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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

17:48

Bee Beards - Part 2 (057)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/01/20

In today’s episode, Kim and Jim continue their exploration of Bee Beards… though this time… they go big… really big bee beards you see in the movies, where they use 20 maybe 30 pounds of bees, and the person is covered from the top of his head to his shoe laces? How can they do that? You have to start with that many bees that have been queenless for up to a couple three days. Queenless packages work well here. Then, you put them all in one big box, and using a piece of screen, with Vaseline smeared

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19:04

Bee Beards - Part 1 (056)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/01/13

Really? You want to do a bee beard? OK, let’s think this through. How much do you know about bees and bee beards, and why do you want to make a bee beard anyway? Some people will think you are as crazy as a loon to try this and that you will die. But others think bee beards are a great way to demonstrate that bees are gentle, safe and actually fun to work with, if you know what you are doing. In today’s episode, Kim and Jim start a discussion on… Bee Beards. First, if your club is doing this for a

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17:25

Flower Garden Site Prep (055)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2022/01/06

Jim has finally figured out where he wants his flowers to be next spring, so what’s next is getting those sites ready to plant, so that what he plants does the best it can for Jim, the bees and anybody who walks by. In this episode, Kim and Jim discuss the next steps in planning his garden including the time and amount of light the spot receives, soil tests, sod removal options, and… what to plant! Listen and learn as Kim & Jim discuss the ins and outs of flower garden site preparation, so Jim can

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16:06

New Year - New Equipment... Assembly Required? (054)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/12/30

You can buy all of your beekeeping equipment already assembled and if wooden boxes, already painted. They cost more than if you do it yourself, but you don’t invest any time in assembly. Or, you can buy everything unassembled; nail and glue all the parts and pieces together, then paint it. You’ll need the right tools of course, the room and occasionally have to get something that didn’t get packed. Buying assembled boxes can be a good idea, as long as they are put together correctly at the factory,

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18:08

Planning your Gardens for Bees (053)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/12/23

Jim has finally taken to heart the old saying, “Plant a flower - Feed a bee” and wants to add some plants to his yard that will not only feed bees, but add beauty to his landscape. But Jim’s a hard-core entomologist and hasn’t spent a lot of time studying the how’s and why’s and where’s of creating his semi-urban plain old lawn into a Garden of Earthly Delights. Lucky for Jim, Kim went to college to learn those exact skills and has offered to give him a hand. He guides Jim in finding out what

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16:53

Considering the Bee Culture December Issue (052)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/12/16

The December, 2021 issue of Bee Culture magazine arrived this month. In this episode, Kim and Jim look at this special issue and discuss why it’s special every December. Starting right off, it’s the Interview issue, where the regular writers, and some others, introduce the readers to industry people, friends in bees and beekeeping, or just someone they think their readers would like to get to know. The issue includes the annual honey price report too, which shows honey prices for a couple dozen

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17:08

Considering Packages or Nucs for the Spring (051)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/12/09

Will it be packages of nucs next spring? It’s only December, how do I know what I’ll want, and, if any, how many I’ll want? Getting nucs or packages in the spring has changed a lot in the last several years. The quality of queens has changed. Everybody has varroa, well almost everybody, so how and when do I treat these new entries into my apiary? How many of what I have now will still be here next spring? What if they all are? Or what if none are? And where can I get packages now? The post office

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16:40

New Swarms On Deadout Comb? (050)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/12/02

Can You Put New Swarms on Old Comb? You’ve caught your first swarm. Where should it go? You don’t have any new equipment to put it on, but you have an overwintered colony that didn’t make it. Can you use the combs from that colony? Always the best answer – It Depends! First, ask yourself, why did that colony die? Was it maybe American Foulbrood? European Foulbrood? If you don’t know you need to find out BEFORE you put more bees in those boxes. Have them tested. If the colony went queenless

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16:53

Artificial Honeycomb (049)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/11/25

Back about 100 years ago, there was so much adulterated honey for sale that people were reluctant to buy it at all. Comb honey was seen as being different because that couldn’t be adulterated, right? Well, A. I. Root put up an award looking for fake comb honey because he was sure it couldn’t be done. Fast forward 100 years or so and that may not be the case anymore. People can digitally print fully drawn comb for bees to use, from either beeswax, or other edible waxes. Bees seem to like it and it

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18:30

What's That Smell - Part 2: The Good (048)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/11/18

Bees, honey, smoker smoke, and lots more all have their own aroma. Beekeeping is rich in its own smells. Most are fragrant, rich and a delight to work with. Some, not so much. This is a two-part series, started in the last episode, #47. In today’s Part 2, we spent some time smelling honeys, the types and seasons and sources and times. Then we looked the wonderful aromas the come from beekeeping products. Beeswax being rendered, honey being uncapped, the smell of brand-new wax foundation, burning wax

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18:54

What's That Smell? - Part 1: The Bad (047)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/11/11

Bees, honey, smoker smoke, and lots more all have their own aroma. Beekeeping is rich in its own smells. Most are fragrant, rich and a delight to work with. Some, not so much. This is a two-part series. In today’s Part 1, we looked at smells from the smoker, which are many and varied, rich and awful, all at the same time. Then we discussed the smells of bees, the good, the bad and the ugly. Come on along and learn what you can expect when dealing with honey, honey bees and all that comes with them,

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16:28

Small-Scale Pollination Contracts (046)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/11/04

At some point, whether by design or accident, many beekeepers consider expanding into pollination for hire with their bees. What does that mean and what does it take? What should be considered before undertaking a small-scale pollination job? In this episode, Kim and Jim discuss their experiences and offer their observations. First, start thinking about what you’ll need next spring NOW, so you’re ready next spring! If you wait until the first dandelion, you will be late to the game! If you are

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16:03

Bottom Boards (045)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/10/28

Every kind of hive has some kind of bottom board. Typically, Langstroth type hives have a bottom board that is removable. Many are reversible, too. That is one side has a ridge going around three sides that is only 3/8th of an inch tall, leaving an opening so small in the front that a mouse should not be able to get into the hive. These are used this way in the winter. The other side of this bottom board has a ridge that is 3/4th of an inch tall, to be used in the summer for better ventilation and

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19:38

Preparing for Winter (044)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/10/21

If you are comfortable outside on Christmas Day, you probably don’t have to worry about wrapping your colonies for winter protection. Otherwise, this episode is for you! At least put up a windbreak. It’s easy, cheap and it helps. But what other insulation is available? There’s history of what has been used, and what’s available now isn’t much different, but it’s better. Tar paper was common, roofing insulation is often used, already packaged units like a Bee Cozy, or those made by BetterBee are

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12:49

Beekeeper Waxing & Waning (043)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/10/14

Do you remember what it was like when you first started keeping bees? Beekeeping was easier years ago, and most of us wanted more bees, more hives, more skills, more of everything beekeeping. But there’s a next chapter. Beekeepers today are better educated because there’s more to do now. So, it’s not wrong to want to take a day, a week, a whole season off. And there will be good times and bad times. And yes, some won’t come back. Sometimes, learning something new will keep you going. Learn queen

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12:57

Invasive Plants (042)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/10/07

There are, in most places, a mix of native and invasive plants that our bees will visit because they don’t distinguish good from bad, noxious from native. They are looking for food, regardless of the source. This week Kim and Jim touch on a few of these, and try and come up with some recommendations and perhaps some plans on dealing with invasive plants and your honey bees. They start with the Chinese Tallow lawsuit going on in the south, with USDA wanting rid of it by introducing a natural pest

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16:18

Fall Feeding (041)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/09/30

If you have to feed your bees this fall, something probably went wrong this summer. Spring feeding, or feeding packages or splits is maybe more common, but there are some things to think about if you have to feed your bees in the fall. Is what went wrong the fault of your bees, your management, or the environment your bees have to live in. Too many row crops, pesticides, too much lawn…is there really any food out there at all? How much food does a colony actually need to get through the winter? You

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17:01

Winter Packing (040)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/09/23

Think about honey bees overwintering in a tree. There’s 4 to 6 inches of insulation, pretty good ventilation, and it’s lined with propolis. Now think of our bees living in a box with less than an inch of wood for protection. We pretty much don’t think of wintering anymore. There’s lots of bees, swarms, we can replace what we lose easily…. well, it was easy, but it’s not so much anymore. Varroa changed that. We can protect them if we want. Insulated covers, insulated wraps, roofing paper, all manner

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17:27

"Winter Is Coming" aka Planning For Winter (039)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/09/16

There’s a saying – Winter Begins in August and it’s already September. It’s time to start thinking about getting ready for winter. What can and what should you be thinking about? Well, if winter is cold where you are, can you move your bees to somewhere that’s warm? If moving bees is at all possible. What about indoor wintering? It used to be popular and it’s coming back, but the indoors are a lot more sophisticated than they used to be. Is that possible? And are your bees winter hardy, or are they

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14:23

Combining (Joining) Weak Colonies (038)

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast ·

2021/09/09

Right now, you have to make some decisions about how to overwinter your colonies. If you live in the deep south, there probably isn’t much to think about. But if you live north of warm winter weather, there’s a lot that has to be done. One of these tasks is what to do with a couple of small, weak colonies, because they are just not big enough to make it on their own. Several options are available. In this week’s episode, Kim and Jim look at the strengths and weaknesses of each to help you better

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