How To Episodes

Jan. 25, 2024

In Class with Jim: "Supering" (163)

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 something out of a superhero comic, but …

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Nov. 2, 2023

Transfers and Cutouts (151)

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 knowledge to safely and ethically relocate them....

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Oct. 12, 2023

Dealing With Fall Equipment (148)

After all of the nectar has flowed, the honey spun and you’re just waiting to put the bees to bed for the winter, you might look around at the clutter of equipment in your bee yard, bouncing in the back …

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Sept. 28, 2023

Archive Special: Dealing with Yellowjackets (146)

(This Archive Special first released, September 2, 2021.) Beekeepers are very often asked to help friends or neighbors that have “bee” problems…. honey bees, carpenter bees, yellow jackets, hornets, bumblebees and the like. But most of us...

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Sept. 21, 2023

Listener Emails: Cutting Down Supers and Dealing with Propolis (145)

In this episode, Jim invites Beekeeping Today Podcast's Jeff Ott, to sit in for Kim to help answer a couple of recent listener emails. In response to a recent episode where Jim talks about dealing with heavy 10-frame, deep supers, …

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Sept. 14, 2023

Moving Honey Supers in the Fall (144)

This week, we continue with the theme of Fall management. Kim is out so, Jim invites Jeff Ott, from Beekeeping Today Podcast to join him to talk about dealing with heavy honey supers that remain and prepping the colonies for …

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Sept. 7, 2023

Prepping for Fall and Winter (143)

What do you do when the honey is all harvested, but it is still warm and not quite time to button up the colonies for Winter? On today's episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim has invited Beekeeping Today Podcast's Jeff …

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Aug. 31, 2023

How to Deal With Broken Frames (142)

This is honey harvest time of the year, for the majority of the beekeepers in the Northern Hemisphere. Undoubtedly, you will end your uncapping and extracting time with frames with broken end bars, bottoms or even the foundation punched through …

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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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July 6, 2023

Managing Mid-Summer Splits (133)

In this episode, Kim and Jim discuss the pros and cons of mid-summer splits. Are they good or are they bad? It can go both ways. Mid-summer splits are used to divide a colony for swarm prevention, colony expansion, or …

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June 29, 2023

Dealing With Seasonal Bee Management Fluctuations (132)

How does a beekeeper deal with the seasonal population shifts, weather and resulting needs of the honey bees in their care. How does a beekeeper balance the needs of the colony with the needs of the beekeeper? The middle of …

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June 22, 2023

Summer Replay - Hot Summers & Hot Bees (131)

Listeners, Kim and Jim are busy in the bee yard this week and have chosen this episode from the archive, for your listening pleasure. Thank you for listening! It’s been hot in Ohio so far this summer (and a lot …

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June 8, 2023

Learning To Deal With Stings (129)

All beekeepers must one day, cross a threshold: dealing with bee stings. For some, it is a small, hardly seen threshold. For others, it is a major challenge that takes time to overcome. On today's episode Jim and Jeff Ott …

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May 18, 2023

Bee Trailers - The Portable Bee Hive (126)

Anyone who's moved more than one hive, more than once in a season has considered... a simpler way of getting the job done. We've all see photos and videos of beekeepers moving around an orchard of some sort, using BobCats …

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April 27, 2023

Marking Queens (123)

On today’s episode, Kim and Jim discuss all the pros and cons about marking queens. Lots of questions come up when you mention marking queens. For most of us it’s a no brainer. “Look, there’s that yellow spot, there’s the …

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