When Xander and Samantha met several years ago, the thought they'd end up owning and running a winery in Carnation, Washington, was not even a germ of an idea. In fact, the thought that they'd be running 15 colonies and producing honey at that winery was even further from consideration as Xander had no love of flying, stinging insects. Flash forward to today, past Xander's nearly three years in the Peace Corps, where he taught beekeeping in The Gambia, Africa, and they now own Orenda Winery.

In this special 'on the road' podcast, Jeff travels to Carnation, east of Seattle, to talk with Xander and Samantha about beekeeping in Africa, what prompted them to buy a winery, and how they use their honey bees as a major piece in their overall business plan.

Kim joins the podcast later as he preps for Apimondia 2019.

Websites and links mentioned in this podcast:

• Orenda Winery: http://orendawinery.com
• Xander's ("Angry") Hive Inspection in the Gambia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT_YukQwfF4
• Xander's ("Calm") Hive Inspection in the Gambia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swtdpngTqt0
• Duke University Documentary of the Beekeeping Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JWRyqOf-Y
• Xander's Final Blogpost from the Peace Corp with Photos: http://thecypresstree.blogspot.com
• Peace Corps: https://www.peacecorps.gov

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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 show with Xander and Samantha! _______________

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"