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PODCAST

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast

The weekly podcast exploring the joys, challenges, and curiosities of keeping honey bees. Hosted by Dr. Jim Tew and produced by Jeff Ott, Honey Bee Obscura delivers short, focused conversations that dive into the details of beekeeping—from practical how-tos to quirky observations. Perfect for learning something new on the way to the apiary, at home, or wherever your bees take you.

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All Episodes

22:35

Considering New Honey Bee Queens (109)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2023/01/19

This is the time of year to think seriously about the queens you have in your colonies, or the queens you had in your colonies last season. If replacement is on the table, what should you be looking for? The simple and probably best answer is… a good queen. But what makes a good queen? Population production, mite resistance, gentle, the right color, honey production? All have some level of importance and it depends more on the beekeeper than what the books say, mostly, usually. It’s even more

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23:24

Dealing With American Foulbrood (108)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2023/01/12

American Foulbrood is in the news lately… and for a good, positive reason. But what does it mean if you determine or a state apiarist determines you have a case or two or more of AFB in your bee yard? A vaccine is not a cure. It is a means for prevention. In today’s episode, Jim invites Beekeeping Today Podcast’s Jeff Ott on to talk about American Foulbood, the stigma attached to AFB and the go-to recommendation of burning all contaminated equipment, bees and wax is not one you want associated with

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19:44

Beekeeping New Years Resolutions (107)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2023/01/05

It’s the beginning of a new year and Jim and Kim are thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. Almost everybody makes a few Resolutions every January – even beekeepers, but many times resolutions are made and never achieved. Kim wants to do better with the bees this season, take better care of the garden, and read a bee book a month this year. Jim also wants to do better with his bees, run fewer colonies, and be better at responding to email he gets from podcast listeners and readers of his journal

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24:58

Bears in the Bee Yard (106)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/12/29

What would you do if you received a call from a neighbor saying that your bee equipment was scattered across multiple yards? What would be YOUR first thought? In today’s episode, Jim invites Beekeeping Today Podcast’s Jeff Ott to the show to talk about bears in the bee yard and how, no matter what… it is always a surprise - especially when your bees are in an area where there are “no bears”. When encountering bears, this saying may come to mind, as you climb out of your vehicle: “If it’s black,

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24:34

Our Genesis Stories in Beekeeping (105)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/12/22

Not a lot of people start keeping bees without some outside influence. A relative, neighbor, college class, or getting a job in bees. Jim started out with a college class, to fill electives. Kim got a job working for the USDA because he could grow the plants they needed for bees to visit for a pollination study on soybeans. So how did you get started? A family hobby or business? A neighbor who invited you in? An interest in plants and pollination? Perhaps gardening? Almost every beekeeper has their

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22:48

Beekeeper Record Keeping Considerations (104)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/12/15

Knowing what you did or saw, added or removed from a colony is useful. Whether that happened earlier in the day or the prior season. Keeping track of what, how why and when you did something in the bee yard, for a specific colony will help keep you from making repeated mistakes. Historical information will help you fine tune your honey bee management. On today's episode, Kim and Jim discuss record keeping. No matter what means you employ to keep those records: hive top, inner cover, notebook(s),

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22:56

Building Your Own Bee Equipment (103)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/12/08

What beekeeper hasn't nailed together a hive body and thought, "Heck, I can cut these boards myself and it'd be cheaper!" Especially if they already have a wood shop with a table saw and a few other tools. But is it really? What are the pros and cons of building your own equipment? Why should you even try? On today's episode, Jim Tew invites Jeff Ott from Beekeeping Today podcast to the show to talk about building your own beekeeping equipment. They both have done it. Are they doing it still? We

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21:40

Managing Winter Colony Die-Offs (102)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/12/01

It’s winter time and sure as the sky is blue (or grey – as the case may be), there will be many dead colonies out there next spring. If not in as early as in the few weeks. Winter kills in the US are running something like 40+% right now. A winter killed colony is a time, financial and frustrating thief of bees and honey and equipment. In today’s episode, Kim and Jim discuss Winter Die-Offs and how to inspect the colony remains to determine what may have gone wrong. By finding out what went wrong

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25:54

Consumer Honey Challenges (101)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/11/24

On today’s show, Kim and Jim discuss the most common ‘complaint’ a beekeeper who sells honey encounters. This is true whether you are selling from the back of your truck, at a roadside stand or even a local farmer’s market. What do you tell your customer who brings you or asks you about granulated honey in the jar? How you answer this may make the difference between a lifelong customer or someone who never buys honey again. How one addresses this is as varied as there are people who eat honey. From

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24:32

5000 Years of Beekeeping in 24 Minutes (100)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/11/17

Honey Bee Obscura celebrates its 100th episode with this release! Jim Tew and Kim Flottum invite, Beekeeping Today Podcast’s Jeff Ott to join them to take a look at 5,000 years of beekeeping history, sorting out some of the highlights, discoveries, and mistakes, along with some of the people behind it all. Come along as we go from bees in trees, skeps, boles, boxes, hives, back to boxes and finally, back to trees. There’s lots to learn and lots to entertain. All in 24 minutes! We hope you enjoy the

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20:57

Winter Reading: What's On The List? (099)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/11/10

Winter tends to have a bit more time inside than outside and one way to spend that time inside is to catch up on your reading. Jim and Kim talk a bit about the books they read, the authors and publishers they like and where they get the books they read all winter. Along with the new books, they have their preferred “old standby” books they rely on for information on a particular topic to see how management approaches have evolved (or not) over the years. Beekeeping has evolved over the years and

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17:24

Colony Winter Water (098)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/11/03

Why on earth would honey bee foragers go out on a freezing day in winter to collect water? Ice and snow everywhere, but there they are, trying to get a drink and bring some home for their sisters. Why? Kim and Jim explore some of the reasons why. They explore the uses of water by winter bees and where they collect it. Kim and Jim also explore aspects of ventilation, or lack thereof, in the winter. Should a beehive have lots, some or none? Industry experts continue to research. Is too much water in

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21:39

Midnight in the Bee Yard - A Halloween Special (097)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/10/27

Without a doubt, some of the most peaceful places on Earth are bee yards. Tranquil, serene and quiet with only the soft hum of the bees fanning the air through their hives floating on top the silence… Peaceful, except when it is not. Have you ever worked in a distant bee yard, late at night, away from home, cell service, friends, and family? What did you hear? See anything… strange? Did anything go “bump” in the night? How’d it all go for you? On today’s episode Jim and guest co-host, Jeff Ott, sit

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17:20

Winter Is Coming - Winter Prep (096)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/10/20

When you’ve been keeping bees for decades, sometimes you do things because that’s the way you’ve always done them, right? But the world continues to change. It has to keep up with whatever is going on wherever it’s happening. And because the world is changing, every minute of every day, doing the "same ole same ole" just because that’s what you’ve always done isn’t for maybe isn’t the best choice. Beehive insulation is one of those things that maybe bees need, or don’t. And what about insulation for

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20:17

How Phenology Can Help Your Manage Bees (095)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/10/13

Does your state Agriculture Department have a bulletin they share with everybody on the phenology, or bloom dates, of the wild flowers, trees and shrubs that grow in your state? Today Kim and Jim discuss the chart used by Ohio beekeepers. Ohio’s chart shows what is blooming each month, the adult and larvae bee population in a hive, and what beekeepers should be doing relative to space management in their hives. It’s a great tool to have for beekeepers in your state so they can know ahead of time

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20:26

Living With Your Smoker (094)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/10/06

Beekeepers have a love/hate relationship with their smokers. Beekeeper families don’t have split emotions… they tend HATE smokers and their lingering ‘perfume’. How beekeepers manage their smokers impacts more than their bees. In today’s episode, Kim and Jim talk about smokers. Arguably more so than a veil, the quintessential identifier of a beekeeper is a smoker. It is in the hand of every trope, every caricature of a beekeeper. In fact it is so emblematic, you can go into many antique shops and

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20:44

Liquifying Crystalized Honey (093)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/09/29

Jim has pails of crystalized honey, but only wants enough liquid honey for his oatmeal this morning. How does he get that to work? Kim has a lot of good ideas. There are pail blankets, band heaters, boxes and more to warm a pail to liquid honey on the market, including our sponsor, Betterbee. Kim’s his friend Buzz, who made a warming box out of foam insulation, a lightbulb and a couple nails to hold it together. Cheap, easy, and it works. This is the time of year that liquifying honey comes home

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21:59

Bee Suits and Protective Clothing (092)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/09/22

One of the first pieces of equipment a new beekeeper buys is a bee suit. If they don’t buy a bee suit, they will at least buy a veil. Stings on the face are not only painful (and memorable to all who see it), they can be dangerous if it is directly to one’s eye or around the eyes. In today’s episode, Jim Tew and Jeff Ott, from Beekeeping Today Podcast, talk about the different types of protective clothing available to beekeepers today. New beekeepers should at the very least, start with a veil. Even

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26:45

Extracting Honey (091)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/09/15

Moving boxes full of honey is usually a lot of work. The bees aren’t happy, the boxes are heavy, it’s hot and you have all your gear on to be safe. The one sure way to make this easier is to use devices that have wheels. Two-wheelers, carts, your truck, all make moving boxes of honey less work. Once the supers are off and the bees out, you need to get them to your honey house, whether it’s a garage for storage until extraction, your kitchen (for probably the last time) or an specially built honey

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18:36

Removing Honey (090)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/09/08

Harvesting your honey crop isn’t about keeping bees, in fact, it is hard work. It’s when you start questioning your spring decision to expand your number of colonies. On the other hand, it’s a good measure of how well you kept bees during the season. And there are a lot of ways to convince the bees they should share what they have made this season, mostly due to your stewardship. Removing well capped, honey filled frames can be complicated but easy, or uncomplicated and a lot of work. The

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270 results

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