The Hive Jive - Beekeeping Podcast

BC - Selecting for the Wrong Things

John starts off today's beekeeper chat with a rant about certain people being selected to represent beekeepers on a world stage.  Oddly enough, this does somehow transition over into discussions about how selecting for the wrong things in our beekeeping practices can cause unintended consequences, even when we think we are doing it for the right reasons.  Tune in now to learn more!

(Original Air Date: March 2nd, 2022)

BC - Off with her Head

Is killing your queen and replacing her really the answer to all beekeeping issues?  Hopefully you know the answer to that is a resounding NO.  But, just in case you are curious when might be a good time to pinch your queen, and when you should leave her to rule in peace, Nathalie and John tackle some scenarios that help you develop your own beekeeping intuition based on other evidence that the colony might be presenting, or is found in your surroundings.  Tune in now to learn more!

(Original Air Date: Feb 23rd, 2022)

BC - Bias in Beekeeping

In this beekeepers chat, Nathalie and John expand on the concepts of Bias in Beekeeping that were touched on in the main segment episode titled “NBC pt 10 – James Lee.” What other ways does bias show up and how does it affect our own practices and our views of others? Tune in now to learn more…

(Original Air Date: Feb 9th, 2022)

BC - Bottled Beekeeping

For this beekeeper chat, Natalie and John tackle the concept of keeping bees in plastic bottles as shown on a popular YouTube video.  Did their heads spin in circles and explode as they watched the video? Perhaps initially.  But... after watching the full video can they find some redeeming aspects to what they see?  Tune in now to find out more...

BC - Nutraceutical Values of Honey

For today's beekeeper chat, John attempts to read (and fails several times) a research article on the nutraceutical values of honey that Nathalie brought to his attention.  The pair discuss points of interest that they each found of value in the published research paper, and touch on a couple of questions they might have about some of the research and its potential meaning.

BC - Selective Egg Size by Queen

In this week’s beekeeper chat, John and Nathalie discuss a 2019 research article that indicates queen bees not only have control over fertilization of eggs, but also can influence the egg size as well. The initial findings from this research show that eggs laid in queen cells were actually larger and weighed more than eggs laid in worker cells. Could this tie back in to the concept of a royal genetic code or bloodline? Tune in now to hear more!

BC - Space and Storage Management

In today’s beekeeper chat, John and Nathalie talk about the aspects of storage and space management and how it relates to both the type of hives you keep, as well as your own management practices. Can space management also equate to better time management? Tune in now to learn more!

(Original Air Date: Dec 22, 2021)

BC - Honey Bee and Colony Immunity

In this latest edition of the Beekeeper Chats, John and Nathalie discuss the difference between individual bee immunity vs colony immunity and how these two aspects work together to help ensure the survival of the entire superorganism.

(Original Air Date: Dec 8th, 2021)

BC - Bee Centric Beekeeping

What would beekeeping look like if it were done more from the perspective of the bee's natural preferences?  That is the concept of bee-centric beekeeping, where as many aspects as possible are lined up more in favor of what is best for the bee and not necessarily geared toward the convenience of the beekeeper.  Tune in now to learn more!

(Original Air Date: Nov 25, 2021)

BC - Treatment Free vs Vaccines and Immune Boosters

Based on a comment from a listener, today’s episode focuses on the ideals of treatment free beekeeping and whether or not those ideals can cross lines over into areas such as Anti-Vaccine. Though one might like to draw a parallel between the two subjects, they are actually very much perpendicular to one another and cannot be fairly compared. Is treating your bees the same as giving a human a life saving vaccine or immune boosting shot? Tune in now to hear our opinions on this matter.

(Original Air Date: Nov 17th, 2021)