The Hive Jive - Beekeeping Podcast

099 - Propolis with Tara Chapman

This week the guys are joined by Tara Chapman of Two Hives Honey to discuss the uses of propolis.  Most beekeepers have a love-hate relationship with this dark sticky substance as it gets on everything and it does not ever seem to come back off.  Despite being a sticky pain for some beekeepers, hopefully we all realize the great importance that it plays in the lives of the bees and how it helps to create and maintain a healthy hive.  However, what can we as beekeepers do with this substance once we scrape a ball out of the hive during a routine inspection?  Well tune in now as Tara walks us through some of the wonderous possibilities that propolis can hold for an industrious beekeeper.

098 - Nucs as Resource Hives

Sometimes you might find yourself in a situation where you might need to do a split, but you don’t really want to increase your total number of full-sized colonies.  Or, perhaps you often find yourself where a few of your colonies always seem to need a boost.  Well, this is where the beauty of creating a Nuc as a resource hive can come in handy.  Tune in now as the guys discuss these concepts, as well as a high level overview of double screened boards and Snelgrove boards and how they can be used in processes like these. 

097 - Missing in Action

It is the first episode of April and Ken seems to be missing in action.  Could it be a delayed April Fool’s day joke?  John does a quick recap of the topics from the first part of this year, and touches on the key aspects to be focused on as Spring unfolds.  Plus, its time for our second Natural Beekeeping corner and Nathalie breaks down the concepts of the Integrated Pest Management process, or IPM for short.  Tune in now!

096 - The Protein of it All

Spring is finally starting to show its beautiful face, despite the calendar stating it should have started a few weeks ago now.  The flowers are finally starting to bloom, albeit not in the quantities that Central Texas has seen in Springs of the past few years.  But at least the blooms are coming, and the bees are happily bringing in natural pollen once again.  This sparks an unplanned conversation about some of the differences between the artificial pollen substitutes and natural pollen when it comes to the actual protein count of each.  The guys also discuss pre and pro biotics that would be found naturally occurring on pollen from flowers vs the substitutes, as well as a brief touch on building big strong colonies for honey production verses splitting to make more hives. Plus, it is time for another segment of Ken’s Cooking Corner.  Tune in now to learn more!

095 - Long Distance Beekeeping

Ken is making plans to finally move some of his Langstroth colonies to his property located several counties away from his home apiary.  But, since beekeeping is typically a weekly event at this time of year, how does one go about trying to manage a growing colony when you are several hours away and likely will not see your colonies but maybe once a month?  John and Ken talk through some of the initial concepts to plan for such an adventure.  The guys also discuss how to re-wax the plastic core foundation in an effort to get the bees to fully draw out comb on the plastic, as well as the potential effects of a prolonged La Nina weather pattern.

094 - Hives for Heroes 2021

Today the guys are joined again by Steve Jimenez with Hives for Heroes to discuss all of the amazing progress the organization has made over the last year.  Hives for Heroes exists to help empower veterans thru beekeeping and they have managed to grow their organization to now represent all 50 of the United States in North America.  This is quite the impressive feat and a massive influx of growth since we last talked with them.  Tune in now to hear more about the program and see how you can help do your part to save the bees while saving a life!

093 - The Game of Drones

This might surprise you, but the answer to all of your questions is Drones.  Yep!  You might not have even know that you were asking a question, but the answer is still Drones.  Drones are the key to a lot of crucial decisions both for a colony and a beekeeper this time of year.  But how do you know when you have a sufficient number of drones to start making those decisions?  Well, get our your calculators and calendars because we are about to enter the game of drones.

092 - Spring Mechinations

Spring is approaching for some sooner rather than others, and they guys are scheming and plotting what their first moves should be coming out of this winter.  However, what are some of the things to consider before you start taking any actual actions with your colonies?  Tune now to find out… Plus, its time for the first segment of our Natural Beekeeping Corner with Nathalie B!

091 - After the Freeze

The guys poke their heads out for the first time after the historic winter blast that nearly crippled Texas.  Did all their colonies survive?  Only time will tell as the ice and snow begins to melt and the guys are able to finally get out and do some initial evaluations to see what possible losses they might be facing.  Plus, its time for Ken’s first Cooking Corner segment!

090 - Polar Vortex

Though most of the northern U.S. has already been in the grips of winter for a while, a Polar Vortex has plunged everyone into a deep freeze unlike anything those of us in the far south have experienced in over a decade.  What does this mean for our bees?  Does this type of weather phenomenon affect all colonies across the country the same, or is there more to it than just the drop in temperatures?  Tune in now to learn more about this subject and more!