HomesteadHensandHoney

Hello hello! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing John Swan, host of the Hive Jive podcast. I'm a huge fan of this podcast, and I've been listening from the beginning, so when John asked me if I'd like to do an interview, I jumped at the chance!

We were using some new software/equipment for this episode so I'm afraid the sound quality is not as good as usual. My apologies! And thank you for bearing with me as I did my best to fix things in editing.

You can check out John's interview of me over on his website. You can also subscribe via that page, as well as check out his Patreon, and rather fetching new t-shirts that just became available! John can also be found over on Instagram.

For this episode, I ask John about how he became interested in honey bees, what led him to start beekeeping and beekeeping related businesses, and how the Hive Jive podcast came to be(e). 

Thanks for listening! 

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Welcome back to the book review that never ends! This chapter is all about food collection and is fascinating. You will be amazed at just how much pollen and nectar is needed to sustain a single colony of honey bees! And have you ever wondered how far a single foraging bee will travel in her lifetime? Because you're about to find out!

I also chat a little about how things are going here at home. Quick shout out to B-Sharp Property Management for all the wonderful mulch they have delivered to me over the years. Local folks should check them out!

As always, go to my website for a rundown of everything discussed, as well as pictures from the book. 

Thanks for listening, and stay safe out there!

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I'm back with the book review that never ends! This week, I cover chapter 7, which is all about honey bee reproduction, including such interesting subjects as the average amount of drones vs queens produced in a year; the optimal amount of worker bees that leave with the first swarm; what effects the production of 'afterswarms'; and how the honey bee is much like an apple tree! Confused? You soon will be! Or not, if I've done this right. 

I also spend a little time discussed robbing behaviour in bees, and what you can do about it.

Please check out my website for a rundown of everything discussed as well as handy-dandy diagrams from the book, and pretty photos from my homestead.

Take care of yourselves, and stay safe out there! 

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Hello hello! This week, I discuss everything that's been going on here, including: why people should be wearing masks, living in a COVID hotspot, heat stress in chickens, how I came to adopt my first whippet, and how cocktails can creep up on you and lead to impromptu sleepovers where I end up covered in cats!

I also discuss my first honey harvest, and detail how things went, what equipment was used, how to clean up, etc.

Find a run down of everything discussed, complete with pics, at my website.

Please also check out the Hives for Heroes program. And the Hive Jive's episode on the subject. 

Thanks for listening, and stay safe out there!

P.S. Quick note: I mention that the Jasmine cocktail that did me dirty is a mix of gin, vermouth, triple sec, and lemon in the episode; it's actually CAMPARI, not vermouth. Sorry! See my website for a link to the recipe from Liquor.com

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Continuing my book review of 'The Lives of Bees' by Thomas Seeley! Today, we tackle chapters 5 and 6, which take a detailed look at the nest site preferences of honey bees, as well as their unique annual cycle, and how both these things affect their survival.

Early in the episode, I mention a website where you can find medications for all your avian friends. Click here to check that out.

As always, my website has everything outlined that was discussed as well as photos of my hives, greyhound, and graphs from the book. 

Stay safe out there! 

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Welcome to episode 22! Today, I'm talking about what's going on in my hive, what you can expect during a state apiary inspection, why I chose to make nucleus colonies over splits, and how knowing about bee math can help you when rearing queens (or letting your colony raise their own).

For photos, sources, and all links, please see my website.

For the Ohio Apiary Inspection program, please click here. 

I mentioned a 'natural' wormer for chickens in this episode called Strike III. Click here for details. 

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay self-isolated!

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Hello hello! I'm back to reviewing the book 'The Lives of Bees' by Thomas Seeley, and cover chapters 3 and 4 this episode. Seeley takes a look at the history of the honey bee and humanity's relationship to it, and then gives us a detailed run down of how beekeeping changed over time to what we see today.

Everything discussed in this week's episode can be found on my website, complete with photos! Please take a look.

At the end of the episode, I mention an infographic that I shared on my Instagram that relates to the current protests. It is from Campaign Zero and details how you can make a change today. 

Stay safe out there! 

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Hello hello! This week, I am taking a break from the book reviews to just chat about things that have been happening here on the homestead, and other points of interest. Then I discuss how to set up a 'chicken hospital' for when you need to help an ailing hen. 

Please check out my website for links and photos, as well as a rundown of everything covered in this episode. 

Click for PolliNation's Podcast, episode 52, on mowing.

And here is the Beekeeping Today Podcast that I discuss.

British slang alert! I used the word 'ropey' to describe how my hen was feeling when unwell. Click for an explanation of the term!

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Hello hello! This week, I talk a little about the Asian Giant Hornet and why we don't need to panic, and then start a detailed review of 'The Lives of Bees' by Thomas Seeley. I cover chapters 1-2, and there's a lot of info to share! This will be part of a series where I cover 2 chapters each episode. 

You can find links and photos related to today's episode over on my website. 

Stay safe out there! And thanks for listening! 

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Hey folks! This week, I'm giving you all the news about my hives, including a colony loss and a package install. Then I go into a detailed review of the fictional book 'The Bees' by Laline Paul, which I highly recommend. 

As always, you can find a run down of everything discussed in this episode, along with links and photos, over on my website. 

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay self-isolating! Until next time. 

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