Beekeeping at FiveApple

Bee-School Radio Part 2: The Colony (51)

Talking about the whole hive as 'the animal.'

https://www.patreon.com/posts/33062208

Bee-School Radio 2020 is collection of special episodes of the podcast dedicated to brand new beekeepers. 

About Beekeeping at Five Apple Farm: Leigh keeps bees at 3000' in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with around a dozen or so stands. Hives are managed for bee health with active selection for vigor and disease resistance. The apiary is self-sustaining (not needing to buy/catch replacement bees since 2010) and produces honey and a few nucs yearly.

 

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Readings: Post at The Apiarist (50)

Show notes with all episode links will be posted at https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

Bee-School Radio Part 1: Do you have what it takes? (49)

Part 1: Do you have what it takes to be a good beekeeper? This episode includes an easy test to give you the answer. 

Bee-School Radio 2020 is collection of special episodes of the podcast dedicated to brand new beekeepers. 

About Beekeeping at Five Apple Farm: Leigh keeps bees at 3000' in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The apiary is managed for bee health with active selection for vigor and disease resistance since 2010. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting the show as a patron:  https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

Closing out 2019 plus encouragement: Don't Give Up! (48)

The last episode of 2019! Some thanks, some encouragement. Show notes are posted here and include links to sources I mentioned as well as news about the podcast:

 https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-48-out-32811980

I'll be doing a 'Bee-School Radio' series for beginner beekeepers starting in January on the podcast to supplement the information at your local bee schools. Please spread the word with your clubs and social media places. 

Interview: Bryan Fisher (47)

Bryan Fisher is a fourth-generation beekeeper and North Carolina Master Beekeeper who runs well over a hundred hives in addition to his day job! He is also someone I greatly respect and admire. Show notes, including links to some of Bryan's presentations on YouTube can be found at https://www.patreon.com/posts/32518781

PS. I'll be doing a 'Bee School Radio' series for beginner beekeepers starting in January for podcast listeners. More on that soon. 

Readings: On Replacing Old Comb (46)

Show notes are at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/32328651

About the podcast: Leigh keeps bees at 3000' in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The apiary is managed for bee health with active selection for vigor and disease resistance since 2010. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting the show as a patron:  https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

From the listeners: Gratitudes on Beekeeping (45)

Episode 45 show notes at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/32095933

--About the podcast: Leigh keeps bees at 3000' in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The apiary is managed for bee health and vigor—free of chemical-treatments and without buying/catching replacement bees since 2010. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting the show as a patron:  https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

How to slyly bring up BEES at Thanksgiving! (44)

It’s a short and silly one but I’m thinking of you all as Thanksgiving approaches. Please visit the Five Apple Farm: Bees, Honey & More page on Facebook and tell me your gratitudes about being a beekeeper! I’ll share those next weekend.

The Bee Barn! (43)

The little nucs are cozy in the bee barn. Now we’ll see how it goes. Show notes with pics will appear in the next few days over at https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple/posts

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About the podcast: Leigh keeps bees at 3000' in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The apiary is managed for bee health and vigor—free of chemical-treatments and without buying/catching replacement bees since 2010. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting the show as a patron:  https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

Interview: Dr Meghan Milbrath (42)

Show notes with links mentioned in episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31450833

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About the podcast: Leigh Knott keeps around a dozen-ish hives at 3000' in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The apiary is managed for bee health and vigor —free of chemical-treatments and without buying/catching replacement bees since 2010. If you enjoy the podcast I would welcome your support of the show at:  https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

Dear Queen Stubby and the Observation hive (41)

Show notes are at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31450407

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About the podcast: Leigh Knott keeps around a dozen-ish hives at 3000' in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The apiary is managed for bee health and vigor —free of chemical-treatments and without buying/catching replacement bees since 2010. If you enjoy the podcast I would welcome your support of the show at Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

Listener questions; Sugar Brick Recipes (40)

Show notes, posts & links at https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

Free sugar block recipe mentioned is here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/feeding-bees-in-31022420

Quilt gallery post mentioned (a weekly bonus-post for patrons of the show) is here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31101477

About the podcast: Leigh Knott keeps around a dozen-ish hives at 3000' in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The apiary is managed for bee health and vigor —free of chemical-treatments and without buying/catching replacement bees since 2010.

First Interview! Mark Smith of Flatwoods Bee Farm (39)

None of this would be possible without the generous donations from THE RECORDER CREW!

i didn’t get the chance to add an intro and wrap up but will get better at all this. :-) Mark started with bees in 2010 and has been fully chemical free since 2013. He maintains upwards of 30-50 hives outside of Charlotte NC in Locust. Find him on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/flatwoodsbeefarm/https://www.facebook.com/flatwoodsbeefarm

Thank you all for telling your beekeeping friends about the podcast and leaving reviews on Apple Podcasts! And to the Patreon supporters: Huge gratitude! Please consider becoming part of the Farm Crew at: 

https://www.patreon.com/fiveapple

 

 

 

 

 

More Winter Prep: Reading on Insulation and Ventilation (38)

Show notes are available to everyone and include link to the online article I read from -- you can find it here:  www.patreon.com/fiveapple

WINTER PREP: The high-speed Overview (37)

Show notes will be posted and available to everyone at: www.patreon.com/fiveapple

Book Review Part 2 - Selected Reading (36)

Book Review Part 2 - Selection read from Chapter 3 "Tolerant Stock." Continuation of last episode's discussion of the excellent book "Keeping Bees Alive: Sustainable Beekeeping Essentials" by Lawrence John Connor (Wicwas Press, 2019) And some GREAT news! The recorder is a go thanks to incredible support from:

Deborah in Georgia, Michael in South Carolina, Jeff in North Carolina, Michelle in North Carolina, William in Minnesota, Herbert in Mississippi, and Joan C. THANK YOU ALL for the generous funding of a recorder with which I can do interviews to share on this podcast! 

with huge gratitude, 

Leigh

questions or ideas for the next episode? Email me at blueridge714 [at] gmail [dot] com or send a message from the Five Apple Farm: Bees, Honey & More page on Facebook.

Book Review: Keeping Bees Alive by Lawrence John Conner ( 35 )

Discussion of this interesting book by Wicwas Press.  (Part 1 of 2) 

THANK YOU to contributors to helped get the new interview recorders!!!

Other ways to help:

Tell a beekeeping friend or beekeepers organization about the podcast. 

Write a review of why you like the show and give it a great rating on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. 

Thanks to every one of you for listening!

Leigh

blueridge714 [at] gmail [dot] com

 

About this current rabbit hole (34)

Some random chat about what I’m reading and studying for a future episode; stress free alcohol wash hack from Jeff; bee barn teaser; missing Kevin; the usual wanderings.

Feed them if they need it (and maybe for other reasons) (33)

Taking the simple feeding of sugar syrup for hives you find too light to make it....and complicating it with things to tweak? Guilty. Part 1.

Test results, Winter Prep part A (032)

About that NC Journeyman test. Winter prep: building population vs adding weight.

After the NCSBA conference, testing, gut microbes... (031)

Random items from the conference, geeking out on gut microbes...

Reading: Activities and Behavior of Honey Bees (030)

Selections from Norman E Gary, chapter 8 of Hive & The Honey Bee (Dadant).

Also:

The observation hive I’m trying out:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/19583341/indoor-full-size-bee-keeping-observation

Michael Bush on Observation hives:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesobservationhives.htm

Avoiding hive robbers of the bee and human kind (029)

Gadget Garage with nice robber screen and other handy things (thanks Jeff!) https://youtu.be/xWA49Oy5Skw Photo of the Z fold hardware cloth robber screen similar to what I use — especially on all nucs: http://thebeehivejive.com/2017/02/22/make-simple-robbing-screens-now-get-ahead-summer/ Thanks for listening! Leigh

EFB recovery; Late Summer is critical to overwintering, more. (028)

I’m happy to report good news on the two hives that had EFB. Also: Late summer is a critical decision/action window for your hives. Some things to consider, plan and prevent...

Listener Mail: Top bars, hives without queens, swarm cells to nucs (027)

Top bars, natural comb, podcasting errors, hives without a Queen (apparently), queens from swarm cells — Listener Mail edition. First part recorded in the morning, 2nd part late at night....you may notice the different energy tone, haha! ;-) Thanks so much for listening! Leigh