64 entries.
Greetings from Albuquerque NM! I'm a big fan !!!!
Hello Kevin. I am really looking forward to your follow up poly episode. I am considering year round hives in the Paradise Bee Box 6 frames, but I prefer medium size for their weight. One issue with these poly boxes in medium is that they do not have the bottom plastic profile. I have contacted Paradise and they have no plans to add them at this time but said they would pass my request on to the design team.
My name is Carlos,
I would like to thank you for all the great advice. I listen to your Podcast daily.
I’m a new beekeeper, I got a top bar hive from a coworker. The hive needs lots of attention.
With lots of care and your invaluable Beekeeper's Corner recommendations, I will try my best so my bees will make it through the winter.
Best regards from a big fan of yours!
Carlos Lopez
Kevin,
We miss your podcasts! How are you doing? How are your bees? Here in Colorado bees are overwintering. Sporadic temps mean we've seen some recent flights, and had opportunities for oxalic vap treatments. I hope all is well and you are not too overwhelmed by work, etc. to keep at the podcasting thing. I keep waiting for the episode where you interview Huey about his new found love of beekeeping, now that he can't sing so much. Keep pushing out podcasts, we love them! Don't worry about over producing them, just post! Even a two beekeepers at a bar episode, in fact, those are some of my favorite! More Bob Kloss! More Landi Simone! I really enjoyed your To Treat or Not to Treat presentations, too. You have also been a huge inspiration to me, motivating me to enter my state's Master Beekeeping program(congrats, by the way), and experiment with different form factors, particularly for those with bad backs. This spring I plan on building a Warre' and coffin hive, to add to the experiences. I hope the mentoring program is going well. It was quite the aspiration, relying heavily on those experienced beekeepers in the club. As a member of my club(Mile Hive Bee Club) for about six years, I noticed the make-up is mostly newbees, with a few veterans. I hope your program can be successful and sustainable. Newbees need the support, even if they don't always realize it. Keep us updated!
Thanks again for all you do.
Bryan Zavada
Lakewood, CO
OUTSTANDING work on episode 161, "To Treat or Not to Treat." You took a complex topic and explored it fully and clearly tried to represent it from all sides. You asked many questions I often wonder about such as "where is the data on treatment free beekeeping?" and "Can you show sustained success over several seasons?" and "What is the implementation path to get to treatment free?" Your 5 points (good bees, isolation, good food...) I have all of those so I AM one of the lucky ones you speak about. And then... I could hardly believe it... you explained what the treatment free crowd never has been able to explain... how we can begin to approach treatment free. Thanks to YOU (a treatment guy) I feel I finally have the answer to how I can start to move to treatment free over time. Terrific job and good for you sticking your neck into this hotly contested debate. Wonderful job and thank you!
Re: Show 161 (Treatment Free). I think you did a very nice job at presenting the treatment free thoughts. Very unbiased. I like that you explained different degrees of treatment free, while covering the subject in depth. I consider myself "harsh chemical-free" not really treatment free but I do maintain a lot of that philosophy. Thank you for such a nice podcast. I look forward to each episode.
Regarding episode 155 (Puddle Swarm):
I caught a dry "puddle" swarm a few years ago. I poked my finger into the swarm looking for the queen. Somehow, I found her in less than a minute and put her in a cage. I put the cage on the top bar of a frame in a nuc. Her daughters promptly marched/flew into the nuc. My guess is that the ol' lady was too tired/heavy fly and settled onto the ground with her entourage following.
I suspect that the queen in your puddle warm did the same thing.
BTW, that queen worked out great, producing tons of very gentle and productive daughters.
Hey Kevin, I’m a backyard beekeeper in iowa with 4 hives. One hive is from Russian stock, 2 are Italian and one is a “mutt”. I have really appreciated all your effort to put out the podcasts. I’ve listened to most all of them and picked up lots of tips and learned things I haven’t came across any other place. Thanks for all you do! Stephanie
Hey Kevin,
I found your podcast when I was visiting my dads family in Newton, NJ and I have been hooked ever since. Thanks for all the hard work you do producing these episodes. My favorite episode is still when you and Bob were drinking beer hanging out in the bee yard watching the bees.
Kevin I finally listened in to your pod cast-after my friend told me about your review of the EAS class on wax. First off, thanks so much for your efforts with this podcast and all the organization around it! I was so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the wax class. It was part of a special day I organized on Excellence in Honey and Hive Products and in fact, Bob will be teaching a workshop in a few weeks up here with live demonstrations and actual candle making. I did want to share that he does in fact use metal molds too- the taper metal molds and he uses a special tool to carve out the bottom. Take care and best of luck in beekeeping.
Kevin,
Finished listening to episode 129 for the third time , getting ready for # 4 . Thank you for your time and talent.
Sincerely ,
Tom
Hi Kevin! I've been listening for quite some time and I enjoy having you as my 'mentor' of sorts. Your knowledge doesn't go to waste! I am located in central ontario where the weather is still below freezing. The bees fly on the rare warmer day but they should be coming out more soon. You asked about how we keep our bees warm in the winter and I use a product called a Hive Cozy. Its basically fibreglass insulation wrapped in uv treated thick black plastic. It works great to keep the heat inside. Keep up the amazing work!
Julie
Kevin, It was good to meet you at EAS last year. If you need I have the MB tests back to 2014. You most likely have them back farther than that as this is my first year beekeeping. Also, was told by a MB that the book "The Classroom" by Jerry Hayes is one that folks use to study for the MB exam. Best of luck.
Hello Kevin, Thank you for your videos and podcasts, I enjoy them very much. I'm also impressed with your organizational involvement within your region. Very inspiring!
After listening to #123(?) in particular comments about Mr. Parker presentation density of keepers in your/and his area and about your schedule to super in April intrigued me. I would never think to super in April, it can be our snowiest month. My bumper flow is always (and only) linden in late June and early July from nearby 70's suburban neighborhoods. Although a few miles away beekeepers have totally different flows. I was hoping you could go into your local bloom cycle/nectar periods.
With so many(?) area beekeepers you must have a long nectar season? Or great flows? Thanks it will be interesting to learn of your local.
Kevin,
I can't express how much I appreciate the time and effort that you put into your podcasts. I started beekeeping in 2012, which I think is about when you started your podcasts, and I have listened to all of them over the years. It's always a treat when I see a new podcast on my I-phone and I will listen to it at the next opportunity while traveling in my car with my work. Listening today I enjoyed hearing about your discovery of a surviving cluster in a hive that was not flying like the others on a recent warm day. I have six hives that I am trying to get through the winter, but only five of them were flying during the few 50 degree days we have had since the hard freeze over the holidays. We had a couple of 60 degree days last week and on the second 60 degree day the sixth hive was flying like the rest of them. I was assuming that that hive was killed by the cold and thought this activity was probably just the other hives robbing it out, but your story has given me some hope that that hive was just on a different schedule for breaking cluster for some reason. We'll see come Spring when I can do an inspection. Keep up the good work.
Hi from North Wales.
I’ve just found these podcasts after seeing the video editions you did on the NWNJBA YouTube site and am finding them very interesting and they provide great listening.
I’m only up to the podcast number 10 now so I’ve got plenty to get on with.
I’m a beekeeper in North Wales and have between 8 to 14 hives at my home apiary which is high on the side of a valley. I keep local Welsh bees which are a very old breed of black bees which was thought to have died out here in the UK back in the 50’s but being secluded, and with much work by local beekeepers who only promote local stock and not imported Bees, we have now managed to get a good bloodline going and the numbers of Welsh Black bees are growing in this area.
They are unique in that they regularly fly in cold ( down to 3 degrees celcious ) and damp weather and even if it’s raining very hard they still go out to fly. They require and use very little stores when over wintering, they produce a lovely traditional/ classic brood frame in the shape of a rainbow with a arch shaped layer of pollen above the brood and then a arch shaped layer of honey above the pollen. They are skitty on the frame and very quick movers compared to Italian types and can be a little aggressive at times but we get very few issues when over wintering as they are very local bees and well acclimatized.
Perhaps I’ll email you pictures of them sometime.
Keep up the great work Kevin
Nick.
Kevin:
I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your podcast and complement you on the professional quality of your podcast and show notes. Very impressive.
I am new to beekeeping and scoured the internet and you tube for information as well as joining the local beekeeping club. On day I thought, I wonder if there are any beekeeping podcast and found the Beekeeper’s Corner podcast. Episode 112 was the first one I listened to and immediate recognized your voice as that beekeeper that stays so calm even when he got stung (I guess that really impressed me on one of the videos). Anyway, early in episode 112 you mentioned that you were not going to worry so much about what people say (negative comments) but do things with a smile. That really impressed me, and I subscribed to your podcast.
Recently, in Episode 122, you discussed the NJ DOA Regulations and how you have held off on commenting on the regulations as your comments were a bit on the negative side. I know in my own case whenever I am a bit mad and send out an email or call someone – the results never work out as I expected. So, I complement you on pulling back and reconsidering. As you said in episode 112, find a way to say it with a smile. Keep gathering your comments with other beekeepers and regular folks and pushing back- at least in the US we still have a voice and can provide input into government regulations.
Now I thought I would continue to attempt to get a chuckle from you. It relates to a bit of trivia about your podcast. Specifically, which channel did you initially record your podcast in. So my story goes:
I liked you podcast so much, I decided to listen to them all starting at episode 1. I often wake up around 2-3 am and I sometimes listen to podcast while I try to fall back asleep. So, I decided I would start listening to your early podcast at that time. Two more details- I sleep on my side so I have only one ear plug in (the upper ear) depending on which side I am lying on and secondly the wireless receptions in the bedroom is slow. So, the first night all went well and I listened to episode 1 (lots more music than recent episodes). The next night I tried to listen to episode 2 but kept waiting for the episode to load. I never heard anything before I finally fell asleep. But in the morning, I noticed the IPOD said episode 2 would be deleted (as it had played). That’s strange I thought, but I listened to it the subsequent night. And so, it went- sometimes I heard the podcast, sometimes I didn’t and would retry. It wasn’t until episode 14 at the end you mentioned the earlier podcast were only recorded on one channel. The LEFT channel! So, I only heard it if I was laying on my right side with my left ear up. If I slept on my left side with the right channel earplug in, I never heard it. Well I thought that was funny and I hope you do too. Thanks for now using both the right and left channels!
In closing, thanks for the podcast I really enjoy them and look forward to each new one. It is truly impressive that you have continued so long. Looking forward to episode 123!
Kevin-
I really enjoy listening to your podcast. This year was my first year keeping bees. I wasn't too successful. My bees absconded a couple weeks ago but I learned a ton and look forward to giving it another try next season. I look forward to what you are doing and pull tons of good information out of your podcasts. Thank you for everything you do.
Itunes on my 4g ipod goes from episode 97 to 113 ? Though you should know. v6.1.6 Not sure if it's just due to an older ipod and iOS or what. Thank you for this podcast. It's my favorite beekeeping podcast I've found.
Hi Kevin,
Regarding the Homasote fibre board that you talk about in episode 119 for the moisture board, this is a US brand which doesn't seem to be available here, but in the UK we have something similar made from recycled newspapers made by a firm called Sundeala.
Its commonly used for noticeboards in schools, etc. and is available untreated (which I guess would be good for the bees) or fire-retardant (probably not so good for the bees)... The website for the UK listeners is: www.sundeala.co.uk
Bee good!
Patrick.