help. Did we leave anything out? 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:44.159 We talked about PPE. We talked about all the 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:47.759 boxes that you need. We talked about smokers, 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:52.639 hive tools, bees. Are we done? You did touch 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:55.379 on mentors a little bit. Even before you get 00:15:55.379 --> 00:15:58.440 started having bees, the whole prospect seems 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:01.899 overwhelming. I know that we have thought the 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:05.080 same thing. if you're able to take any classes 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.259 locally. I know not everybody has that opportunity. 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:10.759 I've talked to quite a few people who live in 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:13.700 the middle of nowhere and are not able to attend 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:17.379 any type of B associations or meetings. So there 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:20.139 are online classes available and most often they're 00:16:20.139 --> 00:16:22.700 for free. I know we always say do your research, 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:26.820 but you can definitely do Google searches to 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:30.610 find any type of classes. books, of course YouTube, 00:16:30.669 --> 00:16:33.210 but it is hard when you go to watch YouTube videos. 00:16:33.389 --> 00:16:35.389 There are going to be so many different ways 00:16:35.389 --> 00:16:37.809 of doing things that can also seem overwhelming. 00:16:38.429 --> 00:16:40.690 Are you planning on expanding your apiary this 00:16:40.690 --> 00:16:44.029 year or are you a beginner thinking about jumping 00:16:44.029 --> 00:16:47.049 into beekeeping for the very first time? Take 00:16:47.049 --> 00:16:49.669 it from someone who's purchased beekeeping equipment 00:16:49.669 --> 00:16:53.690 from many different suppliers. If you want made 00:16:53.690 --> 00:16:57.740 in USA woodenware, premium feeds, top quality, 00:16:57.960 --> 00:17:00.940 and great prices on everything, give Man Lake 00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:03.850 a try. And whether or not you're a beekeeper, 00:17:04.369 --> 00:17:06.569 you can help honey bees and other pollinators 00:17:06.569 --> 00:17:09.950 by planting bee friendly forage. Man Lake has 00:17:09.950 --> 00:17:12.609 that too. In fact, download the free Man Lake 00:17:12.609 --> 00:17:15.529 app and learn about some of the best plants for 00:17:15.529 --> 00:17:19.529 your area. Go to manlakeltd .com and be sure 00:17:19.529 --> 00:17:22.509 to use discount code, get started in bees. It's 00:17:22.509 --> 00:17:25.349 all down in the show notes for savings on live 00:17:25.349 --> 00:17:29.910 bees, beginner kits, and even seeds. Here's something 00:17:29.910 --> 00:17:33.630 to ponder on today. Strong colonies fight mites 00:17:33.630 --> 00:17:36.369 better, they groom more, they remove infected 00:17:36.369 --> 00:17:39.809 brood, they bounce back faster, but all of that 00:17:39.809 --> 00:17:43.990 takes energy. Primal beehives reduce thermal 00:17:43.990 --> 00:17:47.009 stress so your bees have more in the tank when 00:17:47.009 --> 00:17:50.309 it matters. So if you want to give your colonies 00:17:50.309 --> 00:17:53.430 an advantage, give the primal beehive a try. 00:17:53.769 --> 00:17:57.839 And right now, Primal B is offering a 10 % discount 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.599 for B -Love listeners. Click on over to primalb 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:05.660 .com slash B -Love and use discount code B -Love 00:18:05.660 --> 00:18:08.900 at checkout. It is that easy. Give it a try. 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.740 That's so true. And just to add to what Kim said, 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:16.240 I found here recently being so new to TikTok, 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:19.519 I haven't really been able to get into a beekeeping 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:23.529 club. I know that sounds crazy, but Online, your 00:18:23.529 --> 00:18:27.329 social media platforms are a huge resource. If 00:18:27.329 --> 00:18:30.089 you don't have a bee club to go to, check out 00:18:30.089 --> 00:18:32.730 TikTok. There's a huge community of beekeepers 00:18:32.730 --> 00:18:35.569 out there giving out so much information that 00:18:35.569 --> 00:18:37.930 you may not even hear in your local bee club. 00:18:38.410 --> 00:18:40.950 So your social media platforms are really becoming, 00:18:40.950 --> 00:18:44.089 I think, the next kind of level of beekeeping 00:18:44.089 --> 00:18:47.269 associations. And it's a really fun community 00:18:47.269 --> 00:18:49.839 to be a part of. As long as you brought it up, 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:52.539 let's talk about bee clubs for a minute. For 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:55.559 those of us that are more introverts, we're going, 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:58.700 why do I want to join some sort of a club? What's 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:01.779 the point? the knowledge alone, the knowledge 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:03.720 that you're gonna learn, even if you just sit 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.000 and listen, you don't have to talk, but to sit 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:09.180 and listen and hear everybody's stories, you're 00:19:09.180 --> 00:19:13.000 gonna learn so much just from that itself. And 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:15.420 you may have the side benefit of meeting a little 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:17.779 beekeeping buddy, and that's always nice too, 00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:21.119 but just to sit and listen, I think is hugely 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:24.079 beneficial. you'll hear what's going on locally. 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:27.680 You'll have beekeepers of all different experience 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:31.299 levels, but primarily what are the bees foraging 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:34.799 on in your area and what the weather is like 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:38.240 and how did the bees acclimate to that environment 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:42.089 if someone is having a mite issue. and then multiple 00:19:42.089 --> 00:19:44.730 people in that area are also experiencing that. 00:19:45.049 --> 00:19:47.210 It's nice to be able to listen to other people 00:19:47.210 --> 00:19:49.670 in your area. As Steph said, even if you don't 00:19:49.670 --> 00:19:51.269 want to talk, if you just want to sit in the 00:19:51.269 --> 00:19:54.430 back and just listen, it does help you to feel 00:19:54.430 --> 00:19:57.329 not alone, that you're not the only one experiencing 00:19:57.329 --> 00:19:59.230 that, that other people could be going through 00:19:59.230 --> 00:20:03.150 the same thing in your area. All right. Let's 00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:07.079 talk about where to put your bees. I know we 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:10.759 have people listening that have a 20 acre farm 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:13.700 and other people that have a quarter acre Place 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:16.480 in the suburbs and even people that are living 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:20.299 in an apartment in an urban area Okay, where 00:20:20.299 --> 00:20:22.900 are you gonna put your bees? So you're gonna 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:25.299 want to make sure that your bees are facing the 00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:28.589 morning Sun. That's gonna be important But before 00:20:28.589 --> 00:20:30.769 you do, wherever you're at, you wanna make sure 00:20:30.769 --> 00:20:33.349 that your regulations allow for it. And then 00:20:33.349 --> 00:20:35.710 if you're good, even if you are in an urban area 00:20:35.710 --> 00:20:38.849 like I am, I just make sure my bees are facing, 00:20:39.309 --> 00:20:41.809 if I was to have one out here, I'd face the morning 00:20:41.809 --> 00:20:44.730 sun. So if you have like, if they're gonna be 00:20:44.730 --> 00:20:46.750 in your yard, you wanna keep them at least 100 00:20:46.750 --> 00:20:49.829 feet away from any other things that might be 00:20:49.829 --> 00:20:52.180 out there. You want to put them on some level 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:55.839 land. So where I live, I do live in the woods, 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:58.779 but I live on a mountain. So while I have a lot 00:20:58.779 --> 00:21:02.960 of area, that's not always really. going to be 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:05.799 the best place to put a hive and expect it to 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:09.500 stay level. I try to keep it away from our pool 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:13.400 because the bees will go to your pool area. They 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:15.799 really are attracted to that water. I don't know 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.619 if it's the chlorine or what, but you will have 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:21.019 bees around the pool. So keeping it away from 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:24.160 a pool water source, but also having another 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:26.420 water source for them to drink from is great. 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:28.640 So you just want to make sure you have some level 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:31.980 land and even having it in an area where you 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:35.500 won't have to do a lot of weeding or lawn care 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:39.640 because while the bees don't tend to really mind 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:43.259 a lawnmower, they don't seem to really like a 00:21:43.259 --> 00:21:48.400 weed whacker. If you're able to keep away the 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:52.980 weeds and everything that tends to get near the 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:56.160 hives, if you have a spot that you can put them. 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:59.839 where they won't get a lot of overgrown. Yeah, 00:22:00.099 --> 00:22:02.299 my biggest high beetles as well. So let's say 00:22:02.299 --> 00:22:07.220 I live in a suburban area on a quarter acre or 00:22:07.220 --> 00:22:10.619 less or something. With my house, how do I know 00:22:10.619 --> 00:22:13.259 if it's legal to put bees there? And what are 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:17.079 my neighbors going to think? So you want to reach 00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:20.579 out to, I guess it would be your city count. 00:22:20.700 --> 00:22:23.519 I'm not sure exactly. You can use the internet. 00:22:23.539 --> 00:22:26.400 That's what I did. But make sure I reached out 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:28.819 to, I just looked online and to see what the 00:22:28.819 --> 00:22:31.339 regulations are. It's an easy search. And then 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:34.900 you can always call too. Call your local municipal 00:22:34.900 --> 00:22:38.720 building or whoever runs that for you. They'll 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:41.420 know for sure. Ask the people in your B club. 00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:44.180 They'll know. They'll know they're sure to it 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:47.200 is good to attend a meeting and you can reach 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:51.160 out to your county and As for the neighbors if 00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:54.079 you do plan on keeping these if you have permission 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:56.900 to keep the bees on your property It's great 00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:59.619 to go around to your neighbors and just say hey 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:03.220 This is what I want to have here and offer them 00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:05.539 some honey if you're able they they usually don't 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:08.690 have too much of a problem getting some honey. 00:23:09.589 --> 00:23:11.950 It's good to let the neighbors know too in case 00:23:11.950 --> 00:23:14.990 there's somebody who might be allergic. So keep 00:23:14.990 --> 00:23:17.089 your neighbors in mind when it comes to things 00:23:17.089 --> 00:23:19.910 like that. One of the things that we left out 00:23:19.910 --> 00:23:23.390 that I guess can go under this topic and the 00:23:23.390 --> 00:23:26.849 one that we just left of all the different things 00:23:26.849 --> 00:23:30.069 that we need to get set up. We didn't talk about 00:23:30.069 --> 00:23:33.869 any kind of a hive stand. Tell us about hive 00:23:33.869 --> 00:23:36.869 stands, why they're important. You do want to 00:23:36.869 --> 00:23:40.079 have some form of hive sand and Man Lake does 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.740 some really great hive stands whether it be a 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:46.099 plastic variety or a metal. You want to have 00:23:46.099 --> 00:23:49.119 the stand at least 18 inches off the ground. 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:51.799 That's going to help with any type of pests or 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:56.299 predators. Typically the 18 inches is more for 00:23:56.299 --> 00:23:59.319 skunks. Skunks are real interested in beehives 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:01.839 and they're going to want to put their noses 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:04.339 right up to there. You don't want to have a hive 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:06.740 directly on the ground because then you're just 00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:10.400 encouraging pests like ants and hive beetles 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:14.640 and other types of insects to get in there and 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:17.440 wreak havoc. 18 inches is really just the standard, 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:19.670 but you could go a little bit. taller than that 00:24:19.670 --> 00:24:23.789 if you wanted to. And we use all types of hide 00:24:23.789 --> 00:24:27.210 stands. We've used pallets. We've used cinder 00:24:27.210 --> 00:24:30.690 blocks. My husband made a hide stand out of scrap 00:24:30.690 --> 00:24:33.910 wood. It's just my favorite. You don't necessarily 00:24:33.910 --> 00:24:36.650 have to buy a stand, but you just want to be 00:24:36.650 --> 00:24:40.849 able to provide a level surface, keeping the 00:24:40.849 --> 00:24:44.109 hive off the ground. Yeah, a lot of people just 00:24:44.109 --> 00:24:47.650 use pallets. That's not 18 inches high. That's 00:24:47.650 --> 00:24:50.690 what four inches or something Whatever works 00:24:50.690 --> 00:24:53.109 for you. I like having them a little higher also 00:24:53.109 --> 00:24:55.589 because I'm not bending over quite so far that 00:24:55.589 --> 00:24:59.190 way Exactly, they're 18 inches or so off the 00:24:59.190 --> 00:25:01.970 ground. It's easier on my back If you were to 00:25:01.970 --> 00:25:04.490 put a hive right on the ground, you've got moisture 00:25:04.490 --> 00:25:07.750 issues as well as all the pest issues All right 00:25:07.750 --> 00:25:11.309 the next thing on my list is sort of a self -evaluation 00:25:11.309 --> 00:25:15.470 and that is figuring out what kind of beekeeper 00:25:15.470 --> 00:25:19.849 you are going to be because there are people 00:25:19.849 --> 00:25:23.809 that are more like commercial beekeepers where 00:25:23.809 --> 00:25:26.650 it's hey I want the honey I don't want to spend 00:25:26.650 --> 00:25:29.480 much time with the bees. I'm going to put in 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:33.079 whatever chemicals I need to control varroa etc. 00:25:33.740 --> 00:25:35.700 There are other people on the far end of the 00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:38.279 spectrum that just love their bees so much and 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:41.039 want to spend time with them. They want to keep 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:43.880 chemicals out as much as possible and there's 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:46.920 everything in between. I'm going to say take 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:50.240 a long look at yourself. One of the things that 00:25:50.869 --> 00:25:54.869 seems to work for people is if you do any gardening, 00:25:55.329 --> 00:25:58.529 what kind of a gardener are you? Are you fine 00:25:58.529 --> 00:26:01.569 spraying a lot of chemicals in your garden? If 00:26:01.569 --> 00:26:03.849 you're not fine doing that, you're probably going 00:26:03.849 --> 00:26:05.910 to be the same way with how you take care of 00:26:05.910 --> 00:26:08.710 your bees. Ladies, give me some thoughts on this 00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:13.380 topic. I would say, uh... I am that type of person 00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:15.900 that will be on my hands and knees picking dandelions 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:19.940 off the ground so I can use it to infuse an oil 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:24.000 or make mead with. So I am the type of, I do 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.599 take a little bit more of a natural approach, 00:26:26.819 --> 00:26:29.079 but understanding boromites and the importance 00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:32.970 of treating. And one of the reasons I have a 00:26:32.970 --> 00:26:36.009 top bar hive is because I like to make a lot 00:26:36.009 --> 00:26:39.549 of products. I like beeswax. Primarily, I use 00:26:39.549 --> 00:26:42.410 that in a lot of things that I make. And with 00:26:42.410 --> 00:26:45.690 a top bar hive, you'll get a lot of wax. I would 00:26:45.690 --> 00:26:47.849 say I'm the type where I know it's important 00:26:47.849 --> 00:26:51.049 to inspect your bees, especially in the spring 00:26:51.049 --> 00:26:54.470 and summer. But I also like to step back a little 00:26:54.470 --> 00:26:57.299 bit. I don't like to bother them too much. I 00:26:57.299 --> 00:26:59.940 like to watch them fly around. I like to sit 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:02.839 out front and just watch them go in and out and 00:27:02.839 --> 00:27:05.819 bringing back the pollen. We like to watch the 00:27:05.819 --> 00:27:08.220 colors. It sounds like Ag, you could be talking 00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:10.400 for me too, because I'm the kind of beekeeper 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:13.420 that I am going to be nosy if I need to be. I 00:27:13.420 --> 00:27:15.400 want to see what's going on in the hive. Are 00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:18.559 you guys doing okay? If not, what can I do to 00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:21.819 help you along with that? I also like just sitting 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:24.200 there and watching my bees. So I'm definitely 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:27.450 a hands on. How can I? you and then I'm gonna 00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:30.549 research it and see what do I need to do? Do 00:27:30.549 --> 00:27:32.710 I need to do anything at all? Am I being a little 00:27:32.710 --> 00:27:35.630 wild about this? But I'm kind of a very hands 00:27:35.630 --> 00:27:38.190 -on beekeeper. I wasn't to begin with though. 00:27:38.309 --> 00:27:40.829 I will say that I definitely was not. I was a 00:27:40.829 --> 00:27:43.529 set it and forget it kind of beekeeper and I 00:27:43.529 --> 00:27:46.450 regret that. I could have learned so much more 00:27:46.450 --> 00:27:49.529 had I not done that my first year. And it's okay 00:27:49.529 --> 00:27:51.960 to change as you go. You might start with one 00:27:51.960 --> 00:27:54.299 philosophy and then change, hey, I like to spend 00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:56.900 more time with my bees or less time with my bees, 00:27:57.079 --> 00:28:00.180 or I tried being treatment -free, it didn't really 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:05.200 work for me, or vice versa. And I don't want 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:07.640 to go down the rabbit hole of treatment -free 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:10.519 or chemical -free beekeeping today because that 00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:13.200 could be another couple of sessions. But can 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:16.880 you give people just a little background on what 00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:19.900 the differences are and the differences in philosophy? 00:28:20.089 --> 00:28:23.250 Sure. So I used to not want to treat my bees. 00:28:23.609 --> 00:28:25.769 I didn't want to because I thought I was harming 00:28:25.769 --> 00:28:30.329 my bees. In reality, I thought I would be harming 00:28:30.329 --> 00:28:33.170 them by treating them with chemicals. In reality, 00:28:33.309 --> 00:28:35.630 I harmed them by not treating them because I 00:28:35.630 --> 00:28:39.349 lost a whole colony due to the varroa mite. So 00:28:39.349 --> 00:28:43.900 I think where I was a non chemical person. And 00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:46.359 there's other types. There's people using like 00:28:46.359 --> 00:28:49.720 mushroom, different types of mushroom organic 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:51.980 things that you can put right on the beehive. 00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:54.359 Now I just want to make sure the mites are going 00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:56.660 to, you know, be at their very least. So I will 00:28:56.660 --> 00:28:59.299 medicate them. I'm choosing oxalic acid because 00:28:59.299 --> 00:29:02.240 that seems like a better way for me to treat. 00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:05.400 I'm not ever going to be a non -treater again. 00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:08.599 I've learned my lesson. And some treatments are 00:29:08.599 --> 00:29:11.619 much more natural than others. right? The acids 00:29:11.619 --> 00:29:13.819 and some of those things compared to some of 00:29:13.819 --> 00:29:16.500 the other chemicals. Some people really believe 00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:20.019 in some of the other chemicals because they work. 00:29:20.339 --> 00:29:23.039 For me, it's also like with the gear that you're 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:26.079 going to wear, your medications, it's just your 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:28.200 comfort level. What are you comfortable giving 00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:31.519 your bees? That's just a comfort level thing 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:37.529 I believe as well. Thanks again for joining us 00:29:37.529 --> 00:29:40.130 on Be Love Beekeeping presented by our great 00:29:40.130 --> 00:29:42.289 friends over at Man Lake. Hey, and don't forget 00:29:42.289 --> 00:29:45.549 to order your bees. And a shout out to V2B Health 00:29:45.549 --> 00:29:48.529 for their support. Vita's Varroa Control Ranger 00:29:48.529 --> 00:29:52.730 products includes Epistan, Epigard, and now Varroxan. 00:29:52.809 --> 00:29:56.309 Extended release, Oxalic Acid Strips. Thank you 00:29:56.309 --> 00:30:00.210 so much guys. If you haven't yet, please subscribe 00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:02.410 and follow the show, tell your friends about 00:30:02.410 --> 00:30:05.309 it, and click on over to BeLoveBekeeping .com 00:30:05.309 --> 00:30:08.589 to sign up for our free newsletter. If you have 00:30:08.589 --> 00:30:11.750 a guest suggestion or topic that you'd like discussed 00:30:11.750 --> 00:30:15.150 on the show, shoot me an email, eric at BeLoveBekeeping 00:30:15.150 --> 00:30:18.440 .com. And remember if you're not just in it for 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.819 the honey or the money, you're in it for the 00:30:20.819 --> 00:30:22.319 love. See you next week.