Bees basically make the world go round. I mean, if we were to award an Earth MVP to only one species, it would probably have to be bees. And yet, how much do you know about them? They fertilize our plants, make us delicious honey, sting us from time to time, and yet most of us don’t really know much about them. Time to change that and possibly pick up a new hobby at the same time! Today’s trio of guests will tell us about all different facets of beekeeping. Whether you live in the city, the countryside, or anywhere in between, our guests have you covered for how to start forming an alliance with our fuzzy friends today.
Contents
Part 1 - Small Scale Beekeeping
3:10 - What drew Jeremy to bees.
3:28 - Jeremy's current 'beekeeping status'.
4:05 - How many hives do you need to start a career in beekeeping?
5:00 - What are the career avenues for a beekeeper?
6:22 - Benefits of providing bee removal.
7:00 - What is an apiary?
7:08 - What do you do with the bees collected from a hive removal?
8:34 - Jeremy's learning curve
9:38 - Does Jeremy always obsess over hobbies?
10:30 - How Jeremy got started.
11:41 - Jeremy's incredible beginners luck.
12:44 - Getting stung.
14:20 - Day to day beekeeping for a hobbyist.
16:12 - Jeremy's year 1 mistakes and lessons.
18:00 - Startup cost.
18:53 - What is a hive layout like?
20:37 - Are all bees female?
22:35 - Incredible bee lessons.
23:24 - Costs continued.
25:54 - The honey run down.
28:40 - Step 1 to get started.
Part 2 - Urban Beekeeping
:50 - Intro to Sadie and the Boston Area Beekeepers Association
4:25 - The Tour de Hives
9:45 - Starting the Boston Area Beekeepers Association.
11:05 - Urban bee health.
13:30 - Negatives of commercial agriculture beekeeping.
14:35 - Bee communication and navigation.
16:18 - Bee dancing.
16:50 - Bees outgrowing their home.
17:33 - Swarming.
20:00 - Necessities to become an urban beekeeper.
23:10 - Potential negatives to consider.
24:10 - Urban beekeeping outfit.
24:50 - Sadie's hives.
25:02 - Observation hive.
32:00 - Step 1 to get started urban beekeeping.
Part 3 - Large Scale Beekeeping
1:00 - How the heck did Ryan get 6,200 hives?
5:00 - Doubling his business size.
6:00 - The business sweet spot.
7:00 - Employees. How many does Ryan have, where does he get them.
7:50 - What products do you make at a commercial operation?
10:20 - Over-wintering bees in Canada.
11:40 - Honey. Wholesale vs. packaging.
12:40 - The beekeeping learning curve.
17:55 - What concerns does an industrial beekeeper have that a small scale beekeeper does not?
20:00 - The advantages of small scale beekeeping.
21:00 - Biggest recent lesson Ryan has learned.
23:00 - Advice for beekeepers looking to scale up their operation.
