Management Episodes

Jim Tew takes listeners on a quiet winter walk through his snowy bee yard, using tracks, hive debris, and even a stethoscope to understand how colonies are faring. A reflective, observant look at winter beekeeping and what a frozen apiary reveals.

Sometimes beekeeping doesn’t look polished, tidy, or picture-perfect—and in this week’s episode, Jim leans right into that truth with a candid look at what he calls slipshod beekeeping . After visiting beekeepers and listener...

In this Plain Talk episode of Honey Bee Obscura , Jim Tew heads out to the bee yard for a quiet, reflective fall inspection. As the days shorten and the goldenrod fades, Jim shares what he looks for when evaluating his coloni...

What does "efficiency" really mean in beekeeping—and can it go too far? In this Honey Bee Obscura episode, Jim Tew welcomes back Anne Frey of Betterbee for a lively, down-to-earth talk about working smarter in the bee yard wi...

Jim Tew is back from a long drive through Michigan’s autumn beauty—and while the leaves have changed, his thoughts haven’t strayed far from bees or smoke. In this week’s Honey Bee Obscura , Jim explores one of beekeeping’s ol...

In this Plain Talk episode, Jim Tew reflects on one of beekeeping’s most underrated tools— instinct . Beekeepers make hundreds of small decisions in the apiary, many of them guided by experience and that unspoken “gut feeling...

In this Archive Special from October 2021, we revisit a conversation with the late Kim Flottum and Jim Tew as they discuss the many ways beekeepers prepare colonies for the cold months ahead. From simple windbreaks to traditi...

This milestone episode marks 250 installments of Honey Bee Obscura . Jim reflects on more than 5,000 minutes of plain talk beekeeping, the early days recording with the late Kim Flottum, and the ongoing joy of talking bees ev...

In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura , Jim Tew is joined by Jeff Ott (from Beekeeping Today Podcast) wrestle with the idea of bare bones beekeeping . After a few false starts with recording equipment, the two dive into what i...

As summer winds down, Jim Tew sits down with fellow beekeeper Anne Frey to talk through what August reveals about colonies heading into winter. Their conversation explores the signs that point to how well bees are prepared, f...

In this reflective episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew explores what it really means to call ourselves “beekeepers.” After more than fifty years with bees, Jim questions whether we truly “keep” them—or if we’re simply borro...

In this reflective and personal episode, Jim Tew explores a question many beekeepers may not think much about—why are so many bee yards hidden from view? Fresh off a long solo road trip, Jim shares how, despite driving over 2...

In this episode, Jim Tew welcomes back Anne Frey of Betterbee to unpack the troubling die-offs many beekeepers experienced this past winter and spring. From unexplained colony declines to puzzling symptoms that didn’t respond...

In this episode, Jim Tew shares a messy and mysterious beekeeping challenge that begins with two unrelated problems—a failing observation hive and a suspected drone-laying queen. The result is a tangle of questions, classic t...

In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim is back in the bee yard with a keen eye on an abandoned hive setup—watching and wondering if it might be chosen by a honey bee swarm. What starts as a quiet observation of scout bee behavior turns into a real-time case study in swarm prediction.

In this hands-on episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim is back in the bee yard and walks listeners through a personal and sometimes risky process: directly releasing new queens into newly installed packages. As he narrates the steps in real-time, he reflects on past successes—and hard-learned lessons—o…

Have you ever heard of a bee room? In this episode, Jim Tew revisits a nearly forgotten practice of intentionally housing honey bee colonies inside homes—typically in attics or wall cabinets—during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Far from...

Beekeeping is full of unexpected moments—some hilarious, some humbling, and some downright painful. In this episode, Jim Tew takes a break from his usual beekeeping insights to share some of his most memorable stories from decades in the bee yard....

Managing large honey bee colonies comes with its own set of challenges and rewards, but are bigger colonies always better? In this episode, Jim Tew is joined by Anne Frey of Betterbee to explore the benefits and potential downsides of managing large...

In this episode, Jim Tew takes a deep dive into the world of big colonies, posing the question: Are larger hives always better? With his signature blend of humor and beekeeping wisdom, Jim unpacks the complexities of managing booming colonies,...

In this week’s episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew delves into the challenges and dilemmas beekeepers face when managing small, struggling colonies in the heart of winter. With his signature mix of candor and experience, Jim explores the emotional...

In this special archive episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew and the late Kim Flottum dive into the age-old debate between starting with packages or nucleus colonies (nucs). Whether you’re a beginner beekeeper or looking to expand your apiary, this...

In this episode, Jim is joined by his grandson, Will, to discuss preparing hives for winter, especially for smaller or struggling colonies. Jim explains the natural decline in bee population as winter approaches and the importance of clustering...

In this episode, Jim reflects on some key learning points from his years of beekeeping—particularly the lessons learned the hard way. He shares a story of purchasing bees from a grieving widow and the valuable, though painful, takeaways from...