In what almost feels like a regular episode, the guys lose track of time and give us our first 45-minute episode since the Quarantine started. Recent rains may signal a light at the end of the tunnel, and a hopeful saving grace for a potential honey harvest this summer. A lot of people have been dealing with swarming already this year, and that might only continue now that rains have arrived. Plus, what’s an episode without a rant about irresponsible beekeepers getting EMS and the Fire Department called on them!?

In this episode, John discusses one listeners opinion of the P word, and then turns around and chastises sensationalists for using the M word. Say what? Tune in now to untangle this mess, and to learn a little bit of truth about the Asian Giant Hornet and whether it currently garners the attention it is getting in the media at the moment.

This April was like a yo-yo as far as the weather went. This back and forth caused some setbacks to the flowers, which negatively impacted the bees, and therefore some of the beekeepers as well. John sits down to tell just a few of the problems that he faced this past month in an effort to let everyone know that we all face hard times every now and then. It happens to us all.

In this episode John attempts to walk us through the concept of reading your comb. Did the bees drink that jar of sugar syrup you just gave them yesterday, or simply store it? Are they raising brood? Does your queen have a good laying pattern? Is there a nectar flow in your area? All of these things can be determined by learning how to read your comb to better understand what is going on with your bees.

On the previous episode they guys discussed how you can raise a new queen. But, what about the actual installation process itself? Regardless if you have a ripe queen cell, a new virgin queen in a cage, or have purchased a fully mated queen, how you install them can make all the difference!

Today, on a very crackly episode, the guys discuss the various ways you can raise a new queen bee at home. Both on purpose, and of course by accident.

While the social distancing continues, John and Ken phone in another episode via remote broadcast and teleconference. This week the guys are discussing the different ways that you can make a split from your colony. There are a lot of different options based on the time of year, available resources, and what you are trying to accomplish. Tune in now to see if they guys can help make it clear as mud!

The guys are forced to do their first ever episode via Teleconference and they aren’t so sure they like it all that much. But, despite all the crazy COVID19 restrictions and hurdles, there is still a lot of bee talk that needs doing! So join us as the guys phone in their experiences while installing Ken’s first packages of bees.

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!