HomesteadHensandHoney

Happy Turkey Day! Take a break from eating obscene amounts of pie and other decadent holiday treats, and listen in to the final part of my series on basic chicken biology/anatomy. This week, I discus…

This week, I am continuing my 'chicken theme' and talking about chicken biology. This is part 1 in a 2 part series, and covers the skin, immune system, lymphatic system, muscles, skeletal system, and…

Hello! Episode 31 covers all my hive news (spoiler: it's not great), the loss of a hen, the introduction of a new hen, and finally some common reproductive disorders in chickens. I go over the reprod…

It's here, the final chapter!! 

Episode 30 covers chapter 11 of 'The Lives of Bees'  by Thomas Seeley, summarizing all that has been discussed in the book so far, and offering suggestions as to how we…

Hello hello! This is the second to last chapter of the book. Huzzah! We learn all about colony defense, which includes a fair amount of information about the development of varroa mite resistance beh…

I'm back with the book review that never ends! Today, we learn all about how bees regulate the temperature of their brood nest; how they generate heat via their flight muscles; and how wild nest cavi…

Hello hello! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing John Swan, host of the Hive Jive podcast. I'm a huge fan of this podcast, and I've been listening from the beginning, so when John asked me if …

Welcome back to the book review that never ends! This chapter is all about food collection and is fascinating. You will be amazed at just how much pollen and nectar is needed to sustain a single colo…

I'm back with the book review that never ends! This week, I cover chapter 7, which is all about honey bee reproduction, including such interesting subjects as the average amount of drones vs queens p…

Hello hello! This week, I discuss everything that's been going on here, including: why people should be wearing masks, living in a COVID hotspot, heat stress in chickens, how I came to adopt my first…

Continuing my book review of 'The Lives of Bees' by Thomas Seeley! Today, we tackle chapters 5 and 6, which take a detailed look at the nest site preferences of honey bees, as well as their unique an…

Welcome to episode 22! Today, I'm talking about what's going on in my hive, what you can expect during a state apiary inspection, why I chose to make nucleus colonies over splits, and how knowing abo…

Hello hello! I'm back to reviewing the book 'The Lives of Bees' by Thomas Seeley, and cover chapters 3 and 4 this episode. Seeley takes a look at the history of the honey bee and humanity's relations…

Hello hello! This week, I am taking a break from the book reviews to just chat about things that have been happening here on the homestead, and other points of interest. Then I discuss how to set up …

Hello hello! This week, I talk a little about the Asian Giant Hornet and why we don't need to panic, and then start a detailed review of 'The Lives of Bees' by Thomas Seeley. I cover chapters 1-2, an…

Hey folks! This week, I'm giving you all the news about my hives, including a colony loss and a package install. Then I go into a detailed review of the fictional book 'The Bees' by Laline Paul, whic…

Hey folks! This week I share an update on how my bees are getting along, and then review the book 'Top-Bar Beekeeping' by Les Crowder and Heather Harrell.

You can find a run down of everything discuss…

Hey folks! Hoping you are all safe and healthy, and muddling through this scary time as best you can. We're on a shelter in place order like many others and are adjusting to the new routine.

This week…

Hi folks! I hope you're all staying safe during this COVID-19 madness. 

This week is my final episode on my 3 part series about edible gardens. I talk about sunflowers and their benefits as a pollinat…

Hello my lovelies! This is part 2 of my 3 part series on edible gardens. This episode, I talk about even more herbs, lettuce/salad greens, leafy greens, and parsnips (which are apparently quite the s…