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 --> 00:01:05.590 Sahara, sometimes running off flapping and flailing 00:01:05.590 --> 00:01:12.170 like a penguin on a hot sidewalk. This is their 00:01:12.170 --> 00:01:24.189 journey. Welcome, welcome to Be Love Beekeeping 00:01:24.189 --> 00:01:26.950 presented by our great friends over at Man Lake. 00:01:27.150 --> 00:01:29.909 By the way, if you haven't yet, please subscribe 00:01:29.909 --> 00:01:32.090 to and follow the show, tell your friends about 00:01:32.090 --> 00:01:34.870 it and click on over to Be Love Beekeeping dot 00:01:34.870 --> 00:01:38.890 com to sign up for our free newsletter. Today's 00:01:38.890 --> 00:01:41.769 guest is a beekeeper in Connecticut and we'll 00:01:41.769 --> 00:01:45.250 be discussing everything from swarms to self 00:01:45.250 --> 00:01:48.230 -service honey stands, wild and crazy beekeeping 00:01:48.230 --> 00:01:50.629 stories. It's going to be a whole bunch of fun. 00:01:51.129 --> 00:01:54.810 But first, I loved this recent article from Environment 00:01:54.810 --> 00:01:58.900 America titled 10 ways bees are smarter than 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:03.719 you think. So can you think of all 10? Tell you 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:07.180 what, here we go. Number one, bees can solve 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:10.819 puzzles that require impressive problem solving. 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:14.479 In one study, researchers created a box with 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:17.939 sugar inside that could be opened by rotating 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:22.340 a lid, but the bees had to rotate a blue lid 00:02:22.340 --> 00:02:25.800 for it to work, not the nearby red one. After 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:29.080 trial and error, the bees learned that only the 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:34.300 blue lid unlocked the box. Number two, bees are 00:02:34.300 --> 00:02:37.979 math whizzes. Bees can count and discriminate 00:02:37.979 --> 00:02:41.680 up to four objects at a time, understanding that 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:44.400 each one is separate. They can even look at two 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:47.840 groups of objects, compare the two, and identify 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:51.819 which group has fewer in it. Even more impressive, 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:54.800 researchers think that bees might even understand 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:58.719 the concept of zero, an idea that puzzled even 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:02.360 mathematicians for many years. Okay, I better 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:04.879 give a little bit shorter explanations or we're 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:07.500 not gonna get through the list. Let's keep going. 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:12.360 Number three, some bees use tools. Number four, 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:16.759 bees are their own GPS. When bees travel miles 00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:20.099 to faraway fields and gardens, they use the position 00:03:20.099 --> 00:03:24.159 of the sun and earth to return home with impressive 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:30.419 accuracy. Number five, bees have dreams and daydreams. 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:34.319 Number six bees can teach each other think of 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:38.460 the waggle dance Also in one experiment when 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:41.639 one bee figured out how to solve a puzzle other 00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:45.259 bees observed the behavior and followed suit 00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:49.919 Number seven bees have their own language Again, 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:52.780 think of the waggle dance as a great example 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:58.319 number eight bees can recognize human faces number 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:01.610 nine bees might even be able to play soccer? 00:04:02.349 --> 00:04:05.370 Scientists have trained bees to manipulate a 00:04:05.370 --> 00:04:09.550 small ball into a goal -like structure for a 00:04:09.550 --> 00:04:14.169 reward of sugar. And lastly, number 10, bees 00:04:14.169 --> 00:04:19.089 experience complex emotions. bees tiny brains 00:04:19.089 --> 00:04:22.970 release dopamine and serotonin when they eat 00:04:22.970 --> 00:04:27.209 sugar, signaling happiness. And bees even feel 00:04:27.209 --> 00:04:31.449 PTSD like symptoms after traumatic events and 00:04:31.449 --> 00:04:35.430 feel more optimistic about foraging after they've 00:04:35.430 --> 00:04:38.970 found a good food source. So again, amazing, 00:04:39.050 --> 00:04:42.610 amazing, amazing. Our buddies the bees, they 00:04:42.610 --> 00:04:50.759 are just incredible. Alright, I am so happy to 00:04:50.759 --> 00:04:53.180 welcome our very special guest today, Lauren 00:04:53.180 --> 00:04:56.800 Donninger. How are you, Laura? Good, good. Nice 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:59.980 to meet you. Thanks for having me on. And you're 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:02.939 in Hamden, Connecticut? Right, right outside 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:05.680 of New Haven. East Coast of the U .S. for those 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:08.740 that are off in another country someplace. And 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:11.920 I appreciate you jumping on here because you 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:13.699 were just explaining that you've been in the 00:05:13.699 --> 00:05:16.000 bee yard all day and you've been working out. 00:05:16.220 --> 00:05:20.980 Yeah. So you're not dressed up like Glamour Queen. 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:24.439 You're like a real live beekeeper. And that's 00:05:24.439 --> 00:05:29.699 the best part. So love that. So I want to jump 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:33.839 into I want to talk swarms first. Sure. Because 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:36.939 you're pretty good at catching swarms. I mean, 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:40.920 I know that you saw that I posted in a Facebook 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:44.639 group just I do every year. This is what a swarm 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.629 looks like. If you see a swarm. Call me. I'll 00:05:47.629 --> 00:05:49.610 come get it. You can name the queen. I'll bring 00:05:49.610 --> 00:05:51.629 you the first pound of honey. Don't spray it. 00:05:51.829 --> 00:05:53.889 You know, that sort of thing, which I think is, 00:05:53.889 --> 00:05:56.810 you know, most hobbyists do that in their like 00:05:56.810 --> 00:05:59.750 local community groups. So I posted that in a 00:05:59.750 --> 00:06:02.170 reporter, I don't know, picked up on it and thought 00:06:02.170 --> 00:06:05.709 it was a good human interest story. So I catch 00:06:05.709 --> 00:06:08.670 a few swarms a year. I have some swarm box up. 00:06:08.750 --> 00:06:11.670 But, you know, I'm not I don't have any special 00:06:11.670 --> 00:06:15.560 skill. No, that's OK. We're just regular old 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:18.519 beekeepers here, around here. How many swarm 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:21.019 boxes do you have up and what do they look like? 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:26.860 I have four and they're like the 40 liter, they're 00:06:26.860 --> 00:06:29.240 wood. A couple of years ago I got this strap 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:32.199 and it goes around the tree and then there's 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:34.959 a hook on it so you can hang it on and that has 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:38.160 been a very helpful little innovation and tool 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:41.610 and you know I don't put them up that high. have 00:06:41.610 --> 00:06:44.089 you know I bring a six foot ladder with me and 00:06:44.089 --> 00:06:45.930 you know maybe ideally they'd be a little bit 00:06:45.930 --> 00:06:48.050 higher but I have it has to be fun I have to 00:06:48.050 --> 00:06:50.110 be able to get it and then they're just they're 00:06:50.110 --> 00:06:52.649 places where either friends who are interested 00:06:52.649 --> 00:06:56.110 or people who've called me like I've won this 00:06:56.110 --> 00:06:58.209 year it's a condo complex and they've called 00:06:58.209 --> 00:07:00.550 two years in a row with a swarm so I was like 00:07:00.550 --> 00:07:03.670 I'm bringing a box for you this year and maybe 00:07:03.670 --> 00:07:05.949 wherever you know those bees are coming from 00:07:05.949 --> 00:07:09.550 maybe we'll catch them. So out of your boxes 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:12.439 Just give me some kind of a ratio, like how many 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:15.639 swarms do you catch each year? Well, I mean, 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:20.899 I go out and in my boxes, I definitely catch 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:24.180 probably four. Like most of the boxes catch at 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:27.480 least one swarm. So like one swarm per box per 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:31.220 summer. OK. Typically, yeah. Yeah. And then in 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:34.759 terms of going on swarm calls, I have to like 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:39.000 I have to say no sometimes because I'm a backyard 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.339 beekeeper, and I can end up with just like more 00:07:41.339 --> 00:07:45.459 bees than I can manage. But I love to go do it. 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:50.240 And I maybe go and maybe get five or six swarms 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.040 that are just a call. So on your average, how 00:07:54.040 --> 00:07:56.519 many colonies are you keeping at any one time? 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:02.290 Right now. I think I have 15, which is a little 00:08:02.290 --> 00:08:06.089 bit more than I would like to, but I do vertical 00:08:06.089 --> 00:08:09.509 splits. So I don't know, maybe you could call 00:08:09.509 --> 00:08:12.769 it 30 if you do it based on queens. But I do 00:08:12.769 --> 00:08:16.189 the vertical splits because I don't want to make 00:08:16.189 --> 00:08:18.410 more colonies. I don't want to do a split and 00:08:18.410 --> 00:08:22.610 then have another box at another location. So 00:08:22.610 --> 00:08:25.529 I use a Snellgrove board or a double screen board. 00:08:26.250 --> 00:08:28.110 You know, as long as you brought that up, Why 00:08:28.110 --> 00:08:30.550 don't we talk about what a vertical split is 00:08:30.550 --> 00:08:33.169 and exactly how you do it. Just kind of walk 00:08:33.169 --> 00:08:37.269 us through the steps. Yep. So usually in the 00:08:37.269 --> 00:08:41.049 early, early spring, I overwinter usually in 00:08:41.049 --> 00:08:44.710 two deeps. And then in early spring, depending 00:08:44.710 --> 00:08:47.889 on how the colonies look, I'll get them down 00:08:47.889 --> 00:08:51.429 to one. I'll put them all down to one. Hopefully 00:08:51.429 --> 00:08:53.210 don't need to feed, but if I need to feed, I'll 00:08:53.210 --> 00:08:56.720 feed. And then once that colony builds up in 00:08:56.720 --> 00:09:00.720 the one box, I will, I'll leave the queen, the 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:02.399 overwintered queen, I'll leave her in the bottom 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:07.519 box and then I'll take really all, nearly all 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:10.399 of the frames of brood and put them in another 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:14.080 box. So it'll be the deep with the queen and 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:15.840 you know, I've been beheading for a while so 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:17.580 I have a lot of resources so they don't have 00:09:17.580 --> 00:09:20.440 to make comb. The queen, I'll leave a frame of 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:23.200 pollen, frame of honey and then empty frames. 00:09:23.610 --> 00:09:27.029 queen excluder, honey super, then the double 00:09:27.029 --> 00:09:29.990 screen board. And on top of the double screen 00:09:29.990 --> 00:09:33.789 board, I'll put the box with all of that brood, 00:09:34.250 --> 00:09:37.870 and they'll make a queen. And the box has a series 00:09:37.870 --> 00:09:42.610 of doors on it, and I'll open one door that is 00:09:42.610 --> 00:09:45.659 the exit for the top box. all of the bees that 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:49.179 are oriented below will just go home to the bottom 00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:51.840 box and then the nurse bees will you know they're 00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:53.919 obviously not going to leave the brood and then 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:57.340 as the brood emerges from that top box after 00:09:57.340 --> 00:10:01.379 about five days maybe six I will close the door 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:03.480 and there's a little door right under it and 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.799 I'll open that door so now the bees that have 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:11.350 oriented to that top box, they're going to come 00:10:11.350 --> 00:10:13.830 back. And now it's not going to be quite the 00:10:13.830 --> 00:10:15.750 same door. It's going to be the door below. So 00:10:15.750 --> 00:10:20.429 I'm bleeding off and giving more and more workers 00:10:20.429 --> 00:10:23.110 to the bottom box who don't have a lot of brood 00:10:23.110 --> 00:10:24.970 yet, because it took all the brood. So they don't 00:10:24.970 --> 00:10:27.049 have anything to do but make honey. And then 00:10:27.049 --> 00:10:30.889 so when I close that door, I open one on the 00:10:30.889 --> 00:10:32.809 other side, because always the top box always 00:10:32.809 --> 00:10:36.029 has a place to leave. Five or so days later, 00:10:36.289 --> 00:10:40.159 I do the same thing. And then I open the last 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:44.600 door for the top box. And that's the one where 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:47.419 when the queen, the virgin queen emerges, that's 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:49.820 the one that she's going to take her mating flights 00:10:49.820 --> 00:10:52.399 from. And at that point, and this is a lot of 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.539 what I was doing today, at that point, I have 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:58.759 really bled off the field force from the top 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:00.960 and pumped up the field force on the bottom. 00:11:01.340 --> 00:11:04.960 So I will sometimes say I was feeding that top 00:11:04.960 --> 00:11:09.120 box because for that virgin to be strong enough, 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:11.200 you know, once she's mated, some of them are 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:16.100 mated now, in order for them to really get started. 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:19.840 Sometimes I'll give them some feed, and then 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:23.759 I'll decide if, like, who, I'll decide who lives. 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:26.259 Which queen am I gonna keep? Usually the new 00:11:26.259 --> 00:11:28.779 one, you know, usually the new one, and at some 00:11:28.779 --> 00:11:32.639 point I'll pinch one or the other, leave them, 00:11:32.860 --> 00:11:35.840 you know, for a few days, and then combine them, 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:38.169 and by then they have a big field force. That's 00:11:38.169 --> 00:11:40.750 a big responsibility, deciding who lives and 00:11:40.750 --> 00:11:43.830 who dies. It's terrible. Wow, playing God here. 00:11:44.070 --> 00:11:47.590 It's terrible. And it's terrible because, like, 00:11:47.590 --> 00:11:51.350 she's a perfectly good queen. And yeah, it's 00:11:51.350 --> 00:11:54.429 terrible. It's so hard to pinch a queen. Yeah, 00:11:54.429 --> 00:11:57.629 it's just so hard to do. And one thing I've noticed 00:11:57.629 --> 00:12:00.730 about this technique that I need to make notes 00:12:00.730 --> 00:12:04.429 for myself next year, I need to wait a little 00:12:04.429 --> 00:12:09.059 bit later because Those bottom boxes today, I 00:12:09.059 --> 00:12:12.820 had swarm cells in those bottom boxes. So I was 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:16.059 like, oh, that weren't supposed to swarm. I caught 00:12:16.059 --> 00:12:17.679 them. I'm so lucky. I can't believe I caught 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:22.340 them. One of them, I had just done the manipulation, 00:12:22.419 --> 00:12:26.559 and I watched the virgin queen emerge. And she 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:30.000 was now in the top box. It was like, they would 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.360 have swarmed tomorrow for sure, because that 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:35.919 virgin emerged. So that's how I like to do splits. 00:12:36.169 --> 00:12:38.889 So when you get swarm calls from people, how 00:12:38.889 --> 00:12:41.570 have they found you? Just from your website or 00:12:41.570 --> 00:12:45.529 what? Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think they Google. 00:12:46.409 --> 00:12:49.190 I mean, the fact that I have a website is I had 00:12:49.190 --> 00:12:51.830 a, it was a friend of my daughter's who was doing 00:12:51.830 --> 00:12:55.309 some certificate in web development. And she 00:12:55.309 --> 00:12:58.269 said, I need to build a web page. Could I build 00:12:58.269 --> 00:13:00.629 you one? I was like, yes, Megan, you can build 00:13:00.629 --> 00:13:04.440 me one. So I had tried to build one myself. not 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:07.820 a skill I have, not a skill I want to have. And 00:13:07.820 --> 00:13:10.139 it was frustrating. And then, you know, here 00:13:10.139 --> 00:13:12.379 I got this web page. So, yeah, I think they find 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:14.840 it from that. Yeah, I looked at it. It looks 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:17.919 nice. Thank you. And it has a little thing about 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:21.240 your honey selling business. And I mean, you 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:23.720 say you're just a hobbyist, but if you have 15 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:27.580 or even 10 or 20 hives, you're going to end up 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:30.679 with a lot of honey at the end of the year. So 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:34.100 explain to everybody how you sell it. It is very 00:13:34.100 --> 00:13:36.580 casual and you asked about like people calling 00:13:36.580 --> 00:13:39.879 me. I live in Hamden now it's like 13 years but 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:43.220 I didn't raise my kids here so you know I didn't 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:45.220 really have a sense of community here. I don't 00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:47.759 work in Hamden I work in New Haven. The bees 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:50.200 are how I ended up sort of getting to know people 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:53.039 in the community and that has been just a particular 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:55.860 delight. Somebody will say I have a swarm and 00:13:55.860 --> 00:13:58.610 people will say you know, yellow house honey 00:13:58.610 --> 00:14:02.070 and they'll link me. And so what I do is, it's 00:14:02.070 --> 00:14:05.149 a self -service stand. I put the honey on the 00:14:05.149 --> 00:14:10.169 porch and there's a little welcome sign on my 00:14:10.169 --> 00:14:13.450 porch door and people, it's just a little bookshelf 00:14:13.450 --> 00:14:17.009 with glass doors and people help themselves and 00:14:17.009 --> 00:14:20.529 leave cash or do Venmo and yeah, it's really 00:14:20.529 --> 00:14:25.090 casual. I don't know, I think it's very, like 00:14:25.090 --> 00:14:27.919 obviously it's an honor system. worried about 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:32.080 it. And I think people really like the, I don't 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:34.720 know, just the open trust element. I have a little 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.159 sign that says, if you need change and I'm not 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:39.600 home, short me. Don't short yourself. Absolutely 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.799 short me. Or take, you know, and make some other 00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:43.860 little products. Like take something else instead. 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:49.110 Or, you know, catch me next time. It's very local 00:14:49.110 --> 00:14:51.929 and very friendly, which I really like. Yeah, 00:14:51.929 --> 00:14:54.129 that is awesome. But I want to make sure I'm 00:14:54.129 --> 00:14:56.370 clear. This is on your front porch. You have 00:14:56.370 --> 00:14:59.470 like a closed in area with a door. It's a side 00:14:59.470 --> 00:15:02.629 porch. So my house is a little just like my logo. 00:15:02.710 --> 00:15:05.909 That's my house. It's a little yellow Cape Cod 00:15:05.909 --> 00:15:11.149 style house. And I have a garage that has a little 00:15:11.149 --> 00:15:13.730 porch with a door on it and then When you come 00:15:13.730 --> 00:15:16.049 in the porch, the garage is on the right, but 00:15:16.049 --> 00:15:18.269 it's all closed and the house is on the left 00:15:18.269 --> 00:15:21.649 and straight out is slider to the to the bee 00:15:21.649 --> 00:15:24.610 yard. So it's just a little, you know, it's a 00:15:24.610 --> 00:15:27.570 closed in porch and people just come in and help 00:15:27.570 --> 00:15:30.269 themselves. That's great. And you sell all the 00:15:30.269 --> 00:15:33.090 honey you want to sell that way. I do. I sell 00:15:33.090 --> 00:15:36.350 out every year. I sell out. No farmers markets 00:15:36.350 --> 00:15:38.250 or any of that kind of stuff. You know, I did. 00:15:38.309 --> 00:15:42.049 I started I did start. at farmers markets. It 00:15:42.049 --> 00:15:44.490 is rough to go to a farmers market because honey 00:15:44.490 --> 00:15:47.649 is heavy. Honey is really heavy. And if you're 00:15:47.649 --> 00:15:49.950 not at a farmers market where you can park right 00:15:49.950 --> 00:15:52.490 there, like I've been to some where you're supposed 00:15:52.490 --> 00:15:55.789 to unload and then drive away. So I haven't needed 00:15:55.789 --> 00:15:59.149 to. I admit a pet peeve of mine is that it seems 00:15:59.149 --> 00:16:03.129 all beehives are white. Yeah, boring old white. 00:16:03.580 --> 00:16:06.779 And just when I get a pet peeve, Man Lake comes 00:16:06.779 --> 00:16:09.379 to the rescue with their new color collection. 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:13.139 The vibrant new line of colorful beekeeping hive 00:16:13.139 --> 00:16:17.000 kits designed to turn your backyard into a buzzing 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:20.600 work of art. 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You know 00:17:11.069 --> 00:17:13.049 like the conversation and so forth at the farmers 00:17:13.049 --> 00:17:17.410 market but it's a lot of work and I've sold out 00:17:17.410 --> 00:17:21.029 so usually I sell out so I don't need to yeah. 00:17:21.089 --> 00:17:23.549 A lot of work and a little bit of money and and 00:17:23.549 --> 00:17:25.890 like they say a pound of honey weighs two pounds. 00:17:26.630 --> 00:17:29.390 Yeah. I wanted to just finish up one thing on 00:17:29.390 --> 00:17:31.470 the swarms and that is so when you get a call 00:17:31.470 --> 00:17:33.940 and you go to their house Now, you were telling 00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:38.819 me you don't do cutouts. No. Tell me why. I don't 00:17:38.819 --> 00:17:41.559 have the carpentry skill. Yeah, I don't have 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:44.519 the skill to. to do the cutting and I definitely 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:47.099 don't have the skill to do the repair. And there 00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:49.759 are some, a couple of beekeepers locally. There's 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:53.579 a woman, Erin Stevens. She's fabulous. If I get 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:55.460 a call and I see that it needs a cutout, I'll 00:17:55.460 --> 00:17:58.180 call Erin. There's also, he's a big beekeeper. 00:17:58.259 --> 00:18:01.140 His name is Ryan Griffith. He's at Necker, Necker 00:18:01.140 --> 00:18:04.880 Farms. He might even be commercial. He does so 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:07.619 many cutouts. So there are people who are very 00:18:07.619 --> 00:18:10.079 good at that. I have heard of that place and 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:12.019 I'm trying to remember if he was on the show. 00:18:12.410 --> 00:18:16.069 Ryan Griffith, he's great. And with those cutouts, 00:18:16.430 --> 00:18:20.390 I know some beekeepers that they'll either do 00:18:20.390 --> 00:18:23.410 the cutout, but then they have a handyman that 00:18:23.410 --> 00:18:25.769 they work with that comes back and fixes everything, 00:18:26.150 --> 00:18:28.650 or the handyman will actually do the cutout with 00:18:28.650 --> 00:18:31.630 them. and then they'll do the removal handyman 00:18:31.630 --> 00:18:34.509 and come back and fix it. In some states you 00:18:34.509 --> 00:18:36.769 are not even allowed to fix it unless you're 00:18:36.769 --> 00:18:39.029 some kind of a licensed contractor. That kind 00:18:39.029 --> 00:18:42.569 of makes sense. Just letting everybody know there's 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:45.839 Make sure you know what you're doing as far as 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:49.339 those local laws and that kind of stuff because 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:52.400 somebody may think, oh, oh, he's just going to 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:55.599 make this little cut to get the bees out. But 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:59.000 the beehive might be this big. And the next thing 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:02.640 you know, you know, a three by six foot part 00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:05.680 of your wall is gone. And that's going to freak 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:09.289 out some people. So. I got a call last week from 00:19:09.289 --> 00:19:12.269 the, it's a little community theater in Waterbury 00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:14.890 and they thought that they had a swarm. They 00:19:14.890 --> 00:19:17.490 didn't, they sent me videos and I think a swarm 00:19:17.490 --> 00:19:19.750 probably landed there and there were some left 00:19:19.750 --> 00:19:22.250 behinds. But they had once before had a swarm 00:19:22.250 --> 00:19:26.089 that had gone, it was between the walls and their 00:19:26.089 --> 00:19:28.990 handyman cut it out and a beekeeper removed it 00:19:28.990 --> 00:19:33.079 and so I would do that. fellow, he was so, he 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:34.819 was so, they were so pleasant, the people at 00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:37.299 the theater. And if they end up with bees moving 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:40.019 in, if there's somebody who's going to cut, then, 00:19:40.019 --> 00:19:42.819 then I would be happy to. And also depending 00:19:42.819 --> 00:19:45.720 on where it is, I'll climb a ladder, but not, 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:48.759 you know, so high that it's, I can't be breaking 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:52.119 a hip. I'm going to be 65. I can't be breaking 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:56.119 a hip. Do you ever use for swarms way up in a 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:58.720 tree, one of those poles with a bucket on it? 00:19:58.740 --> 00:20:02.210 I made one. Yeah. Oh, good. I made one. I bought 00:20:02.210 --> 00:20:06.250 a pull saw. It was a pull saw retractable thing 00:20:06.250 --> 00:20:09.549 on Facebook. It was ancient. And the guy was 00:20:09.549 --> 00:20:11.470 worried if I knew how to use it. I said, I just 00:20:11.470 --> 00:20:13.369 need to know how to take this off because I'm 00:20:13.369 --> 00:20:15.890 attaching a five gallon bucket to it. So I've 00:20:15.890 --> 00:20:17.809 had that for three years. I drive around with 00:20:17.809 --> 00:20:21.250 it in my car and other swarm equipment. And I've 00:20:21.250 --> 00:20:25.069 not yet have gone high enough to use it. But 00:20:25.069 --> 00:20:27.650 I'm hoping for one this year. You will. You will. 00:20:27.650 --> 00:20:30.019 It'll happen. One of the reasons I wanted to 00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:31.660 have you on the show when we were chatting the 00:20:31.660 --> 00:20:35.900 other day is you said you've made so many mistakes 00:20:35.900 --> 00:20:40.039 and that is how we all learn. We're going to 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:42.619 talk about wild and crazy stories in a few minutes 00:20:42.619 --> 00:20:46.220 but give me an idea of a couple of mistakes that 00:20:46.220 --> 00:20:48.779 you've made that you learned a lot from and others 00:20:48.779 --> 00:20:51.609 that are listening can learn from. One early 00:20:51.609 --> 00:20:55.809 mistake, I had gotten my first, I bought a nuc 00:20:55.809 --> 00:20:59.470 actually, and I had one colony, I had gone to 00:20:59.470 --> 00:21:02.049 bee school in the winter, and now it was early 00:21:02.049 --> 00:21:05.369 spring, and I got a nuc, and I was having my 00:21:05.369 --> 00:21:09.950 yard fenced in, and the timing worked out that 00:21:09.950 --> 00:21:12.410 where I wanted to put the bees, Like they couldn't 00:21:12.410 --> 00:21:14.990 put the fence in and then I had learned in bee 00:21:14.990 --> 00:21:17.450 school that like don't move them more like three 00:21:17.450 --> 00:21:20.549 feet is the max. So I set up the hive and I put 00:21:20.549 --> 00:21:22.849 it in a wheelbarrow and then I moved it a little 00:21:22.849 --> 00:21:25.650 bit every day. And by the time I got those bees 00:21:25.650 --> 00:21:30.970 to where I wanted them, they were mad and aggressive. 00:21:31.449 --> 00:21:35.210 And it was not fun. So I was like, I'm not doing 00:21:35.210 --> 00:21:37.230 this. This is not a fun hobby. Why would anybody 00:21:37.230 --> 00:21:39.950 do this? I can't even step in my backyard. I'm 00:21:39.950 --> 00:21:42.730 getting stung in Connecticut. Maybe it's true 00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:44.630 elsewhere. You can't sell bees without having 00:21:44.630 --> 00:21:47.490 the bee inspector come. So I called the bee inspector. 00:21:47.609 --> 00:21:50.130 He's like, I don't want to do this. Come inspect. 00:21:50.490 --> 00:21:52.849 And he walks into my backyard. He's like, ah, 00:21:52.950 --> 00:21:54.650 is it always like this? I was like, yes, I don't 00:21:54.650 --> 00:21:56.650 want to do it. He's like, you need a new queen. 00:21:57.289 --> 00:22:00.440 Which I didn't know. And this is not. something 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:04.059 the B inspector typically does, but it was just 00:22:04.059 --> 00:22:08.099 a dumb luck circumstance that the experiment 00:22:08.099 --> 00:22:11.000 station is like two miles from me, and he had 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:13.119 an extra queen. And he went and got a queen, 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:17.920 and he replaced it, and I was good to go. I had 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:20.359 rattled them up, right? Like they had had an 00:22:20.359 --> 00:22:24.750 earthquake every day as I moved them. So that's 00:22:24.750 --> 00:22:28.970 a mistake I won't make again. And then I overwintered 00:22:28.970 --> 00:22:32.529 barely successfully. The queen was there, and 00:22:32.529 --> 00:22:35.529 they were alive, but the cluster was so small. 00:22:35.910 --> 00:22:41.329 So I started another package and wanted to balance 00:22:41.329 --> 00:22:43.910 them. So the new package, they start laying, 00:22:44.950 --> 00:22:48.269 and I knew that you should give eggs. I didn't 00:22:48.269 --> 00:22:52.599 know, and the nurse bees. So I thought like if 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:55.619 you put bees in a hive with a queen that isn't 00:22:55.619 --> 00:22:59.759 their queen, then it'll be war. I have this week 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:04.500 week hive. I'm supporting this new package and 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:09.339 I gave this fabulous frame of larvae and eggs 00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:12.059 like just the new queen had done magnificent 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:15.599 work and I put it in that overwintered and they 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.400 ate it all because they were you know I didn't 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:19.880 you don't know you don't know I didn't know I 00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:22.220 need to leave the nurse bees on never made that 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:27.839 mistake again although a story related related, 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:30.420 just like how nice the beekeeping community is. 00:23:30.660 --> 00:23:32.940 It's probably everywhere. It's really nice in 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.480 Connecticut. There are three bee clubs in Connecticut. 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:37.859 I belong to Connecticut Beekeepers Association. 00:23:38.420 --> 00:23:41.000 I can't begin to say enough good things about 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:44.099 the organization and the leadership. I had overwintered. 00:23:44.099 --> 00:23:47.099 They were barely alive. I had wasted the frame 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:49.640 of brood and larva by not putting in the nurse 00:23:49.640 --> 00:23:54.440 bees. I wanted to have survival. And I started 00:23:54.440 --> 00:23:56.460 calling beekeepers on the list saying, can I 00:23:56.460 --> 00:23:59.660 buy a frame from you? And this beekeeper in the 00:23:59.660 --> 00:24:01.640 next town, his name is Ray Sala. I don't think 00:24:01.640 --> 00:24:03.460 I've ever seen him again, but, you know, I see 00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:06.640 his name. He's like, oh, you're a new beekeeper. 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:09.200 I'll bring you a couple of frames. He brought 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:12.420 me frames of overwintered brood. And he gave 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:14.039 it to me. I mean, of course I offered to pay 00:24:14.039 --> 00:24:16.640 for it. He gave it to me. And that was my first 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:19.559 overwinter experience, which, you know. They 00:24:19.559 --> 00:24:23.680 didn't really survive. They wouldn't have. But 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:27.220 yeah. Beekeepers are the best people. Oh my gosh. 00:24:27.579 --> 00:24:31.160 Yeah. Yeah. The other bee clubs, besides the 00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:34.140 Beekeepers Association, there's, I think it's 00:24:34.140 --> 00:24:36.200 called Eastern Connecticut. The person who runs 00:24:36.200 --> 00:24:39.160 that is Adam Fuller. He is phenomenal. If you're 00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:41.599 looking for a guest, he's great. And have you 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:45.819 interviewed Bill Hesbeck yet? No. Bill Hasbeck, 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:49.339 he's the president of Connecticut Beekeepers 00:24:49.339 --> 00:24:53.660 Association, which is one I belong to, and he 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:59.220 does a lot of research. Actually, I use Bill's... 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:02.259 condensing hive. He's published a lot in Connecticut 00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:05.880 Bee Journal. I mean, American Bee Journal. He 00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:09.359 runs, it's called Bee Talks, the second or third 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:11.480 Thursday of the month. It used to be in person 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:13.579 before COVID. It was so much better in person. 00:25:13.940 --> 00:25:16.880 But, you know, it's been online since. But which, 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:19.279 you know, is accessible for more accessible for 00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:21.799 a lot of people. And then there's also backyard 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:25.640 beekeepers. I'm not as familiar with them. Connecticut 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:28.819 Beekeeper is quite a resource. fabulous resource. 00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:31.059 I'll have you send me their information later. 00:25:31.079 --> 00:25:33.940 I will. And hopefully everybody's excited about 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:35.799 hearing from those guests. I'll reach out to 00:25:35.799 --> 00:25:38.279 them. Thank you for the referral on that. Sure. 00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:41.799 All right. Every beekeeper has had some kind 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:45.140 of wild and crazy beekeeping story. I swear I 00:25:45.140 --> 00:25:48.119 have one every single time I'm out with the bees. 00:25:48.859 --> 00:25:51.440 So can you think of one or two that you want 00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:55.099 to share with us? The first year that I got honey, 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:58.720 which was probably my third year, I was aware 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:00.640 of, you know, how carefully I have to be about 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:04.119 robbing. And I took the frames out one by one, 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:06.359 took, you know, used smoke, used a brush, got 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:09.859 all the beads, like ran to the side porch, stacked 00:26:09.859 --> 00:26:15.640 them all up, like very meticulously, very carefully. 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:19.299 And then it was a few days. I had to work and 00:26:19.299 --> 00:26:21.759 it was a few days before I could extract. And 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:26.460 I was... so mindful of shutting that slider door. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:29.539 I have a dog, so I'd let the dog out, shut that 00:26:29.539 --> 00:26:33.720 slider door, and it was probably, I don't know, 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:36.680 maybe it was gonna be like four, it was four 00:26:36.680 --> 00:26:40.900 or five days that I am religiously shutting this 00:26:40.900 --> 00:26:44.819 slider door. So these frames of honey are actually 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:47.759 in part of the house. They're on the side porch 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:51.200 where the honey stand is. That's the porch. There's 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:53.440 a separate door that goes into the house. And 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:57.019 about how many frames? Easily 20, maybe. Oh, 00:26:57.220 --> 00:26:59.420 probably more. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was 00:26:59.420 --> 00:27:02.740 my fourth year. I had them in boxes and there 00:27:02.740 --> 00:27:05.839 were many boxes. All right. This all sounds so 00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:09.759 safe. No problem. I don't know where the crazy 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:14.039 part's going to come in. I went to a little family 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:17.359 event, came home. It was dark. I stepped onto 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:22.779 the porch with my dog. And it was like I was 00:27:22.779 --> 00:27:25.619 in another universe. I didn't know what was happening. 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:28.220 It was like a roar of an engine that was crunching 00:27:28.220 --> 00:27:31.420 under my feet. I'm reaching, trying to open the 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:34.460 house door. When I open the house door, I'd left 00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:39.200 the slider open. was mayhem. I mean, it was terrible 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:42.700 that the honey was gone, but like the number 00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:46.599 of dead bees, ugh. I mean, it was just a, it 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:49.819 was massive death. It was terrible. They were, 00:27:49.940 --> 00:27:52.839 you know, just, it took so long to clean up. 00:27:53.119 --> 00:27:54.839 They got in the house because when I came home, 00:27:54.839 --> 00:27:58.059 I opened the house door and they were all in 00:27:58.059 --> 00:27:59.880 the door because there was a light further in 00:27:59.880 --> 00:28:01.980 the house. So they're, you know, on the door 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:04.799 and I opened it into the house. It took a long 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:09.220 time to clean up. And then for days, these were 00:28:09.220 --> 00:28:12.940 just dive bombing the slider. Just dive bombing. 00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:16.059 Like we know that that honey is in there. Oh, 00:28:16.119 --> 00:28:18.279 gosh, that is a mistake. I don't think I'll make 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:21.480 again. Yeah, I have one kind of similar. This 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:23.759 is this is not a one up you in any way, shape 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:27.059 or form. The first time that I harvested honey 00:28:27.059 --> 00:28:31.660 was a little three frame crank extractor. Right. 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:35.440 And everything went smoothly. And when I was 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:39.099 done, I knew, oh, put the extractor outside, 00:28:39.220 --> 00:28:41.980 let the bees come clean it out. Oh, what a wonderful 00:28:41.980 --> 00:28:45.079 idea. I'm going to do that. And we have a large 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:48.180 front porch and I and it was, you know, end of 00:28:48.180 --> 00:28:51.500 a long day after extracting and stuff. So I I 00:28:51.500 --> 00:28:54.720 carry this out with the lid off and I take it 00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:56.599 out the front door and just set it right there 00:28:56.599 --> 00:29:00.599 on the front porch. And like tomorrow. You know, 00:29:00.839 --> 00:29:03.579 I'll come move it someplace, but didn't think 00:29:03.579 --> 00:29:08.980 anything of it. Well, tomorrow, yes, nobody could 00:29:08.980 --> 00:29:12.380 get near the front of our house at all. It was 00:29:12.380 --> 00:29:16.019 hilarious. I'm thinking, I've always wanted to 00:29:16.019 --> 00:29:22.619 keep the neighbors away. Anyway, so yes, in the 00:29:22.619 --> 00:29:25.180 middle of the night, the next night, I then took 00:29:25.180 --> 00:29:27.240 it out to the middle of the front lawn where 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:30.880 it was just fine. And we learned from those little 00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:35.220 lessons and everything's fine and it's okay. 00:29:35.940 --> 00:29:38.690 So for new beekeepers... Don't feel bad when 00:29:38.690 --> 00:29:42.049 you make a mistake. And sometimes we kill our 00:29:42.049 --> 00:29:44.309 bees and that feels horrible. Just make sure 00:29:44.309 --> 00:29:47.269 you learn something from it to help you be a 00:29:47.269 --> 00:29:49.730 better beekeeper in the future. Last question 00:29:49.730 --> 00:29:51.990 I have for you. You seem like someone that loves 00:29:51.990 --> 00:29:55.990 bees. I don't love bees. Tell me why. You know, 00:29:57.549 --> 00:30:03.049 I love bees. their democracy. I love Tom Seeley's 00:30:03.049 --> 00:30:05.369 book, Honey Bee Democracy. I love it so much. 00:30:05.869 --> 00:30:09.849 I love the biology. They're endlessly fascinating 00:30:09.849 --> 00:30:12.609 to watch. And then of course, you know, they're 00:30:12.609 --> 00:30:14.849 beautiful, especially when they have pollen pants. 00:30:14.970 --> 00:30:17.970 Pollen's so beautiful. And then we eat because 00:30:17.970 --> 00:30:22.170 of them. Yeah, I love them. And speaking of Tom 00:30:22.170 --> 00:30:24.509 Seeley, he's been on the show a couple of times 00:30:24.509 --> 00:30:28.750 I love that book and I love him. He is just the 00:30:28.750 --> 00:30:32.589 sweetest gentleman Yeah, for those that have 00:30:32.589 --> 00:30:35.210 had a chance to know him. You're you're lucky. 00:30:35.930 --> 00:30:38.269 It's not just his knowledge He's just really 00:30:38.269 --> 00:30:40.809 a good person. Yeah, I've enjoyed getting to 00:30:40.809 --> 00:30:42.349 know him anything else you want to share with 00:30:42.349 --> 00:30:44.970 us before I let you go This is probably just 00:30:44.970 --> 00:30:47.250 a broken record. I would say though. I talked 00:30:47.250 --> 00:30:49.460 about a lot about I mean, I have a lot of failures. 00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:51.660 I could talk about a lot more failures. But I 00:30:51.660 --> 00:30:56.380 have had really good overwintering success. Like 00:30:56.380 --> 00:31:00.640 last year and this year both, I had 100 % survival. 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:04.740 I treat for mites. I am on top of the mites. 00:31:04.859 --> 00:31:09.059 And I think that often beekeepers will... Like, 00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:10.980 they don't know that they should go to bee school. 00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:13.799 They see, like, the Flow Hive commercials and 00:31:13.799 --> 00:31:15.740 think, oh, I just put this box in my yard. That's 00:31:15.740 --> 00:31:17.880 all there is to it. And then their bees die and 00:31:17.880 --> 00:31:20.140 they're sad and they find bee school. I don't 00:31:20.140 --> 00:31:22.599 know, my number one piece of advice is just you 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:24.539 have to treat for mites. I mean, if you're living 00:31:24.539 --> 00:31:28.460 in a place where your bees aren't going to interact 00:31:28.460 --> 00:31:30.960 with other bees and so you think you want to 00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:35.210 sort of get the evolution of... you know, you'll 00:31:35.210 --> 00:31:36.809 have a lot of die off and then they'll be more 00:31:36.809 --> 00:31:38.750 mite resistant. But if you're living in a place 00:31:38.750 --> 00:31:41.589 like Connecticut, it's not just your decision. 00:31:41.950 --> 00:31:43.549 There's everybody else's bees they're going to 00:31:43.549 --> 00:31:47.710 interact with. So treat the mites. So you don't 00:31:47.710 --> 00:31:50.309 do anything special as far as wrapping your hive 00:31:50.309 --> 00:31:53.470 or insulating? I do. Yeah, what else do you do? 00:31:53.930 --> 00:31:57.250 I use, so Bill Hesbeck published a number of 00:31:57.250 --> 00:32:00.549 years ago in American Bee Journal, condensing 00:32:00.549 --> 00:32:05.150 hives. I never have upper ventilation. All year 00:32:05.150 --> 00:32:10.650 round, my inner cover doesn't have a notch. And 00:32:10.650 --> 00:32:13.789 I have a piece of faux insulation and then the 00:32:13.789 --> 00:32:16.470 outer cover. So I have that all year round. In 00:32:16.470 --> 00:32:20.630 the winter, I have that condensing hive that 00:32:20.630 --> 00:32:24.269 Bill Hesbeck published about. Also includes, 00:32:24.609 --> 00:32:29.309 it's like a sleeve. It's a box that's basically 00:32:29.309 --> 00:32:32.680 four sides of insulation that sits. right over 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:35.740 the hive, and then the outer cover is much bigger 00:32:35.740 --> 00:32:40.339 and insulated. So I have a number of those, but 00:32:40.339 --> 00:32:43.640 I don't have enough for all of them, and really 00:32:43.640 --> 00:32:47.140 I've had the same survival with the sleeve and 00:32:47.140 --> 00:32:50.859 without the sleeve. I put the sleeve on my row 00:32:50.859 --> 00:32:54.140 that doesn't get as much morning sun. There's 00:32:54.140 --> 00:32:55.720 another row that gets more sun, so they're the 00:32:55.720 --> 00:32:58.259 ones that don't get the sleeve. But I think not 00:32:58.259 --> 00:33:01.299 having ventilation. Bees in a bee tree don't 00:33:01.299 --> 00:33:03.900 make an upper entrance, right? You know, if you 00:33:03.900 --> 00:33:06.079 ask five beekeepers you get six different opinions, 00:33:06.160 --> 00:33:09.940 but no ventilation on the top ever for me. That 00:33:09.940 --> 00:33:12.559 is such a crazy thing. I've talked to so many 00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:15.480 experts on both sides of the equation on that 00:33:15.480 --> 00:33:20.180 one, so my recommendation is for people try it 00:33:20.180 --> 00:33:22.619 one way, try it another way, see what works for 00:33:22.619 --> 00:33:25.900 you, because what works for you may not work 00:33:25.900 --> 00:33:31.140 for me and And I know, I totally get it, but 00:33:31.140 --> 00:33:34.660 making sure you don't have a bad mite load going 00:33:34.660 --> 00:33:38.259 into fall, that is a universal principle. Yep. 00:33:38.519 --> 00:33:41.099 Now what you use to take care of that, we're 00:33:41.099 --> 00:33:43.240 not going to tell you what to do. There's a lot 00:33:43.240 --> 00:33:45.599 of different things. And I'm just going to add 00:33:45.599 --> 00:33:50.039 to that. Don't wait till Halloween to say, oh, 00:33:50.460 --> 00:33:53.400 I'm too late. I'm going to test for mites and 00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:55.619 I'll throw a treatment in there if it needs it. 00:33:56.099 --> 00:34:00.470 What did you just say? Too late. Too late. When 00:34:00.470 --> 00:34:02.829 do you need to be on top of them? I mean, all 00:34:02.829 --> 00:34:04.670 year. You need to be on top of them all year. 00:34:04.890 --> 00:34:07.450 But August, that's when you're really starting 00:34:07.450 --> 00:34:10.429 to think about the winter bees. But all year. 00:34:10.849 --> 00:34:13.650 Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure Bill would like to talk 00:34:13.650 --> 00:34:16.690 to you about the condensing hive. Should look 00:34:16.690 --> 00:34:19.170 at his article. I'll talk to Bill. Lauren, you've 00:34:19.170 --> 00:34:21.449 been awesome. Thank you for joining me today. 00:34:21.670 --> 00:34:24.429 And please keep in touch. Thank you so much. 00:34:24.469 --> 00:34:29.829 It was really a pleasure talking with you. Thanks 00:34:29.829 --> 00:34:32.670 again for joining us on Be Love, Be Keeping presented 00:34:32.670 --> 00:34:35.829 by Man Lake. Another big thank you goes to Vita 00:34:35.829 --> 00:34:39.050 B Health for their support. Vita's Varroa Control 00:34:39.050 --> 00:34:42.650 Ranger products includes Epistan, Epigard, and 00:34:42.650 --> 00:34:46.829 now Varroxan Extended Release Oxalic Acids Trips. 00:34:47.070 --> 00:34:49.349 Hey thanks a lot guys. And if you haven't yet, 00:34:49.690 --> 00:34:52.010 please subscribe to and follow the show, tell 00:34:52.010 --> 00:34:54.769 your friends about it, and click on over to BeLoveBeKeeping 00:34:54.769 --> 00:34:58.469 .com to sign up for our free newsletter. If you 00:34:58.469 --> 00:35:01.369 have a guest suggestion, or topic you'd like 00:35:01.369 --> 00:35:04.170 discussed on the show, shoot me an email, eric 00:35:04.170 --> 00:35:07.050 at be love beekeeping dot com. And remember, 00:35:07.150 --> 00:35:09.730 if you're not just in it for the honey or the 00:35:09.730 --> 00:35:12.349 money, you're in it for the love. See you next 00:35:12.349 --> 00:35:12.750 week.