10 Decisions BEFORE Starting Beekeeping (Pt. 2)

WEBVTT

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in a world brimming with complexity few creatures

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embody harmony like the honeybee with tireless

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precision she dances from bloom to bloom each

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motion guided by millennia upon millennia of

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instinct each act in service to the whole and

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then There are the beekeepers, watchful stewards

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of this ancient symbiosis. Part agriscientist,

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part poet, they move along their hives with the

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efficiency of mow, levy and curly, tending to

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the bees' needs as best they can comprehend,

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and with the infrequency of a waterfall in the

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Sahara, sometimes running off flapping and flailing

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like a penguin on a hot sidewalk. This is their

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journey. Welcome, welcome to Be Love Beekeeping

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presented by our great friends and partners in

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beekeeping. Man Lake. Today we're continuing

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our discussion with two of the most fun beekeepers

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around, Kim and Steph. Last week we got started

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with our top 10 list of decisions to make before

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you take the leap into beekeeping. Today we pick

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up where we left off discussing all the clothing

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and equipment you need to get started, hive placement,

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hive stands, varroa treatment, and a whole bunch

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more. But first let's take a minute to go Inside

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the Hive, this feature presented by Primal Bee.

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Bees can give each other, oh shall we say, driving

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directions, specific ones, and they do it by

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dancing in the dark. When a forager finds a great

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patch of flowers, she flies home and performs

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what's called a waggle dance on the face of the

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comb. She runs in a straight line while shaking

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her body, then loops back around and does it

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again. The angle of that straight run tells the

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other bees which direction to fly relative to

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the sun. The length of the run tells them how

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far away it is. The more enthusiastic the dance,

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the better the food source. Keep in mind she's

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doing this on a vertical comb in total darkness,

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translating a horizontal flight path into a gravity

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-based code. The other bees crowd around and

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read the message with their antenna, and it works.

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Bees can navigate to food sources miles away

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from a single dance. The scientist who figured

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this out, Carl von Frisch, spent decades watching

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bees dance before he cracked the code. He won

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the Nobel Prize for it in 1973. Next time on

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Inside the Hive, we'll talk about where wax actually

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comes from, and here's a hint, it doesn't come

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from flowers. And if I could just add a little

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thing to Inside the Hive, the waggle dance is

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amazing, but as you can imagine, it's not perfectly

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accurate. There's a new piece of research just

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out from the University of Freeburg titled, Honey

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Bees Navigate More Precisely Than Previously

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Thought. In fact, bees will fly the same flight

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path within just a couple of centimeters to and

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from resources and their hive. Quoting the study

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here, it was previously known that the directional

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information in the waggle dance is good, but

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it's not entirely accurate. In other words, if

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I were to use my finger to point a direction

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for you to walk, it may be just a few degrees

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inaccurate. And over a few hundred yards or say

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a mile, you could end up many meters away from

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where I thought I was pointing. The research

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has shown that individual bees navigate much

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more accurately to destinations that they are

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already familiar with. Because of this individuality,

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we may conclude that the inaccuracy of the waggle

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dance is not due to the bees' limited navigational

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abilities, but rather individual animals are

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spatially much more accurately oriented than

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their dance can possibly communicate. Honey bees,

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they are amazing. Now, let's circle back with

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Kim and Steph. So that was the next thing I wanted

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to jump into is where do you buy bees? And I

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know we just covered half of it, but fill in

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the rest of the blanks for me. So we talked about

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this and aside from getting them from a supplier

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such as us, Man Lake, and like you just said,

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we I think you should get them locally. If they're

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acclimated to your area, chances are you probably

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know the beekeeper. If you're getting bees from

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him, you know where your bees came from, you

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know the environment that they've lived in. So

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I agree in getting your bees locally if you can.

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Go to, check out your local bee association online.

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A lot of times they'll post if somebody has nukes

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for sale. And ask lots of questions. When I first

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got started, I got packages from a local store,

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beekeeping store. And because I didn't know what

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to ask, well, they were actually bees from California.

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They had just been in the almonds. They had never

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spent time in the state that I'm in, let alone

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the part of the state that I'm in. And so I might

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as well have just gone to Los Angeles and bought

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them or something because I didn't know to ask.

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And if you don't have that, hey, buying them

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and having them sent to you works great. So you

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have options out there. Yes, it's important to

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ask a lot of questions and no question is a dumb

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question. Absolutely. You don't know how will

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you learn without asking. So even when you pick

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your bees up, what do I do from here? I know

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that you had a story with your niece where she

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went to pick up her bees. And she was thinking,

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well, what do I do now? And the person she bought

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the bees there from was there and was able to

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explain to her exactly what to do. And we also

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will do the same. We love to be able to explain

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because it's confusing. I did, you know, you're

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not really sure. And you can go to a place like

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YouTube and you can see 10 different beekeepers

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installing a package 12 different ways. Yeah,

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absolutely. And that rule applies to anything

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that you want to talk about in beekeeping. There's

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so many different ways to do it and what one

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beekeeper does in their area may or may not work

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for you and may not fit your beekeeping philosophy.

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Some people are very rough on their bees. There

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are also gentler ways to install packages and

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nooks. Agree. I wholeheartedly agree. All right,

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let's jump into other equipment that we need.

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We already talked about this is going to cost

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you a few dollars, but it's important to be outfitted

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right from the start. So let's talk about the

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essentials. I mean, there's lots of extras people

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can get, but really the necessities. What do

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you need to start with? You need to be protected

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from stings. And I'd like to say you need to

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be protected to your comfort level. So not everybody's

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comfort level is the same when it comes to wearing

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protective gear. I like to be fully suited. My

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partner, on the other hand, does not. He only

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wears a jacket. It's important to go with your

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comfort level, not what somebody else recommends,

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but a jacket, gloves, at the very least, a jacket

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and gloves. And by jacket, you're talking about

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the veil over your face as well. Right. With

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the veil, yeah. Let's talk about that protective

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clothing a little more before we move on. One

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of the things that I find is it is so important

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to be calm with your bees. And for new beekeepers,

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being fully protected from head to toe can really

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help us be more calm. Now as you get more used

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to the bees and you spend lots of time with them,

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maybe years, and you want to wear a little bit

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less protective clothing, That's great. I learned

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for example the first thing that I got rid of

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were the big bulky gloves Because I found I was

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squishing bees I was dropping frames and doing

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things like that that was not calm for the bees

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and So I moved on from that, but that's not right

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for everybody Exactly. We actually talk about

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this a lot and that Wearing what you feel comfortable

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helps you to, as you said, be calm and be able

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to tend to your bees in a little more peaceful

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and gentle way. If you're not worried about bees

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around your face or your hands or your ankles.

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you tend to be in a calmer space where you're

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able to do those weekly inspections and focus

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on gently handling the frames and looking at

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each, you know, piece of foundation and whatnot.

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So yeah, we found that we are real big believers

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in the proper PPE. But obviously, everyone is

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different with that. And there's nothing wrong

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with. everyone having their individual and you're

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even going to have a different style of glove

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that you like as you said that you you learned

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that the gloves you had were actually causing

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harm. Sometimes you do have to go with the different

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style too. I prefer the rubber gloves or our

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new tech yeah the tactical gloves because they

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fit my fingers better and therefore I'm able

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to lift those frames up without being too clumsy

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and I can still feel that my hands are protected.

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And I'll say too, I've been beekeeping for the

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better part of five years now, and I am most

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comfortable when I'm completely suited up from

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head to toe. And that's just the way I like to

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get into the hive is 100 % protection. You also

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don't know, you know, you could be going in your

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hive. nine times out of ten and those bees are

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just fine and you go in there on that tenth time

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and they're just not having it. And if you're

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not properly suited at that point, you will regret

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it. You absolutely will. Yeah, this is not a

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competition. If you want to be fully suited up

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head to toe. Good for you. I have no problem

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with that whatsoever. Everybody has seen a few

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people on YouTube that have their hair done and

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their makeup on and they look perfect and they're

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handling bees with their bare fingers and everything

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else. I wouldn't suggest that when you're brand

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new and for most people never. Okay, do we need

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anything else on PPE? No, I don't think so. But

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just know this isn't a contest. It's not who's

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the better beekeeper or who's more brave because

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they're wearing less protective equipment. Doesn't

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matter. I like that. Do what you're comfortable

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with, please. What else do people need to buy

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right off the bat and have on hand? I would say

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frames. Have some extra frames available. Have

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an extra hive body. Have an extra super available

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and the frames to go with both of them. Have

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an extra hive setup if you can because you never

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know what's going to happen. You might catch

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a swarm. Somebody might call you and say there's

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a swarm at my house. Can you come get it? And

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if you want more bees you want to be prepared.

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Okay a little bit of extra equipment. What else?

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You'll want a smoker. and that's to go along

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with your PPE. You'll wanna have a smoker and

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you'll wanna actually light your smoker before

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you go down to your hive each time. Whether or

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not you use it, that's another thing, but you

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wanna be prepared and have it going ahead of

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time just in case. So the smoker, smoker fuel,

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a hive tool is important. A couple hive tools.

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A couple of hive tools because you're probably

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gonna lose one. But a hive tool. is probably

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your best friend in the bee yard sometimes because

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you're going to need it to open the hive, pry

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your frames out, to do other things. You may

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have to use it as a screwdriver once, but you

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never know. And hive tools are inexpensive. Trust

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me, if you think you don't need one, you need

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one. Or ten. By the way, do you have a favorite

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style of hive tool? I personally like a J hook.

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I love that I can just do a flat end and then

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a prying end. I love a J hook. I do too, but

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explain what that is. Oh, sure. I don't have

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one on me. So it looks just like a regular end

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that you can pry, like a flat end. And then the

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other end is shaped like a J. and but it's also

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flat but that is so you can literally pry things

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up. I'm surprised I don't have one on my desk

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actually. Here's your normal hive tool. That's

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actually my favorite. The j -hook I'm going to

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show you is an extreme example. Most of them

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are not quite this big but this one works awesome

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and even has a thing here like a lot of them

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do so you can hang them on a nail or screw or

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something. I would say if you're a beginner,

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buy any hive tool. These are under what? Under

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10 bucks. These are maybe 15 or 20. I don't know.

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You're going to end up buying more than one anyway.

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So start with one, see what you like and experiment

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with some others. But you're going to use a hive

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tool every single time that you're out with the

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bees. Absolutely. You absolutely are. There have

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been times when I've been to the bee yard and

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somehow didn't have a hive tool and couldn't

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do anything at all. So I do have a quick story

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with that too, because we would often go out

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to our apiary unprepared without a hive tool,

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thinking there would already be some out there.

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I've already had to pry open my hive with a mouse

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guard because I was not going to go all the way

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back to get my hive tool, and I don't recommend

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that. So from now on, we have multiple hive tools

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everywhere, don't we? Everywhere. Everywhere.

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any kind of style because whatever gets the job

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done, whatever you feel comfortable with and

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being able to pry open from the propolis and

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everything. And they make tiny ones too, like

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the same exact thing, but just in a tiny size.

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So we sound like we like high tools a lot. Well

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they're an inexpensive thing and we use them

00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:16.139
all the time so I get it. And if you're a beginner

00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.039
and you've never opened up a hive that the bees

00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:21.279
have been in for a while, there's a thing called

00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:24.080
propolis. And that's why you need a hive tool

00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.620
because you're prying these things apart. Once

00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:31.039
you get inside you've got frames to get out.

00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:33.799
There is wax, there's propolis, there's all kinds

00:15:33.799 --> 00:15:37.879
of sticky stuff going on. and you just need a

00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:40.500
tool for some help. Did we leave anything out?

00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:44.159
We talked about PPE. We talked about all the

00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:47.759
boxes that you need. We talked about smokers,

00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:52.639
hive tools, bees. Are we done? You did touch

00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:55.379
on mentors a little bit. Even before you get

00:15:55.379 --> 00:15:58.440
started having bees, the whole prospect seems

00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:01.899
overwhelming. I know that we have thought the

00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:05.080
same thing. if you're able to take any classes

00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.259
locally. I know not everybody has that opportunity.

00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:10.759
I've talked to quite a few people who live in

00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:13.700
the middle of nowhere and are not able to attend

00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:17.379
any type of B associations or meetings. So there

00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:20.139
are online classes available and most often they're

00:16:20.139 --> 00:16:22.700
for free. I know we always say do your research,

00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:26.820
but you can definitely do Google searches to

00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:30.610
find any type of classes. books, of course YouTube,

00:16:30.669 --> 00:16:33.210
but it is hard when you go to watch YouTube videos.

00:16:33.389 --> 00:16:35.389
There are going to be so many different ways

00:16:35.389 --> 00:16:37.809
of doing things that can also seem overwhelming.

00:16:38.429 --> 00:16:40.690
Are you planning on expanding your apiary this

00:16:40.690 --> 00:16:44.029
year or are you a beginner thinking about jumping

00:16:44.029 --> 00:16:47.049
into beekeeping for the very first time? Take

00:16:47.049 --> 00:16:49.669
it from someone who's purchased beekeeping equipment

00:16:49.669 --> 00:16:53.690
from many different suppliers. If you want made

00:16:53.690 --> 00:16:57.740
in USA woodenware, premium feeds, top quality,

00:16:57.960 --> 00:17:00.940
and great prices on everything, give Man Lake

00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:03.850
a try. And whether or not you're a beekeeper,

00:17:04.369 --> 00:17:06.569
you can help honey bees and other pollinators

00:17:06.569 --> 00:17:09.950
by planting bee friendly forage. Man Lake has

00:17:09.950 --> 00:17:12.609
that too. In fact, download the free Man Lake

00:17:12.609 --> 00:17:15.529
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00:17:15.529 --> 00:17:19.529
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00:17:19.529 --> 00:17:22.509
to use discount code, get started in bees. It's

00:17:22.509 --> 00:17:25.349
all down in the show notes for savings on live

00:17:25.349 --> 00:17:29.910
bees, beginner kits, and even seeds. Here's something

00:17:29.910 --> 00:17:33.630
to ponder on today. Strong colonies fight mites

00:17:33.630 --> 00:17:36.369
better, they groom more, they remove infected

00:17:36.369 --> 00:17:39.809
brood, they bounce back faster, but all of that

00:17:39.809 --> 00:17:43.990
takes energy. Primal beehives reduce thermal

00:17:43.990 --> 00:17:47.009
stress so your bees have more in the tank when

00:17:47.009 --> 00:17:50.309
it matters. So if you want to give your colonies

00:17:50.309 --> 00:17:53.430
an advantage, give the primal beehive a try.

00:17:53.769 --> 00:17:57.839
And right now, Primal B is offering a 10 % discount

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00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:05.660
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00:18:05.660 --> 00:18:08.900
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00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.740
That's so true. And just to add to what Kim said,

00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:16.240
I found here recently being so new to TikTok,

00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:19.519
I haven't really been able to get into a beekeeping

00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:23.529
club. I know that sounds crazy, but Online, your

00:18:23.529 --> 00:18:27.329
social media platforms are a huge resource. If

00:18:27.329 --> 00:18:30.089
you don't have a bee club to go to, check out

00:18:30.089 --> 00:18:32.730
TikTok. There's a huge community of beekeepers

00:18:32.730 --> 00:18:35.569
out there giving out so much information that

00:18:35.569 --> 00:18:37.930
you may not even hear in your local bee club.

00:18:38.410 --> 00:18:40.950
So your social media platforms are really becoming,

00:18:40.950 --> 00:18:44.089
I think, the next kind of level of beekeeping

00:18:44.089 --> 00:18:47.269
associations. And it's a really fun community

00:18:47.269 --> 00:18:49.839
to be a part of. As long as you brought it up,

00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:52.539
let's talk about bee clubs for a minute. For

00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:55.559
those of us that are more introverts, we're going,

00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:58.700
why do I want to join some sort of a club? What's

00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:01.779
the point? the knowledge alone, the knowledge

00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:03.720
that you're gonna learn, even if you just sit

00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.000
and listen, you don't have to talk, but to sit

00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:09.180
and listen and hear everybody's stories, you're

00:19:09.180 --> 00:19:13.000
gonna learn so much just from that itself. And

00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:15.420
you may have the side benefit of meeting a little

00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:17.779
beekeeping buddy, and that's always nice too,

00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:21.119
but just to sit and listen, I think is hugely

00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:24.079
beneficial. you'll hear what's going on locally.

00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:27.680
You'll have beekeepers of all different experience

00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:31.299
levels, but primarily what are the bees foraging

00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:34.799
on in your area and what the weather is like

00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:38.240
and how did the bees acclimate to that environment

00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:42.089
if someone is having a mite issue. and then multiple

00:19:42.089 --> 00:19:44.730
people in that area are also experiencing that.

00:19:45.049 --> 00:19:47.210
It's nice to be able to listen to other people

00:19:47.210 --> 00:19:49.670
in your area. As Steph said, even if you don't

00:19:49.670 --> 00:19:51.269
want to talk, if you just want to sit in the

00:19:51.269 --> 00:19:54.430
back and just listen, it does help you to feel

00:19:54.430 --> 00:19:57.329
not alone, that you're not the only one experiencing

00:19:57.329 --> 00:19:59.230
that, that other people could be going through

00:19:59.230 --> 00:20:03.150
the same thing in your area. All right. Let's

00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:07.079
talk about where to put your bees. I know we

00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:10.759
have people listening that have a 20 acre farm

00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:13.700
and other people that have a quarter acre Place

00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:16.480
in the suburbs and even people that are living

00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:20.299
in an apartment in an urban area Okay, where

00:20:20.299 --> 00:20:22.900
are you gonna put your bees? So you're gonna

00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:25.299
want to make sure that your bees are facing the

00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:28.589
morning Sun. That's gonna be important But before

00:20:28.589 --> 00:20:30.769
you do, wherever you're at, you wanna make sure

00:20:30.769 --> 00:20:33.349
that your regulations allow for it. And then

00:20:33.349 --> 00:20:35.710
if you're good, even if you are in an urban area

00:20:35.710 --> 00:20:38.849
like I am, I just make sure my bees are facing,

00:20:39.309 --> 00:20:41.809
if I was to have one out here, I'd face the morning

00:20:41.809 --> 00:20:44.730
sun. So if you have like, if they're gonna be

00:20:44.730 --> 00:20:46.750
in your yard, you wanna keep them at least 100

00:20:46.750 --> 00:20:49.829
feet away from any other things that might be

00:20:49.829 --> 00:20:52.180
out there. You want to put them on some level

00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:55.839
land. So where I live, I do live in the woods,

00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:58.779
but I live on a mountain. So while I have a lot

00:20:58.779 --> 00:21:02.960
of area, that's not always really. going to be

00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:05.799
the best place to put a hive and expect it to

00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:09.500
stay level. I try to keep it away from our pool

00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:13.400
because the bees will go to your pool area. They

00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:15.799
really are attracted to that water. I don't know

00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.619
if it's the chlorine or what, but you will have

00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:21.019
bees around the pool. So keeping it away from

00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:24.160
a pool water source, but also having another

00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:26.420
water source for them to drink from is great.

00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:28.640
So you just want to make sure you have some level

00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:31.980
land and even having it in an area where you

00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:35.500
won't have to do a lot of weeding or lawn care

00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:39.640
because while the bees don't tend to really mind

00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:43.259
a lawnmower, they don't seem to really like a

00:21:43.259 --> 00:21:48.400
weed whacker. If you're able to keep away the

00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:52.980
weeds and everything that tends to get near the

00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:56.160
hives, if you have a spot that you can put them.

00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:59.839
where they won't get a lot of overgrown. Yeah,

00:22:00.099 --> 00:22:02.299
my biggest high beetles as well. So let's say

00:22:02.299 --> 00:22:07.220
I live in a suburban area on a quarter acre or

00:22:07.220 --> 00:22:10.619
less or something. With my house, how do I know

00:22:10.619 --> 00:22:13.259
if it's legal to put bees there? And what are

00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:17.079
my neighbors going to think? So you want to reach

00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:20.579
out to, I guess it would be your city count.

00:22:20.700 --> 00:22:23.519
I'm not sure exactly. You can use the internet.

00:22:23.539 --> 00:22:26.400
That's what I did. But make sure I reached out

00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:28.819
to, I just looked online and to see what the

00:22:28.819 --> 00:22:31.339
regulations are. It's an easy search. And then

00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:34.900
you can always call too. Call your local municipal

00:22:34.900 --> 00:22:38.720
building or whoever runs that for you. They'll

00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:41.420
know for sure. Ask the people in your B club.

00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:44.180
They'll know. They'll know they're sure to it

00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:47.200
is good to attend a meeting and you can reach

00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:51.160
out to your county and As for the neighbors if

00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:54.079
you do plan on keeping these if you have permission

00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:56.900
to keep the bees on your property It's great

00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:59.619
to go around to your neighbors and just say hey

00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:03.220
This is what I want to have here and offer them

00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:05.539
some honey if you're able they they usually don't

00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:08.690
have too much of a problem getting some honey.

00:23:09.589 --> 00:23:11.950
It's good to let the neighbors know too in case

00:23:11.950 --> 00:23:14.990
there's somebody who might be allergic. So keep

00:23:14.990 --> 00:23:17.089
your neighbors in mind when it comes to things

00:23:17.089 --> 00:23:19.910
like that. One of the things that we left out

00:23:19.910 --> 00:23:23.390
that I guess can go under this topic and the

00:23:23.390 --> 00:23:26.849
one that we just left of all the different things

00:23:26.849 --> 00:23:30.069
that we need to get set up. We didn't talk about

00:23:30.069 --> 00:23:33.869
any kind of a hive stand. Tell us about hive

00:23:33.869 --> 00:23:36.869
stands, why they're important. You do want to

00:23:36.869 --> 00:23:40.079
have some form of hive sand and Man Lake does

00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.740
some really great hive stands whether it be a

00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:46.099
plastic variety or a metal. You want to have

00:23:46.099 --> 00:23:49.119
the stand at least 18 inches off the ground.

00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:51.799
That's going to help with any type of pests or

00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:56.299
predators. Typically the 18 inches is more for

00:23:56.299 --> 00:23:59.319
skunks. Skunks are real interested in beehives

00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:01.839
and they're going to want to put their noses

00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:04.339
right up to there. You don't want to have a hive

00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:06.740
directly on the ground because then you're just

00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:10.400
encouraging pests like ants and hive beetles

00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:14.640
and other types of insects to get in there and

00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:17.440
wreak havoc. 18 inches is really just the standard,

00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:19.670
but you could go a little bit. taller than that

00:24:19.670 --> 00:24:23.789
if you wanted to. And we use all types of hide

00:24:23.789 --> 00:24:27.210
stands. We've used pallets. We've used cinder

00:24:27.210 --> 00:24:30.690
blocks. My husband made a hide stand out of scrap

00:24:30.690 --> 00:24:33.910
wood. It's just my favorite. You don't necessarily

00:24:33.910 --> 00:24:36.650
have to buy a stand, but you just want to be

00:24:36.650 --> 00:24:40.849
able to provide a level surface, keeping the

00:24:40.849 --> 00:24:44.109
hive off the ground. Yeah, a lot of people just

00:24:44.109 --> 00:24:47.650
use pallets. That's not 18 inches high. That's

00:24:47.650 --> 00:24:50.690
what four inches or something Whatever works

00:24:50.690 --> 00:24:53.109
for you. I like having them a little higher also

00:24:53.109 --> 00:24:55.589
because I'm not bending over quite so far that

00:24:55.589 --> 00:24:59.190
way Exactly, they're 18 inches or so off the

00:24:59.190 --> 00:25:01.970
ground. It's easier on my back If you were to

00:25:01.970 --> 00:25:04.490
put a hive right on the ground, you've got moisture

00:25:04.490 --> 00:25:07.750
issues as well as all the pest issues All right

00:25:07.750 --> 00:25:11.309
the next thing on my list is sort of a self -evaluation

00:25:11.309 --> 00:25:15.470
and that is figuring out what kind of beekeeper

00:25:15.470 --> 00:25:19.849
you are going to be because there are people

00:25:19.849 --> 00:25:23.809
that are more like commercial beekeepers where

00:25:23.809 --> 00:25:26.650
it's hey I want the honey I don't want to spend

00:25:26.650 --> 00:25:29.480
much time with the bees. I'm going to put in

00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:33.079
whatever chemicals I need to control varroa etc.

00:25:33.740 --> 00:25:35.700
There are other people on the far end of the

00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:38.279
spectrum that just love their bees so much and

00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:41.039
want to spend time with them. They want to keep

00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:43.880
chemicals out as much as possible and there's

00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:46.920
everything in between. I'm going to say take

00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:50.240
a long look at yourself. One of the things that

00:25:50.869 --> 00:25:54.869
seems to work for people is if you do any gardening,

00:25:55.329 --> 00:25:58.529
what kind of a gardener are you? Are you fine

00:25:58.529 --> 00:26:01.569
spraying a lot of chemicals in your garden? If

00:26:01.569 --> 00:26:03.849
you're not fine doing that, you're probably going

00:26:03.849 --> 00:26:05.910
to be the same way with how you take care of

00:26:05.910 --> 00:26:08.710
your bees. Ladies, give me some thoughts on this

00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:13.380
topic. I would say, uh... I am that type of person

00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:15.900
that will be on my hands and knees picking dandelions

00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:19.940
off the ground so I can use it to infuse an oil

00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:24.000
or make mead with. So I am the type of, I do

00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.599
take a little bit more of a natural approach,

00:26:26.819 --> 00:26:29.079
but understanding boromites and the importance

00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:32.970
of treating. And one of the reasons I have a

00:26:32.970 --> 00:26:36.009
top bar hive is because I like to make a lot

00:26:36.009 --> 00:26:39.549
of products. I like beeswax. Primarily, I use

00:26:39.549 --> 00:26:42.410
that in a lot of things that I make. And with

00:26:42.410 --> 00:26:45.690
a top bar hive, you'll get a lot of wax. I would

00:26:45.690 --> 00:26:47.849
say I'm the type where I know it's important

00:26:47.849 --> 00:26:51.049
to inspect your bees, especially in the spring

00:26:51.049 --> 00:26:54.470
and summer. But I also like to step back a little

00:26:54.470 --> 00:26:57.299
bit. I don't like to bother them too much. I

00:26:57.299 --> 00:26:59.940
like to watch them fly around. I like to sit

00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:02.839
out front and just watch them go in and out and

00:27:02.839 --> 00:27:05.819
bringing back the pollen. We like to watch the

00:27:05.819 --> 00:27:08.220
colors. It sounds like Ag, you could be talking

00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:10.400
for me too, because I'm the kind of beekeeper

00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:13.420
that I am going to be nosy if I need to be. I

00:27:13.420 --> 00:27:15.400
want to see what's going on in the hive. Are

00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:18.559
you guys doing okay? If not, what can I do to

00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:21.819
help you along with that? I also like just sitting

00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:24.200
there and watching my bees. So I'm definitely

00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:27.450
a hands on. How can I? you and then I'm gonna

00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:30.549
research it and see what do I need to do? Do

00:27:30.549 --> 00:27:32.710
I need to do anything at all? Am I being a little

00:27:32.710 --> 00:27:35.630
wild about this? But I'm kind of a very hands

00:27:35.630 --> 00:27:38.190
-on beekeeper. I wasn't to begin with though.

00:27:38.309 --> 00:27:40.829
I will say that I definitely was not. I was a

00:27:40.829 --> 00:27:43.529
set it and forget it kind of beekeeper and I

00:27:43.529 --> 00:27:46.450
regret that. I could have learned so much more

00:27:46.450 --> 00:27:49.529
had I not done that my first year. And it's okay

00:27:49.529 --> 00:27:51.960
to change as you go. You might start with one

00:27:51.960 --> 00:27:54.299
philosophy and then change, hey, I like to spend

00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:56.900
more time with my bees or less time with my bees,

00:27:57.079 --> 00:28:00.180
or I tried being treatment -free, it didn't really

00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:05.200
work for me, or vice versa. And I don't want

00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:07.640
to go down the rabbit hole of treatment -free

00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:10.519
or chemical -free beekeeping today because that

00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:13.200
could be another couple of sessions. But can

00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:16.880
you give people just a little background on what

00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:19.900
the differences are and the differences in philosophy?

00:28:20.089 --> 00:28:23.250
Sure. So I used to not want to treat my bees.

00:28:23.609 --> 00:28:25.769
I didn't want to because I thought I was harming

00:28:25.769 --> 00:28:30.329
my bees. In reality, I thought I would be harming

00:28:30.329 --> 00:28:33.170
them by treating them with chemicals. In reality,

00:28:33.309 --> 00:28:35.630
I harmed them by not treating them because I

00:28:35.630 --> 00:28:39.349
lost a whole colony due to the varroa mite. So

00:28:39.349 --> 00:28:43.900
I think where I was a non chemical person. And

00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:46.359
there's other types. There's people using like

00:28:46.359 --> 00:28:49.720
mushroom, different types of mushroom organic

00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:51.980
things that you can put right on the beehive.

00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:54.359
Now I just want to make sure the mites are going

00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:56.660
to, you know, be at their very least. So I will

00:28:56.660 --> 00:28:59.299
medicate them. I'm choosing oxalic acid because

00:28:59.299 --> 00:29:02.240
that seems like a better way for me to treat.

00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:05.400
I'm not ever going to be a non -treater again.

00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:08.599
I've learned my lesson. And some treatments are

00:29:08.599 --> 00:29:11.619
much more natural than others. right? The acids

00:29:11.619 --> 00:29:13.819
and some of those things compared to some of

00:29:13.819 --> 00:29:16.500
the other chemicals. Some people really believe

00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:20.019
in some of the other chemicals because they work.

00:29:20.339 --> 00:29:23.039
For me, it's also like with the gear that you're

00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:26.079
going to wear, your medications, it's just your

00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:28.200
comfort level. What are you comfortable giving

00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:31.519
your bees? That's just a comfort level thing

00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:37.529
I believe as well. Thanks again for joining us

00:29:37.529 --> 00:29:40.130
on Be Love Beekeeping presented by our great

00:29:40.130 --> 00:29:42.289
friends over at Man Lake. Hey, and don't forget

00:29:42.289 --> 00:29:45.549
to order your bees. And a shout out to V2B Health

00:29:45.549 --> 00:29:48.529
for their support. Vita's Varroa Control Ranger

00:29:48.529 --> 00:29:52.730
products includes Epistan, Epigard, and now Varroxan.

00:29:52.809 --> 00:29:56.309
Extended release, Oxalic Acid Strips. Thank you

00:29:56.309 --> 00:30:00.210
so much guys. If you haven't yet, please subscribe

00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:02.410
and follow the show, tell your friends about

00:30:02.410 --> 00:30:05.309
it, and click on over to BeLoveBekeeping .com

00:30:05.309 --> 00:30:08.589
to sign up for our free newsletter. If you have

00:30:08.589 --> 00:30:11.750
a guest suggestion or topic that you'd like discussed

00:30:11.750 --> 00:30:15.150
on the show, shoot me an email, eric at BeLoveBekeeping

00:30:15.150 --> 00:30:18.440
.com. And remember if you're not just in it for

00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.819
the honey or the money, you're in it for the

00:30:20.819 --> 00:30:22.319
love. See you next week.