Shows / Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
The weekly podcast exploring the joys, challenges, and curiosities of keeping honey bees. Hosted by Dr. Jim Tew and produced by Jeff Ott, Honey Bee Obscura delivers short, focused conversations that dive into the details of beekeeping—from practical how-tos to quirky observations. Perfect for learning something new on the way to the apiary, at home, or wherever your bees take you.
Episodes
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Swarm Traps aka Bait Hives (066)
In today's episode, Jim Tew and Jeff Ott (who's stepping in this week for Kim Flottum) discuss their experiences using swarm traps - sometimes called "bait…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
More Listener Questions (065)
This week, Beekeeping Today Podcast's co-host, Jeff Ott sits in for Kim Flottum and joins podcast regular, Jim Tew to answer listener questions. Kim and Jim…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Mind Your Bees Wax (064)
So, what do you do with your old wax? For some of us, as little as possible, but for others, there's money to be made. There are different kinds of wax based…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Dealing With Old Equipment (063)
What can you do with all that old beekeeping equipment you don't need, don't want and is in the way most of the time? There are several ways to look at this…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Make Money with Honey Bees! (062)
In today's episode, Kim and Jim discuss making money with honey bees. Almost every beekeeper has had someone (usually a spouse…) say, "I thought you were going…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Raising Non-Graft Queens (061)
A good rule when raising a few queens is to keep it simple. And not having to graft larvae from one cell to another is as simple as could be. So, how can that…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Late Winter Colony Management (060)
It's early February and it's winter. But winter in northern Ohio is a lot different than winter in the south, where bees are flying, foraging and raising…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Going Big Time - Large Observation Hives (059)
Managing large observation hives is very different than working with those small observation hives that you can take to a school or county fair. Very different…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Let's Discuss Small Observation Hives (058)
Small, portable, usually single frame observation hives are ideal for meetings, demonstrations, lectures and even for study. They can be homemade or produced…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Bee Beards - Part 2 (057)
In today's episode, Kim and Jim continue their exploration of Bee Beards… though this time… they go big… really big bee beards you see in the movies, where…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Bee Beards - Part 1 (056)
Really? You want to do a bee beard? OK, let's think this through. How much do you know about bees and bee beards, and why do you want to make a bee beard…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Flower Garden Site Prep (055)
Jim has finally figured out where he wants his flowers to be next spring, so what's next is getting those sites ready to plant, so that what he plants does the…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
New Year - New Equipment... Assembly Required? (054)
You can buy all of your beekeeping equipment already assembled and if wooden boxes, already painted. They cost more than if you do it yourself, but you don't…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Planning your Gardens for Bees (053)
Jim has finally taken to heart the old saying, "Plant a flower - Feed a bee" and wants to add some plants to his yard that will not only feed bees, but add…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Considering the Bee Culture December Issue (052)
The December, 2021 issue of Bee Culture magazine arrived this month. In this episode, Kim and Jim look at this special issue and discuss why it's special every…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Considering Packages or Nucs for the Spring (051)
Will it be packages of nucs next spring? It's only December, how do I know what I'll want, and, if any, how many I'll want? Getting nucs or packages in the…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
New Swarms On Deadout Comb? (050)
Can You Put New Swarms on Old Comb? You've caught your first swarm. Where should it go? You don't have any new equipment to put it on, but you have an…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Artificial Honeycomb (049)
Back about 100 years ago, there was so much adulterated honey for sale that people were reluctant to buy it at all. Comb honey was seen as being different…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
What's That Smell - Part 2: The Good (048)
Bees, honey, smoker smoke, and lots more all have their own aroma. Beekeeping is rich in its own smells. Most are fragrant, rich and a delight to work with…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
What's That Smell? - Part 1: The Bad (047)
Bees, honey, smoker smoke, and lots more all have their own aroma. Beekeeping is rich in its own smells. Most are fragrant, rich and a delight to work with…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Small-Scale Pollination Contracts (046)
At some point, whether by design or accident, many beekeepers consider expanding into pollination for hire with their bees. What does that mean and what does…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Bottom Boards (045)
Every kind of hive has some kind of bottom board. Typically, Langstroth type hives have a bottom board that is removable. Many are reversible, too. That is one…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Preparing for Winter (044)
If you are comfortable outside on Christmas Day, you probably don't have to worry about wrapping your colonies for winter protection. Otherwise, this episode…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Beekeeper Waxing & Waning (043)
Do you remember what it was like when you first started keeping bees? Beekeeping was easier years ago, and most of us wanted more bees, more hives, more…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Invasive Plants (042)
There are, in most places, a mix of native and invasive plants that our bees will visit because they don't distinguish good from bad, noxious from native. They…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Fall Feeding (041)
If you have to feed your bees this fall, something probably went wrong this summer. Spring feeding, or feeding packages or splits is maybe more common, but…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Winter Packing (040)
Think about honey bees overwintering in a tree. There's 4 to 6 inches of insulation, pretty good ventilation, and it's lined with propolis. Now think of our…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
"Winter Is Coming" aka Planning For Winter (039)
There's a saying – Winter Begins in August and it's already September. It's time to start thinking about getting ready for winter. What can and what should you…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Combining (Joining) Weak Colonies (038)
Right now, you have to make some decisions about how to overwinter your colonies. If you live in the deep south, there probably isn't much to think about. But…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Dealing With Neighbor's Yellowjacket Problems (037)
Beekeepers are very often asked to help friends or neighbors that have "bee" problems…. honey bees, carpenter bees, yellow jackets, hornets, bumblebees and the…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Dealing With Combs After Extracting (036)
When you finish extracting your honey crop, you have frames that have sticky, gooey honey in the cells, and on the frame surfaces. There may be some…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Ugly (Mean) Bees (035)
What do you do about ugly or mean bees? It can be difficult to determine which colony in a beeyard with several colonies is the one, or maybe one of several…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
How Are My Bees? (034)
Every spring we beekeepers buy packages and set up nucs. Come summer, we start to look at what is going right and what may be going… well… not so right. Or at…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Planting for Bees (033)
Beekeepers talk a lot about not having enough food or enough good food for their bees due to all manner of development, agriculture spread, and agriculture in…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Troubling Questions (032)
Kim and Jim ask some interesting questions this week, maybe some you've asked yourself, or perhaps you asked a close friend. For instance, should a colony…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
European Foul Brood (031)
Have you ever had European Foulbrood (EFB) in one or more of your hives? How do you know if it was EFB? What does it look like? What does it smell like? Does…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Hot Summers and Bees (030)
It's been hot in Ohio so far this summer (and a lot of other places too) but it's also been wet. Hot and wet can make keeping bees a lot harder than normal…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
A Close Look At The 2020-2021 BIP Annual Loss Survey (029)
How many colonies had to be replaced last year? How many in winter, summer, total? How many beekeepers were surveyed? How many commercial operations, how many…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Dealing With Neighbors (028)
A question from a book written 107 years ago comes up for discussion. "How do you keep your bees from bothering your neighbors?" Back then, it was mostly…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Euthanizing Honey Bees (027)
It's rare, very rare, but sometimes beekeepers have to kill all the bees in a colony. It can be a tragic, emotional and usually it's an expensive experience…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Beekeeping Good Neighbor Golden Rules (026)
Let's face it. Unless you live in an isolated part of the world, if you keep bees, you will need to eventually deal with encounters between your bees and your…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Package Queens (025)
Packages arrive with a queen and together are installed in a hive of some kind. In a few days to a week the queen is released from her travel cage by either…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Questions from 1910 (024)
Today, Kim & Jim review questions and answers asked in an ancient A. I. Root Co. publication, published in 1910. What's changed, and what hasn't? Kim and Jim…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Tanging - What's All That Banging? (023)
What is tanging? Basically, beekeepers use some sort of device, an old cooking pot for instance, to make a loud noise by beating it with a spoon or stick…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Plastic & Wooden Packages (022)
Honey bees are purchased from commercial operations in business to sell bees to beekeepers. They can be sold as complete eight or ten frame hives with a queen…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Old Comb (021)
Old comb. What is old comb? Old comb is that which is darkened through generations of tiny bee's feet (ok, for the technically minded, tarsus and tarsal…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Spring Inspections (020)
Spring inspections, especially early spring, need a balance of not too often, but often enough to avoid problems. The first thing you see is…what's left from…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Honey Bees Sting! (019)
Why do you keep a box full of bugs that you just know will sting? It should be an easy answer, but there's more here that you might think, especially if you're…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Eating Comb Honey (018)
So, how do you eat comb honey? It isn't a mystery, but until you have tried eating comb honey, it can be a tad daunting. At first, it's a beautiful product…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Pollen Traps (017)
Trapping pollen will give you a source of good food for your bees, and it's for free. And why more beekeepers don't do it is interesting, but understandable…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Nectar Flows (016)
If you keep good records every year, you'll know about when to expect the various nectar flows your areas has almost every year and that your bees need to make…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Robbing! (015)
Imagine this… you walk out to your beeyard. There is a lot of activity. No problem. That's good right? Probably a nectar flow, you think. But as you get…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Swarms (014)
Have you ever tried to capture a swarm while hanging on to the top of a 10-foot ladder that's standing in the back of a pickup? No? Well, Jim Tew has and he'll…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Dealing with Bee Space (013)
How much space do bees need inside a beehive? Well, it's between 3/16" and 5/16", so you can figure just about a quarter inch should do. But what happens when…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Outyards (012)
When you have more bees at home than you want, or your family wants, or your neighbors want, it's time to find an outyard. There's a lot to consider when…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Requeening (011)
Everybody who has bees at some time will have to requeen a colony. You killed her when moving frames, she quit laying, a colony that swarmed didn't make a…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Smokers and Smoker Fuel (010)
A smoker is that extra hand you always need when working bees. It's the right tool for the job. But how smokers get used is mostly influenced by what the…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Packages and Nucs (009)
If you need or want to get some honey bees this spring, the two traditional means are to get a 3-pound package or a (usually) 5 frame nucleus colony. There are…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Hive Finishes (008)
So, you just built brand new wooden hive boxes, tops and bottoms. It all sure looks nice, doesn't it? How do you keep it from rotting, falling apart or just…
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
Protective Gear (007)
What beekeepers choose to wear for protection is determined by many factors. Kim and Jim explore several of the most influential choices today when talking…