Oh my gawd its back again! (The summer dearth that is...) John reminds us that most things in beekeeping are cyclical and points to a couple of episodes from year one of the podcast that can help you through this tough spot of summer. The guys also tackle a few listener questions from Becca, Tim, and Rachel.

John checks in with Ken to see how things are going so far. Has Ken finally learned his lesson about not being a Front Porch Beekeeper? We’ve heard a lot about how many new colonies have been acquired by either swarm capture or water meter removals, but how many colonies have been lost this year? Let’s see what answers are to be had…

In this episode the guys discuss a few listener stories regarding bee stings, as well as some YouTube videos about Honey Bees Choosing what they prefer. Tune in now to catch the buzz!

In this episode John adds a couple of after-thoughts to the previous honey extracting episode. Also the guys discuss some of the findings from John’s recent visit up to see Ken’s hives and their Hail Mary attempt to salvage what they could.

This episode has been a year in the making for those of you who have been following alongside the podcast in time with your own beekeeping journey. And, if everything has gone well, and mother nature was kind to you and your bees, hopefully it is time for your first legitimate honey harvest!! Tune in now as John walks us through the concept of the honey harvest and extraction process.

John sits down with Steve Jimenez from Hives for Heroes to discuss the important work that they are doing to help save veteran’s lives, and rescue bees in the process. There are countless heroes out there who come back to a world they don’t often relate to any longer. They struggle to cope with the things they have seen and done and they fall victim to the effects of PTSD. Often these individuals fall through the cracks in our society, and they slip away. This is a sad and unfortunate reality for many veterans and members of the armed forces, and it is a reality that amazing organizations like Hives for Heroes is working tirelessly to correct.

It’s Ken’s Birthday!!! Or, rather, it was his birthday. He is happy to be 21 again, or maybe it was 22. It’s hard to keep track once you are up there that far. But, the addition 3 dozen and 6 years experience sure does help out along the way. (You do the math!) In this episode we catch up on Ken’s swarm traps, talk about BetterComb briefly, and have a sneak peek ahead to a potential honey harvest.

Ken curls up for a nice little nap while John tackles another batch of Listener Questions from ya’ll.

Ken learns a hard lesson in what happens when you get lax and just do “Front Porch Beekeeping”… meaning you simply watch the bees from the entrance coming and going, peek in via an observation window, or crack the lid just long enough to say “Yep, there’s bees in there.” Unfortunately that last remark is all you can actually gather from this style of observation, and you don’t really know what might be going on deeper inside the colony. Often this leads to missing key signs that could have possibly helped you prevent the unnecessary crash of a colony.

John sits down with NYC’s premier beekeeper, Mr. Andrew Coté, to discuss what it is like being a 4th generation beekeeper in the Big Apple. The guys cover a wide range of topics including the challenges of rooftop beekeeping, having hives on United Nations soil, and helping beekeepers around the world via Bees Without Borders. Andrew also gives us a sneak peek at what it was like writing his new book “Venom and Honey: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper.” Tune in now!