Honey Bee Obscura Podcast

In this enlightening episode, Jim invites American Bee Journal editor, Eugene Makovec, to the podcast to chat about their experiences and insights on how to engage young minds with the fascinating wo…

In this episode, Jim Tew and Anne Frey tackle a common yet often overlooked challenge in beekeeping: managing the heavy weight of hives. They delve into practical solutions and innovative ideas to ma…

Join Jim Tew and David Peck in a critical conversation about Varroa mite management in beekeeping. This episode demystifies the process of counting mites, offering practical advice and insights into …

Diving into the sweet yet challenging world of honey consumption, this week’s episode of Honey Bee Obscura delves into the nuances of enjoying honey—without the mess. Jim discusses the inevitable sti…

In today's episode, Jim is joined by Dr. David Peck, an expert in varroa mites, to delve into the critical issue of honey bee colony collapse linked to varroa infestation. This topic is different fro…

In this episode we delve into the concept of "supering," a term unique to beekeeping that has emerged over the past century. To those outside the beekeeping community, the term might sound like somet…

In today's episode, Jim and Becky Masterman (co-host of Beekeeping Today Podcast) delve into the challenges and joys of mentoring young beekeepers, with a special focus on family dynamics. Jim shares…

Beekeepers must often confine their bees to the hives for long or short periods of time, whether it be to move them from one yard to another, or if pesticides are to be used in neighboring fields and…

Hive inspections are essential in the beekeeping, serving as the cornerstone for effective colony management. Through these inspections, beekeepers gain crucial insights that guide their decisions fo…

In this week's episode, Jim is delighted to welcome back David Peck from Betterbee. In this intriguing discussion, they explore what Jim calls, "Reverse Beekeeping," a unique approach that focuses on…

Practice makes perfect, as the old adage says. This really rings true in the bee yard and working with honey bees. This week, Jim invites Betterbee’s EAS Master Beekeeper, Anne Frey, to the podcast t…

There comes a time for many beekeepers when they realize they have more colonies than time to properly work them - with “work” being the operative word. If they’ve been keeping bees long enough, they…

In today's episode, Jim and David Peck, PhD, delve into a fascinating topic that rarely gets any ‘air time’ unless you are interested specifically in raising queens: Queen Isolation Cages.

For beekee…

In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Kim and Jim delve into several important maintenance tasks that beekeepers can undertake during the winter season to ensure the health and productivity of their …

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Join Kim and Jim in this special archive episode from late October 2021, where they delve into the critical task of preparing your hives for the winter season. This episode is pa…

As the leaves fall and the bees nestle in for winter, many beekeepers find themselves next to a warm fire, a cup of tea in hand, flipping through the pages of their cherished bee books. Have you ever…

In today’s episode Jim invites Becky Masterman to discuss the lasting impact of Dr. Walter Rothenbuhler’s seminal research on honey bee hygienic behavior. His work, which has been a bedrock in the fi…

Beekeeping is not always as straightforward as hive inspections and honey extraction. When bees decide to set up shop in places beyond the traditional hive box, it requires specialized techniques and…

In the intricate realm of beekeeping, the queen bee reigns supreme, yet she remains a mysterious figure for many beekeepers. Join Jim as he welcomes Anne Frey, the head beekeeper of Betterbee, to del…

In this episode, Jim, is joined by guest, Eugene Makovec, the editor of The American Bee Journal, to dissect the emotionally charged debate that's capturing the attention of beekeepers everywhere: Do…