Beekeeping For Newbees®

Swarm season is one of the most exciting times of the year for beekeepers. In this episode we begin a two-part discussion about swarm traps, what they are, why they work, and how you can use them to capture free bees during the spring swarm season. We walk through the biology of swarming, why scout bees search for new cavities, and how a simple swarm trap can turn that natural behavior into a powerful tool for growing your apiary.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• What swarming actually is and why honeybee colonies naturally divide during spring buildup

• Why swarm traps allow beekeepers to capture large colonies of free bees during swarm season

• The advantages and potential risks of bringing wild swarm genetics into your apiary

• The cavity size honeybees prefer when selecting a new home and how swarm traps mimic it

• Materials commonly used when building swarm traps and why durability matters outdoors

• Using drawn comb and lemongrass oil to attract scout bees searching for a new colony site

• Practical guidance on where to place swarm traps and how to do it safely

Why Listen to This Episode?

Swarm traps can give beekeepers access to strong local genetics and large colonies without buying packages or nucs. This episode explains how swarming works and how simple traps can dramatically increase your chances of catching a swarm during the busiest part of the season.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

Additional Resources:

Pill Bottle Swarm Trap: https://youtu.be/jtbc8OJpTs0

Swarm Trap Assembly: https://youtu.be/uksabwBuzlE

60 Second Swarm Trap Build: https://youtu.be/Wfy3ybL3PJM

Swarm Trap Plans: https://beekeepingfornewbees.com/resources

Swarm Trap & Nuc Entrance Wheels: https://amzn.to/3FzSMAn

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 600,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

Spring is getting closer, which means the questions from beekeepers are starting to pour in again. In this Bee Buzz episode, I work through a lightning round of listener questions covering late winter hive activity, feeding decisions, early inspections, and what normal colony behavior looks like as temperatures begin to warm. If you're seeing bees flying on warm days, noticing dead bees in front of the hive, or wondering if it's time to check food stores or add space, this episode walks through the most common questions beekeepers are asking right now.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Why bees suddenly start flying during warm winter days and what cleansing flights actually mean

• What a pile of dead bees in front of the hive usually indicates during late winter cleanup

• When it makes sense to check food stores and how to do a quick cold weather hive check

• Why one hive may appear active while another seems quiet coming out of winter

• How to estimate food stores and determine if a colony may be running low without pulling frames

• Whether bees bringing in pollen means the queen has already started laying again

• When to perform your first full spring inspection and what to focus on early in the season

Why Listen to This Episode?

Late winter can be one of the most confusing times for beekeepers as colonies begin transitioning toward spring. This episode answers the questions many beekeepers are asking right now and helps you understand what normal behavior looks like as your bees begin ramping up for the season.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 600,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

March is one of the most critical transition points in the beekeeping year. Colonies are expanding, winter bees are aging off, brood production is ramping up, and nectar flows are just beginning. In this episode, I walk through the key management decisions that can determine whether your colonies thrive, swarm, or collapse in the weeks ahead.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Why March is the most dangerous transition period for overwintered colonies
• The balance between declining winter bees and rising brood production
• When to feed, how to feed, and what not to stimulate too early
• Box management, reversing hive bodies, and when to add space
• Why I do not equalize weak colonies at the expense of strong genetics
• Early swarm pressure, queen cups, and how quickly things can escalate
• Inspection timing and how missing one queen cell can cost you half a colony

Why Listen to This Episode?

If you want strong colonies heading into spring instead of surprise losses or swarms, this episode gives you a practical framework for managing the most volatile month of the year.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 650,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

Cold weather has a way of making even experienced beekeepers second guess everything. With unusually low temperatures showing up across large parts of the country, I wanted to take some time to walk through what cold actually means for overwintering colonies, how much additional honey they may consume, and when intervention does or does not make sense.

This episode is a general update covering several seasonal topics, including winter feeding philosophy, evaluating colony stores, progress on ongoing projects, and getting ready for spring.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Why extended cold spells increase honey consumption and how much more bees may actually use
• Realistic weekly honey usage at different winter temperatures
• Why panic inspections often cause more harm than good
• How to assess colony weight and food stores without opening the hive
• Different feeding strategies and why context and goals matter
• Updates on the hive monitoring project and why it is temporarily paused
• Progress on the Master Beekeeper Program and what is coming next
• Swarm trap preparation and placement timing for the upcoming season

Why Listen to This Episode?

If cold weather has you worried about your bees or questioning your winter management decisions, this episode provides calm, experience-based perspective to help you evaluate what actually needs attention and what does not.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 650,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

Laying workers are one of those beekeeping problems that feel intimidating until you understand what is actually happening inside the hive. After a listener reached out asking where to find guidance on laying workers and realizing it deserved its own episode, I finally sat down to break the topic down from the ground up.

In this episode, we walk through the pheromonal mechanics behind laying workers, what causes the condition, how to recognize it early, and several proven ways to correct it depending on your resources and goals.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Why queen mandibular pheromone and brood pheromone are central to colony stability
• How prolonged queenlessness leads to ovary development in worker bees
• Clear visual signs that indicate a laying worker condition
• Why laying workers can involve multiple workers, not just one
• The role of brood pheromone, open brood frames, and synthetic QMP
• Practical options for fixing a laying worker colony, including splits, shake-outs, and recombining
• Common mistakes that cause queen introductions to fail in laying worker hives

Why Listen to This Episode?

This episode gives you the biological context and practical tools to diagnose and fix a laying worker situation with confidence.

Referenced Video About Hive Site Selection:

📺 https://youtu.be/UbJRAhoCD9Q

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 650,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

Africanized honeybees are one of the most misunderstood topics in beekeeping. In this episode, I cut through the fear driven headlines and talk honestly about what Africanized bees are, where they actually pose a risk, and how much of what we hear is grounded in biology versus social media panic. We also dig into real behavior differences, why identification is not as simple as people think, and how beekeepers should realistically manage risk.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Where Africanized honeybees came from and how they spread through the Americas
• Why Africanized bees are not a separate species and cannot be identified by looks alone
• The real behavioral differences that matter, including defensiveness, pursuit distance, and response thresholds
• Which parts of the United States have established populations and why cold climates limit their spread
• Why most serious incidents involve unmanaged or feral colonies, not maintained apiaries
• How Africanized colonies differ in defensive behavior compared to hot European stock
• Usurpation behavior and how one colony can take over another in minutes

Why Listen to This Episode?

You will walk away with a realistic understanding of Africanized honeybees, how real the risk actually is, and how to protect yourself without letting fear dictate your beekeeping decisions.

Referenced Article:

🔬 Usurpation: When One Colony Takes Over Another (Honey Bee Suite)

https://www.honeybeesuite.com/usurpation-when-one-colony-takes-over-another/

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 600,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

American foulbrood gets a lot of attention in beekeeping circles, often accompanied by fear and worst-case scenarios. In this episode, I walk through what AFB and EFB actually are, how they differ, how they spread, and why severity does not always equal likelihood. We also talk about realistic risk, common misdiagnoses, used equipment, open feeding, and whether the new AFB vaccine makes sense for most beekeepers.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Why American foulbrood is high severity but low likelihood
• How AFB and EFB differ in cause, symptoms, and outcomes
• What sunken cappings, patchy brood, and larval death really indicate
• How spores spread through honey, equipment, robbing, and drift
• Why most beekeepers will never see a confirmed case of AFB
• When fear-based messaging does more harm than good
• The limits and realities of the new AFB vaccine for queens
• Why mites, nutrition, and basic management still matter more

Why Listen to This Episode?

This episode helps cut through fear and misinformation so you can better understand foulbrood risks, recognize real warning signs, and focus your energy on the management practices that actually keep colonies healthy.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 600,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

This Bees in the News edition covers four fascinating stories from around the world, from new species discoveries to the first honeybee vaccine. We look at how research and innovation continue to change our understanding of bees, their intelligence, and the threats they face.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Discovery of the horned “Lucifer” bee in Western Australia’s goldfields
• How small hive beetle larvae convert excess pollen into usable food
• New research showing that bees can perceive and measure time
• The first successful vaccine for American foulbrood disease
• A misleading viral post about queen bee insemination and why it’s wrong
• How social media often distorts beekeeping practices for clicks
• Final reflections on seasonal slowdown and winter beekeeping prep

Why Listen to This Episode?

It’s an engaging round-up of bee science, discovery, and controversy, highlighting what’s real, what’s hype, and what it all means for everyday beekeepers.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

Referenced Articles:

🌏 Horned “devil” bee found in remote Goldfields prompts call for further research (ABC News)

🍯 Circular Economics: Honey Bee Pest Turns Excess Pollen Into Food (Entomology Today)

🧠 Bees Can Tell Time: New Study Reveals Shockingly Advanced Insect Intelligence (The Debrief)

💉 Vaccine for Honeybees Successfully Completes Efficacy Trials (DVM 360)

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5 % podcast with over 600,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

This episode is a follow-up to last week’s discussion about Pennsylvania’s proposed bee legislation. We move from the 2024 Senate Bill 1198 to the newly filed 2025 House Bill 1277, breaking down what changed, why it matters, and how the bill expands the state’s authority over beekeepers.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• What happened to the 2024 Senate Bill and why it expired
• How HB 1277 was reintroduced with stronger enforcement language
• Expanded licensing that now includes hobbyist beekeepers
• What “risk-based inspections” really mean and why they are undefined
• The department’s new powers to enter property and destroy hives
• How fines, fees, and licensing revenue now fund enforcement directly
• Why “exclusive jurisdiction” language limits local flexibility
• What small-scale beekeepers can do before this moves forward

Why Listen to This Episode?

You’ll get a clear explanation of how Pennsylvania’s new bill evolved, what it means for local beekeepers, and why it could set the tone for future pollinator legislation across the country.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5 % podcast with over 600,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

This episode takes a closer look at Pennsylvania’s proposed Plant and Pollinator Protection Act (SB 1198) and why it’s raising concerns among beekeepers across the country. I break down how it rewrites the long-standing Bee Law, what new powers it gives the Department of Agriculture, and why even backyard beekeepers could be affected.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• What SB 1198 actually proposes and why it matters
• How it expands licensing and inspection powers
• What “risk-based inspections” could mean for hobbyists
• How unregistered hives could be seized or destroyed
• The shift from a $10 registration to open-ended licensing fees
• New record-keeping and reporting requirements
• Why this legislation could set a national precedent

Why Listen to This Episode?

You’ll learn what’s buried in the fine print of SB 1198, how it could reshape state-level beekeeping regulation, and what actions Pennsylvania beekeepers should take before this bill advances further.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5 % podcast with over 600,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.