The Hive Jive - Beekeeping Podcast
Summary: What happens when you take a professional Fishing Guide, pair him with a Master Beekeeper, and throw in some Texas Red Headed Mutt Honeybees? Well, we are about to find out! Ken Milam, host of The Great Outdoors & Sunday Sportsman radio shows, and professional fishing guide, has decided that he thinks he’d like to start keeping bees. Problem is, he has absolutely no idea where to start. Enter John Swan, owner of Wicked Bee, and a Texas Master Beekeeper. Together they are going to embark on a beekeeping journey as Ken learns all there is to know about honeybees and the art of beekeeping. Tune in to the podcast and join them on their journey, and see what all trouble they manage to get themselves into along the way. New episodes are released the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month with additional bonus episodes scattered throughout.
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- Artist: John Swan; Ken Milam
- Copyright: The Hive Jive Podcast
Podcasts:
The guys take the time to bask in their 5 seconds of fame after learning an online blog ranking list put The Hive Jive as the #2 beekeeping podcast to listen to in 2019. They also discuss the merits and pitfalls of social media in beekeeping. And, we check in with Ken to see what he finds most interesting after having his bees for two months.
John kicks things off with a challenge to all of you, and he offers up Ken’s Honey as the reward! On a more serious note, it’s HOT out there! How does the heat affect the bees, and how do they cope? Plus, one more time around the block on how to know when to feed during the summer dearth, and what to feed. What are you waiting on? Download the episode and press play already!
In this episode of The Hive Jive, John and Ken discuss the mystery of the vanishing queen during the summer dearth. Did you really lose your queen, or can you just not spot her? The guys also address some listener questions that concern other hive issues at the beginning of the Summer Dearth.
John and Ken take you on a long and winding road of various beekeeping topics in an episode that is far from just ten minutes long. Just when you think they might wrap it up, the guys make sharp detour while jumping from topic to topic. From using honey for wound care, to brood reduction during a dearth, and even neighborhood beekeeping disasters… you’re bound to find something of interest.
The summer dearth is fast approaching; do you know what to do? For that matter, do you know what it means? John and Ken discuss how this time of year might affect your colonies and what you can do to help them out. There might even be some talk of bears… oh my!
In what might be the shortest episode to date, John and Ken tackle a couple more listener questions. Does freezing drone brood frames help reduce varroa? Do you have to clean out the cells after, or can the bees? How do we know bees can’t see red? What do they see in its place? Should you own a red bee suit? Tune in to find out!
With all the buzz in the news lately over bees interrupting baseball games, Ken and John reach out to Dirk Morgan, savior of the bees during the Cincinnati Reds game. Ken also gives John an update on how the topbar hives are progressing.
In this episode special guest Larry Weishuhn joins Ken and John to discuss how bees are a very important part of wildlife and habitat conservation. Every living thing is connected in some way, and sometimes we just have to stop and take a really close look at how our actions and what we do can impact everything else around us.
In this episode of The Hive Jive, John and Ken discuss the difference of Supering vs Nadiring when adding new boxes to your hive. They also break down the concept of making splits if you want to increase your colony numbers.
The wait is finally over, Ken got his first bees! John and Ken spent the weekend scouting locations and setting up Ken’s first four beehives. Working with what was built and (mostly) ready to go, Ken is starting off with two standard 10 frame Langstroths Deeps, and two 19 inch style Topbar hive bodies. Join us as the guys decompress and breakdown the events of Bee Day One on Ken’s journey into beekeeping.
Your new bees have just arrived and you want them to grow up big and strong. So, what do you feed them? How much and how often should you feed them? John and Ken talk spring/summer feeding tips, concepts, and advice on this episode of The Hive Jive.
This bonus episode contains random clips from previous releases of The Hive Jive that were originally edited out for time limits during their specific original episodes. Enjoy the randomness!
Join us for this special Bonus episode of The Hive Jive where the guys make a second attempt at answering YOUR listener questions! This discussion follows many topics such as how to cycle out old comb, feeding bees, varroa mites, and even whether boys can see better than girls. Wait, what...?
When getting started in beekeeping, waiting on your first colony to arrive can feel like an eternity. John and Ken talk through the process so that you know what is going on with packages, nucs, and queen bees during this crucial period before your first bees are ready for pickup.
In this Bonus episode of The Hive Jive, John and Ken discuss the importance of being aware of current legislation, doing your own research, and forming your own opinions about current affairs without blindly following what you see on social media.
