This week we meet with Kelly Kulhanek, a BIP Sentinel Apiary Scientist. Since gearing up in 2015, this program monitors colonies in 30 states with over 100 beekeepers. Once enrolled, you’ll take samples from your hives and have them tested for varroa, nosema and anything else the BIP people find for over 6 months a year.

This is a perfect educational tool for bee clubs everywhere, teaching members how to take samples, letting them see what else is going on around them and being able to make informed decisions about colony health and management. You can sign up for 4 or 8 hives. In return, you’ll receive a sample kit and record keeping info from the same colonies, all season long. At the end you’ll have a season’s worth of detailed records, healthy hives and peace of mind.

Perhaps a greater value is that the program has beekeepers all over the US taking samples, throughout the season and anything that isn’t supposed to be here in the US will get found. A perfect early warming program. Visit their web page for lots more info.

Websites and Linked mentioned in this episode –

• Bee Informed Partnership - www.beeinformed.org
• BIP Sentinel Program - https://beeinformed.org/citizen-science/sentinel-apiaries/
• Bee Club Basics (on Amazon) - https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1080790209/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_AK7EEb9Q4B8NC

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This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global Patties is a family business that manufactures protein supplement patties for honey bees. Feeding your hives protein supplement patties will help ensure that they produce strong and health colonies by increasing brood production and overall honey flow. Global offers a variety of standard patties, as well as custom patties to meet your specific needs. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode! 

We want to also thank 2 Million Blossoms as a sponsor of the podcast. 2 Million Blossoms is a new quarterly magazine destined for your coffee table. Each page of the magazine is dedicated to the stories and photos of all pollinators and written by leading researchers, photographers and our very own, Kim Flottum.

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: [email protected]

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening! 

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong"