Ken seems to think that you can teach your bees how to play checkers. There is a management aspect to beekeeping called Checkerboarding, but it has nothing to do with your bees playing checkers. Sorry Ken. Tune in now to learn what this concept means, and catch up on what all is going on in these strange times.

You've heard the guys joke about bee math and compare it to chicken math, meaning you say you only want one or two and end up with 3 or 4. However, now it is time to talk about real bee math. How do you know if it is time to start raising queens in your area? How long will it take? You need Bee Math!

John and Ken visit with Mary Reed, the Chief Apiary Inspector for the state of Texas. At first glance, some new beekeepers might be intimidated by the thought of a State Inspector coming to look at their hives. However, it can be quite a fun and educational experience. Tune in now as the group discusses what it is to be an apiary inspector, what an inspection is like, and what they are looking for when inspecting a hive.

In the previous episode they guys discussed some initial spring tasks such as rotating your boxes. But, what about those of us that don’t use a Langstroth style hive? Well, this episode will break down how you can accomplish the same sort of task for all your Horizontal Hive Style setups out there!

It’s time to take a look at the second set of checklist items headed into the pre-springtime for your second year of beekeeping. (Keep in mind, these will also be the same for each spring moving forward.) The guys will cover the items you need to be focused on as your temps start to rise and the bees begin early brood production, including: checking food stores and walking that fine line between solid food and starting liquid syrup again, mite checks and treatment, and the concept of rotating boxes.

While Ken is out for a medical procedure John is joined by the beautiful vocal stylings of Katherine, all the way up from Australia, and Nathalie, who is fresh out of the Congo. Exotic accents abound as the group discusses the recent issues for Australia, recent work being done in Africa, and compare and contrast the differences of beekeeping amount the three continents.

In this listener question episode we get an update from Downunder, talk about the mystery of a queenless colony that isn’t queenless, ponder the details on potentially placing hives at a business or retail establishment, and tackle a few questions about a Long Lang style hive.

Sometimes bad things just happen. And, sometimes it is because bad people cause them to happen. Every year when almond pollinations comes around, the news of hive thefts starts popping up across the country. But, sometimes this string of thefts is driven by other factors, such as the natural disasters that Australia recently experienced with the bushfires. In both cases, some people out there see an opportunity to try and make a quick buck, and they do it at the expense of those who are just trying to make ends meet and get by. What is even worse, is when people choose to vandalize someone’s hives for no apparent reason other than to create chaos. Could this happen to you? Should you be worried about your hives? Well… lets talk it over for a moment, shall we?

You have survived your first season of beekeeping, and you are almost through your first winter, congrats! Now it is time to start considering what you want to do in your second year of beekeeping. This episode will provide you with the initial checklist of items to start working on as your second season approaches.

Someone thought it would be a good idea to take ALL of the Listener Questions from over the holiday break all the way up through now, and answer them all at once. This will be the first, and likely last, nearly TWO HOUR episode! Take your time, break it up, digest it slowly. There is are plenty of tidbits of information spread throughout.