Honey Episodes

April 18, 2024

Plain Talk: Leftover Honey (175)

In this episode, Jim explores the practical aspects of dealing with "less-than-pristine" honey, an inevitable challenge for many beekeepers. Throughout the discussion, Jim shares personal anecdotes and insights from his extensive experience, providing...

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Feb. 8, 2024

Eating Honey (165)

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 sticky spills that occur no matter how careful you...

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Aug. 24, 2023

Uncapping Honey (140)

After building your colonies up in the spring, managing them through the early summer, collecting them out of the trees and out of the bushes after they swarm and all the effort maintaining their health… your goal as a beekeeper …

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Aug. 10, 2023

What To Do With Cappings (139)

It seems that everyone talks about managing bees and selling honey. There's also a lot of discussion about extracting honey - such as: removing bees from the supers, what kind of extractor works best, uncapping and even bottling. But what …

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Nov. 24, 2022

Consumer Honey Challenges (101)

On today’s show, Kim and Jim discuss the most common ‘complaint’ a beekeeper who sells honey encounters. This is true whether you are selling from the back of your truck, at a roadside stand or even a local farmer’s market. …

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Sept. 29, 2022

Liquifying Crystalized Honey (093)

Jim has pails of crystalized honey, but only wants enough liquid honey for his oatmeal this morning. How does he get that to work? Kim has a lot of good ideas. There are pail blankets, band heaters, boxes and more …

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Sept. 15, 2022

Extracting Honey (091)

Moving boxes full of honey is usually a lot of work. The bees aren’t happy, the boxes are heavy, it’s hot and you have all your gear on to be safe. The one sure way to make this easier is …

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Sept. 8, 2022

Removing Honey (090)

Harvesting your honey crop isn’t about keeping bees, in fact, it is hard work. It’s when you start questioning your spring decision to expand your number of colonies. On the other hand, it’s a good measure of how well you …

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Aug. 4, 2022

How Much Honey Do You Leave On A Colony? (085)

How much honey do you leave for the bees this winter? Like lots of things in beekeeping, it depends. Since “all beekeeping is local”, it is good to start in your own backyard. Do you live in the south? Midwest? …

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