Beekeepers Corner Guestbook – The Beekeeper's Corner

Bryan Zavada from Lakewood wrote on January 7, 2020 at 1:41 am:

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

Theresa Martin from Williamsburg, KY wrote on November 8, 2019 at 1:59 am:

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!

Cynde (Dead Lakes Apiary) from Wewahitchka wrote on October 23, 2019 at 7:30 pm:

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.

Blaine Nay from Cedar City, Utah wrote on May 13, 2019 at 10:25 pm:

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.

Stephanie Weeks from Maquoketa wrote on May 12, 2019 at 7:23 pm:

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

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

Thanks Stephanie for stopping by and for your appreciation of the effort. Interested in learning if the Russian bees show differences and wish you the best with that. Kevin

David Carmody from Roseville, CA wrote on March 9, 2019 at 3:29 am:

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.

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

Thanks for writing in. I am familiar with Newton NJ, love that area of the state. Glad you enjoy the program and appreciate that you took the time to write a note.

Karla E from Virginia wrote on February 9, 2019 at 3:51 pm:

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.

Tom Lewis from Wichita wrote on April 12, 2018 at 1:30 am:

Kevin, Finished listening to episode 129 for the third time , getting ready for # 4 . Thank you for your time and talent. Sincerely , Tom

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

Thanks for stopping by... glad you are appreciating the effort. Kevin

julie price from bala, ontario, canada wrote on April 11, 2018 at 10:10 pm:

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

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

H Julie. Thanks for checking in. I think my neighbor down the road uses Hive Cozy wraps or something like them. Hope warmer weather is around the corner for you. Nothing like spring 😉

Russell Sprangel from Westminster wrote on January 29, 2018 at 6:09 pm:

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.

Fabian Weber from Boulder, Co wrote on January 28, 2018 at 8:41 pm:

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.

Chuck Edmiston from Rushville, IL wrote on January 24, 2018 at 4:40 am:

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.

Nick Farrow from Caernarfon, North Wales, UK wrote on January 21, 2018 at 11:51 pm:

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.

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

Nick - thanks for the entry. The bees you are working with sound really interesting. Glad you took the time to touch base and keep us posted. If you want to send something along, send it to kevin@bkcorner.org.

James Novotney from Poulsbo wrote on January 16, 2018 at 6:07 am:

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!

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

Love the message. That's a great story - the single channel discovery. THanks for taking the time to check in and yes, even with the latest episode you will find that I am still trying to keep bees with a smile. Listening at 2am in the morning, I think that is a first.... 🙂

Dan Demers from Bethlehem, CT wrote on November 30, 2017 at 8:13 pm:

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.

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

Bummer Dan that the bees absconded. Sorry to hear of your luck. Glad you are looking to try again and wish you the best. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note.

Justin Shiffler from Pottstown wrote on November 13, 2017 at 1:56 pm:

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.

Patrick Maloney from Shrewsbury wrote on November 9, 2017 at 1:42 pm:

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.

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

Thanks Patrick for the information. I've made a note of what you shared. While winter is almost over, It think it is still a good snippet of information to pass along.

Patrick Maloney from Shrewsbury, England. wrote on November 9, 2017 at 12:52 pm:

Hi Kevin, Greetings from across the water! Thanks for the Podcast... I came across it after recommendation form the guys at Beehive Jive, and it keeps me entertained on the long commute to and from work. I'm slowly working my way through them after listening to the last few since September and now going back further in time... I'm new to the beekeeping game and am doing as much research and reading as possible through the winter in anticipation of a beginners course in the spring, with my local group (shout out to the Shropshire BKA!!). My plan is to start with a nuc that I'll re-home into a British Standard National hive on shallow frames as these are the most commonly used here. I have a big garden (yard?) that I think will comfortably hold a couple of colonies without causing too many issues, so, if I can expand to two or three that will be ideal I think. Any time you're in the UK, feel free to pop in for a cup of tea! Regards, Patrick Maloney.

Troy Garner from St Louis, MO wrote on October 30, 2017 at 12:58 pm:

Kevin - I listen to your podcast regularly. I saw this article and thought I would pass it along. I thought you might have interest in it. https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46188647&nid=1012&title=usu-professor-hopes-robotic-hives-will-help-honeybees

Admin Reply by: bkcorner

Thanks for the article share. I'm going to check it out and add it for a future call out.

Jennifer G from Cape Elizabeth, ME wrote on October 3, 2017 at 12:59 pm:

Hi Kevin! Love your podcast! Going to follow your lead and try treating my son's warts with propolis. (warty)Fingers crossed! This week, I've started stinging my left knee for arthritis - hurts at first, but 1/2 hour later my knee feels great. Time will tell. Thanks for all the work you do -

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