Jerry Hayes - Bee Culture Magazine Editor

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May I have your attention, please?

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The following is not the real Jeff Vox really.

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If you have ever put on a B suit

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with nothing but underwear underneath,

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you might be a beekeeper in Texas.

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If you've ever noticed that KFC's honey sauce

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contains only a 7% real honey,

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and wondered what the other 93% was,

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you might be a beekeeper.

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If your beehives have a fresh coat of paint,

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but your house doesn't,

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you might be a beekeeper.

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At Bee Love, we're all about the honeybees

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and of course the beekeepers.

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Before we jump into our interview today

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with Jerry Hayes from Bee Culture Magazine,

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we have a bit of good news ripped from the headlines.

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The world's largest hornet, an invasive breed

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dubbed Murder Hornet, for its dangerous sting

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and ability to slaughter a honeybee hive

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in a matter of hours, has been declared eradicated in the U.S.

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Five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington,

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state near the Canadian border.

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Now, I'm sure we all heard about this back then.

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Murder Hornet is another name for the Asian giant hornet.

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And this was a little spooky when these things arrived,

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and they were up in the British Columbia area

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of the state of Washington.

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And officials there have done just a great job

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of getting rid of these things.

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We hope they don't come back someday.

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It's almost inevitable, but for now,

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hey, really good news, they are gone.

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Here's a little bit more detail about this.

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The entomologist from Washington state

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that was working on this project,

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he said, I've been doing this type of work

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for over 25 years now, and it's a rare day

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when the humans actually get to win one against the insects.

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The hornets, which can be five centimeters long

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or around two inches, were formerly called Asian giant hornets.

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So these hornets, which come from Eastern Asia,

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China specifically, they are known to kill

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about 42 people in China each year.

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And as far as honeybees, they can just wipe out a colony

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in no time flat.

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They were first detected in North America,

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in British Columbia, in August of 2019,

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and confirmed in Washington state

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in December of the same year.

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These hornets have been known to sting

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through most beekeeper suits,

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and they delivered nearly seven times

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the amount of venom as a honeybee,

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and they can sting multiple times.

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So I know I don't want to get close to one,

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you don't want to either.

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Anyway, the good news is for now, they are gone.

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So people down in the south now,

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just look out for those yellow-legged hornets,

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and let's, oh man, let's just keep working on this stuff.

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Let's go.

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While I'm at it, one more thing in the headline

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that grabbed my attention this week,

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and this is something that just happened over in the UK.

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They have now outlawed a neonicotinoids

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in a quote bid to protect honeybees.

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Now, if you've been following this topic,

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and I know it's controversial,

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and by the way, I welcome your feedback,

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go ahead, email me whether you're for or against all of this.

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I've been outlawed in the EU for a few years now,

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but the UK has finally jumped on board.

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US is, who knows how far behind?

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Here's a quote from that article.

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The move comes ahead of the publication

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of a new UK National Action Plan, NAP,

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which will set how pesticides can be used sustainably.

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DEFRA said bees and other pollinators

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are crucial to the agricultural economy

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and the economic benefits of pollination to crop production

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in the UK estimated at 500 million pounds annually.

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Anyway, like I said, it's controversial.

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I know the sugar beet growers over in the UK

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are really worried about this ban.

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They're going to be filing for some emergency authorizations.

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I don't know if they're going to start turning more of those

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down than in the past.

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The article goes on to state,

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proposals been welcomed by several wildlife charities.

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The government has signed an international pledge

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to have the risk from pesticides

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and highly hazardous chemicals.

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So this positive step should be followed in short order

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with stronger regulation,

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alignment with the EU on chemicals, restrictions,

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and generous incentives for farming systems

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that do not rely on chemicals.

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In the US, we're a long ways behind,

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but I think at least from everything I can see,

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again, I welcome your opinion on this topic.

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I would love to welcome our special guest today,

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Jerry Hayes, who happens to be the big wig, the big cheese,

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the editor of Bee Culture Magazine.

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Did I catch off guard there, Jerry?

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Well, you did.

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And you know, and when you said cheese,

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the first thing came to mind when I was cut the cheese

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and the smell that comes along with that.

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Just let me know, okay?

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Now, this is a classy show.

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Come on.

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It is a classy show, but yes,

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I've been in the industry a long time

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and I've learned a lot of things

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and I've done a lot of wrong things

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and have been able to integrate with wonderful beekeepers.

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But anybody who says there's a...

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that they're an expert is a liar.

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Well, I know a lot of beekeepers that think they're experts.

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All of them.

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Yes.

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And most of them are third-year beekeepers.

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They're now the global expert.

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I have a podcast and a website and TikTok

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and are telling their listeners to use green jello

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to control rural lights.

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I have to admit, that's what I haven't heard yet,

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but it would probably work as good

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as some of the other stuff out there.

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As long as you brought that up, I got a...

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I've really... I've asked other guests this too.

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And I really think it's a topic that we need to mention now then.

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And that is, there is so much information out there,

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especially YouTube, TikTok,

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on how you should do beekeeping, how you shouldn't,

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and people wearing no protective clothing at all,

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doing swarm removals,

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and things that I hate to encourage beginners to do,

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because it could actually be very dangerous.

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Could you give us a little bit of insight,

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right off the bat, here on, how do you know who you can trust?

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And, no, that's a great question, Eric.

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And so I have been asked that question before,

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and it's been in my writings and what had you.

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And I think you have to default to those vetted researchers

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at USDA, or AAPA Inspectors of America,

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or Pridar Dapis Malefra,

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or Honey Bee Health Coalition,

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what have you, that they again have membership

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that are in the industry and can review and help them

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with their information that they're spreading around.

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I would be really, as a new beekeeper,

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you're gonna want information

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and you're gonna go to a podcast, what have you.

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But I would suggest you don't do that.

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It would be kind of like me.

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I want to learn about physics,

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and I don't know anything about physics,

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so I'm gonna go on a physics podcast.

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But how do I know if that podcast and that information

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is right or wrong?

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I don't.

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So you have to dive a little bit deeper in this,

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because beekeeping is, managed honey beekeeping is,

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it takes a lot.

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This is not like having a dog or a cat in the kitchen.

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This is a lot more difficult of a hobby

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than people realize before they get into it.

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And we're just talking hobbyists now.

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If you're gonna do it right, yeah.

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If we're talking commercial beekeepers,

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and that's amplified by a thousand.

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Yeah, no, you're absolutely right.

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This is, you know, back in the day,

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when I was young and good-looking and started beekeeping,

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we didn't have the pest predators and diseases

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and other races of honey bees here.

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And you could go fishing for the rest of the year.

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But now you have to be a beekeeper manager

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in order to keep your honey bees alive and successful,

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not only for you, but for the environment as well.

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Okay, but back to my question.

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The fact is, a lot of beekeepers,

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especially new ones, are gonna go to YouTube.

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So is there any guidance you can give them as to how,

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and we're not naming any names,

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but how do they determine, gee,

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I think I can believe this person.

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I don't think I can believe that person.

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Yeah, I'm gonna give you a generality

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and all generalities are false.

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But if that person would go to their state

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beekeeping association, which all states have one,

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and simply ask them that question,

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and then participate in their meetings

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and local and regional meetings,

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because the best way to learn about beekeeping

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is to actually do it, and you're going to make mistakes,

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and you're going to fail and everything else,

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but you're going to learn differently.

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Just because somebody gives you an answer

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doesn't mean that that's the right answer.

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And so getting involved with the industry

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and with the sociality and culture of it,

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I think helps people progress more quickly.

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And get a mentor.

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And get a mentor, you know,

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and I didn't have a mentor when I started.

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I remember buying some packaged bees.

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And in the packaged bees, there's always a queen

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in her own little cage, and I had read

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that there's candy at the end of this box

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that is there to help feed the queen.

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And you take a nail and press it through that candy

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in order to open it up so help the bees on the outside

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and the bees on the inside kind of eat through it

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and let them release the queen.

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So I thought, okay, great.

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So I took a nail and for some reason,

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I thought that candy was going to be like hard crunchy candy.

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And it wasn't really soft.

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So I pushed it all the way through

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and stabbed the queen and the other end and killed her.

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So anyway, you can get answers.

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But as you just said, a mentor is going to help you a lot more.

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We are talking to a queen bee murderer right here.

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Okay, let's move out, talk about some other topics.

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And there are a hundred different things

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that you could talk about.

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And I wish I had a bunch of listeners right next to me

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saying, here's what we're most interested in.

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But since we don't, I want to bring up some things

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that we haven't talked about much on this show yet.

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One would be pesticides.

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And you have some history with Monsanto and USDA.

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Give us a little background on where you come from,

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what your thoughts are.

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Let me start off by saying that there was some research

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done a few years ago that looked at pesticides and beehives.

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And at the time, I was the chief of the apiary section

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for the Florida Department of Agriculture.

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And we had a research apiary that I had set up

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and it had all new equipment, new wax, new frames,

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new bees, new everything.

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So I was pretty confident that when I was asked

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to give samples of bees and wax and larvae and kupa,

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what have you, that, you know, I was feeling a little feisty

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here that I was going to be pretty clean

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and a lot better than everybody else.

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When I set those in, and these bees had been there

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for a few months and bees, you know, foraging that two,

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two and a half mile radius, they found over 140

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different pesticides in those colony samples,

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three of which weren't even registered in the United States.

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So yes, there are a lot of things out there.

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As honey bees, as environmental samplers can get into.

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But beta from that also showed that about 40, 42%

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of all chemicals they found in a beehive

260
00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,700
were the ones that we beekeepers put in there.

261
00:13:36,740 --> 00:13:41,340
But to, you know, control veromites or control other diseases

262
00:13:41,340 --> 00:13:43,300
or small high beetles or what have you.

263
00:13:43,340 --> 00:13:46,200
So there's this discrepancy here.

264
00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:48,740
I've, you know, beekeepers are always pointing their fingers

265
00:13:48,780 --> 00:13:51,180
at farmers and others.

266
00:13:51,220 --> 00:13:53,240
But, you know, when you, what's that whole thing,

267
00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:56,480
you point a finger and the other fingers pointing back at you.

268
00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:57,780
So you have to be careful.

269
00:13:57,820 --> 00:14:02,360
So Monsanto, yes, I work for Monsanto.

270
00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:07,820
They had purchased a company that had a new biological method

271
00:14:07,860 --> 00:14:10,840
that they thought could be used to control veromites,

272
00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,240
which is great because then we wouldn't have to use

273
00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:17,080
as many chemicals that have collateral damage

274
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,220
to the colony or what have you.

275
00:14:19,260 --> 00:14:21,760
So I took the job.

276
00:14:21,780 --> 00:14:24,660
Everybody hated Monsanto, but I figured that,

277
00:14:24,700 --> 00:14:29,300
Gully, you got this huge corporation that has lots of money

278
00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,440
and on the lab and they have invited me to come

279
00:14:33,460 --> 00:14:35,840
to see if we could do this.

280
00:14:35,860 --> 00:14:38,580
They weren't going to make any money on this product,

281
00:14:38,580 --> 00:14:41,960
but it was going to hopefully give them some positive PR

282
00:14:41,980 --> 00:14:45,720
if they could show the industry that they were helping.

283
00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,420
So I was there and over years we did our best,

284
00:14:49,460 --> 00:14:53,800
but we couldn't make it work consistently in a beehive.

285
00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:58,840
So I moved on to this role actually right now.

286
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,040
Are there a lot of pesticides out there?

287
00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:02,180
Yes.

288
00:15:02,220 --> 00:15:05,980
Farmers generally read the label directions,

289
00:15:06,020 --> 00:15:08,420
which would not impact honey bees,

290
00:15:08,420 --> 00:15:11,760
because you don't want to spray when something is blooming.

291
00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:16,040
A big problem is suburban homeowners.

292
00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:20,880
So we have approximately 50 million acres of suburban lawns

293
00:15:20,900 --> 00:15:26,120
in the United States taking 18,000 pounds,

294
00:15:26,140 --> 00:15:30,760
18 million pounds of chemicals and 10,000 gallons of water

295
00:15:30,780 --> 00:15:35,720
each above rainfall to keep them like the 18th holodigusta.

296
00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:40,480
And so in my mind, grass lawns look beautiful,

297
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:41,880
but they're worthless.

298
00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,320
And then they have flowers around the side of the house

299
00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,820
that they find a bug on them.

300
00:15:48,860 --> 00:15:52,520
And so they go from Hub Depot and buy some chemical

301
00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,800
and it says to put a tablespoon and a gallon of water

302
00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:57,360
and they say, well, that bug is kind of big.

303
00:15:57,400 --> 00:15:59,360
Let's put two tablespoons in there.

304
00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:03,140
And so we have this disconnect with people

305
00:16:03,140 --> 00:16:06,500
because these things are tested well and labeled

306
00:16:06,540 --> 00:16:10,200
and show you how to use them and not have batting act

307
00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,940
on not only honey bees, but other native bees

308
00:16:12,980 --> 00:16:15,580
and butterflies and everything else.

309
00:16:15,620 --> 00:16:20,380
So we generally do a pretty poor job here.

310
00:16:20,420 --> 00:16:22,880
Well, how are we supposed to protect our bees?

311
00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,820
They're going to go where they're going to go.

312
00:16:24,860 --> 00:16:26,460
What do we do to help them out?

313
00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:29,920
There's nothing much you can do if you figure out

314
00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:34,760
the acreage of that 2.5 miles of where they're going

315
00:16:34,780 --> 00:16:38,560
and bringing back all sorts of stuff.

316
00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,360
You know, there are beekeepers who sometimes put their

317
00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,100
the bees if they're lucky enough in Arizona and New

318
00:16:44,140 --> 00:16:46,600
Mexico and the desert or up on a mountain

319
00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:48,240
or something like that.

320
00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:50,600
Other than that, you can't do anything.

321
00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:55,040
One of the one of the suggestions has been the last

322
00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:59,580
few years is to rotate frames of call every three years

323
00:16:59,580 --> 00:17:01,080
or so out of a colony.

324
00:17:01,100 --> 00:17:03,380
Bees wax is a fatty acid.

325
00:17:03,420 --> 00:17:07,280
It's a lipid and fat loves to absorb chemicals.

326
00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:10,680
And if you took a fast sample of me and looked at it,

327
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,120
you probably find all sorts of scary stuff in there.

328
00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:17,960
But we want to single out and move out these combs

329
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:22,160
that may have accumulated some pesticides that the bees

330
00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:25,040
would be exposed to 24-7, 365.

331
00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:31,020
We place it with new frames and with a new call and cut down

332
00:17:31,060 --> 00:17:36,520
on that exposure to pest predator pests and pesticides.

333
00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:37,960
Makes sense.

334
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,500
What do you see as some of the biggest?

335
00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,000
Well, it's kind of obvious what the biggest diseases

336
00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,840
out there are and the biggest pests, Varroa, obviously.

337
00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:52,180
But as far as diseases, are there some things that we really,

338
00:17:52,180 --> 00:17:56,060
really should be looking for regularly?

339
00:17:56,100 --> 00:17:58,700
I mean, if we've got American fowl brood,

340
00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:00,660
we probably know it.

341
00:18:00,700 --> 00:18:03,360
It's not that hard to figure out.

342
00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:04,560
I don't know.

343
00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:07,040
Give me your take on some of the diseases and how much we

344
00:18:07,060 --> 00:18:10,300
should be concerned and how much we should really dig in

345
00:18:10,340 --> 00:18:11,740
and know our stuff.

346
00:18:11,780 --> 00:18:13,940
Yeah, but let me back up a little bit.

347
00:18:13,980 --> 00:18:15,480
Because you mentioned Varroa mite.

348
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,380
And if everybody out there would make a fist and put it

349
00:18:18,420 --> 00:18:21,020
someplace on you, proportionally, this is how large

350
00:18:21,020 --> 00:18:22,820
a Varroa mite is, or honeybee's body.

351
00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:24,540
And they can have several on them.

352
00:18:24,580 --> 00:18:27,920
And they're in between the abdominal segments because this

353
00:18:27,940 --> 00:18:29,880
here is where it's easier to chew through.

354
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,420
They can chew through this cuticle, but they can chew

355
00:18:32,460 --> 00:18:38,060
through here and eat the fat bodies of the teleogenin,

356
00:18:38,100 --> 00:18:42,440
which creates hormones to help their very shallow immune

357
00:18:42,460 --> 00:18:46,840
system and vector viruses, vector diseases, lower immunity.

358
00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:52,300
So controlling Varroa many times has a strong link to

359
00:18:52,340 --> 00:18:54,240
these other diseases.

360
00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,980
And American fowl brood and European fowl brood,

361
00:18:58,020 --> 00:18:59,080
those kind of things.

362
00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:03,380
Yes, if a beekeeper is looking in his or her colonies,

363
00:19:03,420 --> 00:19:06,520
for those, they will be able to identify them.

364
00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:11,660
But we also have new beekeepers who are concerned about

365
00:19:11,700 --> 00:19:16,160
looking in a colony, or they want to be natural beekeepers

366
00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:20,360
and let that bees try to figure it out for themselves.

367
00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:25,140
And that never works in the dynamics that we have now,

368
00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,680
because beekeeping is a visual sport.

369
00:19:28,700 --> 00:19:32,400
You have to open up that colony, take it apart, look at it.

370
00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:34,980
It's not like a cow in the field, we can walk up to that

371
00:19:35,020 --> 00:19:37,740
cow and it's got a big runny, juicy nose.

372
00:19:37,780 --> 00:19:39,780
You say, well, that cow's got something.

373
00:19:39,820 --> 00:19:43,480
Or your dog in the house is scratching all the time,

374
00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,220
and you're looking, is that a flea or what?

375
00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:51,560
I mean, so we have to be more engaged in management

376
00:19:51,580 --> 00:19:52,920
of our colonies.

377
00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:56,920
You're in touch with the whole industry in the United States,

378
00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,260
probably outside the United States too, I would guess.

379
00:20:00,300 --> 00:20:03,800
Do you see anything new, promising, coming down the

380
00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:05,500
pike for Varroa?

381
00:20:05,540 --> 00:20:07,200
No, not really.

382
00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,600
We have a group with the Honey Bee Health Coalition now

383
00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:13,180
that's actually working with some large corporations.

384
00:20:13,180 --> 00:20:19,220
There are a lot of chemical pesticides that are off patent

385
00:20:19,260 --> 00:20:21,400
that have been put on the shelf.

386
00:20:21,420 --> 00:20:26,000
And so there's a review going on about can some of these be

387
00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:30,540
used, adapted for the use in a beekeeping colony,

388
00:20:30,580 --> 00:20:34,440
and control Varroa in various ways.

389
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:38,480
And one of the issues is we talked about collateral damage

390
00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,380
to bees by putting chemicals in or out of the control Varroa.

391
00:20:41,380 --> 00:20:45,080
We have to, or the Varroa is going to kill that colony anyway.

392
00:20:45,120 --> 00:20:51,620
But what begets hit every time we put a chemical in there,

393
00:20:51,660 --> 00:20:52,920
it's the queen.

394
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,700
Those other bees will maybe in the summer rotate ever six,

395
00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,700
eight weeks, morning, winter time, you know, every few months.

396
00:21:00,740 --> 00:21:03,200
But that queen gets whacked every time.

397
00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:07,300
And if that's to your fertile female, who is the mother of

398
00:21:07,300 --> 00:21:11,840
everybody in that colony, we have to figure out a way to keep

399
00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,000
her more safe and more viable.

400
00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:19,240
And I think that goes to maybe looking at

401
00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:24,420
bioreational, biological controls more fully.

402
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:30,720
But there again, we have a small industry that is incredibly

403
00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:35,020
vital, not only to production agriculture, but to the environment

404
00:21:35,020 --> 00:21:38,760
and to the environment and how they can produce it and what

405
00:21:38,780 --> 00:21:39,620
had you.

406
00:21:39,660 --> 00:21:42,720
But to look at something like this, you know, that might cost

407
00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,600
a couple of million dollars, you know, there's no big companies

408
00:21:46,620 --> 00:21:48,040
out there that want to do it.

409
00:21:48,060 --> 00:21:51,600
And because beekeepers and honeybees are so good, you know,

410
00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:56,240
we're losing, I think numbers, oh, numbers are coming out no,

411
00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:02,740
tomorrow, Thursday, from Auburn University about the loss of

412
00:22:02,740 --> 00:22:05,540
because this is going to be on before Thursday, right?

413
00:22:05,540 --> 00:22:07,500
It's probably not going to be for a week or two.

414
00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:08,940
So go right ahead.

415
00:22:08,940 --> 00:22:15,180
They've documented a 55% loss of Honey Bee colonies in 2023.

416
00:22:15,180 --> 00:22:16,900
And that's incredible.

417
00:22:16,900 --> 00:22:18,660
If it wasn't for Honey Bee colonies,

418
00:22:18,660 --> 00:22:23,300
that you can take one colony artificially split it and make

419
00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:27,060
two, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

420
00:22:27,060 --> 00:22:30,860
Beekeeper has 1,000 colonies and loses 500 of them,

421
00:22:30,860 --> 00:22:34,700
let's say, can take those 500 and make up the loss.

422
00:22:34,700 --> 00:22:36,660
But then you have 1,000 week colonies

423
00:22:36,660 --> 00:22:41,620
and do they meet pollination contracts standards?

424
00:22:41,620 --> 00:22:44,900
And so this is crazy.

425
00:22:44,900 --> 00:22:50,380
And we need more support to do a better job in all of this.

426
00:22:50,380 --> 00:22:54,860
How different is that from, say, 2022 or 2021?

427
00:22:54,860 --> 00:22:57,660
That was in that 30% to 40% range.

428
00:22:57,660 --> 00:23:00,820
This is the second highest, if I'm not mistaken,

429
00:23:00,820 --> 00:23:04,900
loss numbers that have been collected.

430
00:23:04,900 --> 00:23:06,660
So it's way up.

431
00:23:06,660 --> 00:23:09,980
Do we have any explanation as to why yet?

432
00:23:09,980 --> 00:23:11,140
No, not really.

433
00:23:11,140 --> 00:23:12,380
Those are just losses.

434
00:23:12,380 --> 00:23:16,460
We probably know about these things.

435
00:23:16,460 --> 00:23:18,140
And it's multifactorial.

436
00:23:18,140 --> 00:23:20,260
You've heard that before.

437
00:23:20,260 --> 00:23:28,980
Varroa, virus legacy, weather changes, food management.

438
00:23:28,980 --> 00:23:31,260
Where else can you load an insect's nest

439
00:23:31,260 --> 00:23:33,580
with 800 of them on a semi and grab it

440
00:23:33,580 --> 00:23:37,780
across the United States to pollinate almonds, let's say?

441
00:23:37,780 --> 00:23:41,660
And you lose 10% of your queens every time you do that.

442
00:23:41,660 --> 00:23:45,580
And then you may have taken care of Varroa and it's there.

443
00:23:45,580 --> 00:23:49,820
But when there's 2 million colonies going to California,

444
00:23:49,820 --> 00:23:52,020
it's like the elementary school.

445
00:23:52,020 --> 00:23:53,740
All the bees are sharing everything

446
00:23:53,740 --> 00:23:57,020
because they're all kind of wadded up together.

447
00:23:57,020 --> 00:23:59,140
This is a tough industry, tough industry.

448
00:23:59,140 --> 00:24:01,940
I don't know how commercial beekeepers actually do it.

449
00:24:01,940 --> 00:24:05,460
These numbers, this 55% colony loss,

450
00:24:05,460 --> 00:24:08,380
is that specifically among commercial beekeepers

451
00:24:08,380 --> 00:24:13,260
or do they factor in any hobbyists or sidelineers?

452
00:24:13,260 --> 00:24:17,940
Yeah, it's those who have actually filled out the form

453
00:24:17,940 --> 00:24:20,180
to participate in the survey.

454
00:24:20,180 --> 00:24:21,620
So it's a whole variety.

455
00:24:21,620 --> 00:24:28,020
Let me just take a minute here to thank our presenting

456
00:24:28,020 --> 00:24:29,820
sponsor, Man Lake.

457
00:24:29,820 --> 00:24:32,300
I've been asked, does Man Lake provide equipment

458
00:24:32,300 --> 00:24:33,580
for commercial beekeepers?

459
00:24:33,580 --> 00:24:34,420
Yes.

460
00:24:34,420 --> 00:24:36,340
Do they provide equipment for sidelineers?

461
00:24:36,340 --> 00:24:36,900
Yes.

462
00:24:36,900 --> 00:24:38,420
How about beginners?

463
00:24:38,420 --> 00:24:39,580
Of course.

464
00:24:39,580 --> 00:24:40,820
Protective gear, yes.

465
00:24:40,820 --> 00:24:42,820
Queens, nukes, and packages, yes.

466
00:24:42,820 --> 00:24:45,980
Processing equipment, yes, yes, and yes.

467
00:24:45,980 --> 00:24:48,940
There is a reason that Man Lake is the number one supplier

468
00:24:48,940 --> 00:24:51,700
for thousands and thousands of beekeepers.

469
00:24:51,700 --> 00:24:54,660
In fact, I could give you 100 reasons to try them,

470
00:24:54,660 --> 00:24:56,580
but let's start with just 10.

471
00:24:56,580 --> 00:25:00,740
As in $10 off your first $100 purchase

472
00:25:00,740 --> 00:25:04,980
with the discount code MLBLOV10.

473
00:25:04,980 --> 00:25:07,020
Don't worry, it's all in the show notes.

474
00:25:07,020 --> 00:25:10,300
Seriously, you'll be happy you gave Man Lake a try.

475
00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:11,860
And now back to the guest.

476
00:25:11,860 --> 00:25:17,740
You mentioned Honey Bee Health Coalition a couple of minutes

477
00:25:17,740 --> 00:25:18,260
ago.

478
00:25:18,260 --> 00:25:20,060
For those that aren't familiar with it,

479
00:25:20,060 --> 00:25:22,580
tell us about their role.

480
00:25:22,580 --> 00:25:25,380
Honey Bee Health Coalition is unique.

481
00:25:25,380 --> 00:25:29,100
And I was involved in starting that back in the day.

482
00:25:29,100 --> 00:25:35,420
Put together this coalition of Big Ag and universities,

483
00:25:35,420 --> 00:25:40,300
and USDA, and beekeepers, and what

484
00:25:40,300 --> 00:25:43,660
can add you into this big group that we could sit around

485
00:25:43,660 --> 00:25:46,620
and figure out, talk to each other,

486
00:25:46,620 --> 00:25:50,540
and figure out how we can bring some more consistency

487
00:25:50,540 --> 00:25:53,180
or viability to our industry.

488
00:25:53,180 --> 00:25:57,660
And so they've been in going here for nine or 10 years.

489
00:25:57,660 --> 00:25:59,340
I've done a super job.

490
00:25:59,340 --> 00:26:05,340
They came up with the Tools for Rural Management Guide,

491
00:26:05,340 --> 00:26:08,140
which you probably, whoever reads it,

492
00:26:08,140 --> 00:26:09,620
you don't need to read anything else.

493
00:26:09,620 --> 00:26:11,260
It's all there.

494
00:26:11,260 --> 00:26:12,620
They have videos.

495
00:26:12,620 --> 00:26:14,940
And we have all sorts of stuff there in the Honey Bee

496
00:26:14,940 --> 00:26:18,620
Health Coalition that is a go-to place for information

497
00:26:18,620 --> 00:26:21,300
like we were talking about earlier, Eric.

498
00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:25,140
Well, and I can say that Vural Management Guide is a very

499
00:26:25,140 --> 00:26:27,780
simple, easy tool to use.

500
00:26:27,780 --> 00:26:32,500
It's not like you're reading 10 pages of six-point text.

501
00:26:32,500 --> 00:26:36,340
If I remember, I've spent a little while since I've used it.

502
00:26:36,340 --> 00:26:38,420
Where are you in the country?

503
00:26:38,420 --> 00:26:40,260
How hot is it?

504
00:26:40,260 --> 00:26:42,780
Some of those kinds of factors.

505
00:26:42,780 --> 00:26:45,140
Where's your brood cycle right now?

506
00:26:45,140 --> 00:26:46,220
Those kinds of things.

507
00:26:46,220 --> 00:26:50,540
And you put a little info in, and it gives you options

508
00:26:50,540 --> 00:26:53,060
on Vural Management, correct?

509
00:26:53,060 --> 00:26:54,740
Yeah, no, you're absolutely right.

510
00:26:54,740 --> 00:26:56,500
And it doesn't tell you what to do.

511
00:26:56,500 --> 00:26:58,260
It gives you choices.

512
00:26:58,260 --> 00:27:00,220
It's not the dictating to you.

513
00:27:00,220 --> 00:27:02,780
So if you have choices based on all that information

514
00:27:02,780 --> 00:27:08,020
that you just talked about, and it's a terrific product.

515
00:27:08,020 --> 00:27:11,380
So that's one of the reasons I immediately trusted it,

516
00:27:11,380 --> 00:27:14,860
is because it didn't say, here's your one and only answer.

517
00:27:14,860 --> 00:27:17,060
It's this product from this manufacturer.

518
00:27:17,060 --> 00:27:19,860
It was, here's a few options.

519
00:27:19,860 --> 00:27:22,180
If you want to be more organic, go this way.

520
00:27:22,180 --> 00:27:24,620
If you need to really hit it hard, kind of,

521
00:27:24,620 --> 00:27:25,900
you can go this way.

522
00:27:25,900 --> 00:27:29,340
Watch your temperatures, because as we know,

523
00:27:29,340 --> 00:27:33,300
some of these chemicals, if it's above 85 degrees,

524
00:27:33,300 --> 00:27:37,460
different things happen, and it can be more poisonous.

525
00:27:37,460 --> 00:27:39,660
What did you call it, collateral damage?

526
00:27:39,660 --> 00:27:41,420
There can be a whole lot more of that,

527
00:27:41,420 --> 00:27:43,340
if we're not careful with those things.

528
00:27:43,340 --> 00:27:47,420
It's not like we just buy one treatment,

529
00:27:47,420 --> 00:27:50,700
and buy a Costco box of them,

530
00:27:50,700 --> 00:27:55,340
and then use them forever and at all times of years.

531
00:27:55,340 --> 00:27:58,100
We need to put our own little research into that.

532
00:27:58,100 --> 00:28:00,380
Yeah, no, and then we have to rotate products

533
00:28:00,380 --> 00:28:02,860
because raw mites are like all mites.

534
00:28:02,860 --> 00:28:05,420
The best thing to do is develop resistance to things,

535
00:28:05,420 --> 00:28:08,380
and we've seen that over the years in our products.

536
00:28:08,380 --> 00:28:10,420
And so there's a lot of things going on there,

537
00:28:10,420 --> 00:28:13,580
but it is simple to use and it works.

538
00:28:13,580 --> 00:28:16,660
Now, you personally have done beekeeping.

539
00:28:16,660 --> 00:28:17,900
You've mentioned Florida.

540
00:28:17,900 --> 00:28:19,500
I know you're in Ohio now.

541
00:28:19,500 --> 00:28:23,180
Any other states or areas that you have been a beekeeper?

542
00:28:23,180 --> 00:28:26,620
Yeah, and this might sound like I can't keep a job.

543
00:28:26,620 --> 00:28:29,620
Yeah, no, I started out as a high school teacher,

544
00:28:29,620 --> 00:28:32,900
and then like, and so went into another business

545
00:28:32,900 --> 00:28:36,420
and had a guy working with me who was a beekeeper,

546
00:28:36,420 --> 00:28:38,140
and this was a long time ago,

547
00:28:38,140 --> 00:28:40,220
and I thought, well, this is pretty cool,

548
00:28:40,220 --> 00:28:42,220
and nobody actually knows a beekeeper.

549
00:28:42,220 --> 00:28:45,900
And so I picked this person's brain and asked questions

550
00:28:45,900 --> 00:28:48,580
and marked questions, and then started reading things

551
00:28:48,580 --> 00:28:51,820
and marked questions, and then I've turned into

552
00:28:51,820 --> 00:28:54,020
the Consummit Backyard Beekeeper.

553
00:28:54,020 --> 00:28:57,660
I did all the goofy things that big backyard beekeepers do,

554
00:28:57,660 --> 00:29:00,780
including killing queens in a cage.

555
00:29:00,780 --> 00:29:05,060
And then I thought that passion grew,

556
00:29:05,060 --> 00:29:08,020
and some psychologists ought to do a profile

557
00:29:08,020 --> 00:29:10,660
of a beekeeper's because we're different.

558
00:29:10,660 --> 00:29:11,780
That'd be scary.

559
00:29:11,780 --> 00:29:13,540
I know, I know, it would,

560
00:29:13,540 --> 00:29:16,740
but it would make a great Ken Burns documentary.

561
00:29:16,740 --> 00:29:21,100
And so I thought, well, could I go back to school

562
00:29:21,100 --> 00:29:25,460
and learn some more and take care of a family?

563
00:29:25,460 --> 00:29:30,180
So I did went back to Agricultural Technical Institute

564
00:29:30,180 --> 00:29:33,500
of Iowa State University, and then from there,

565
00:29:33,500 --> 00:29:36,380
I went to the USDA bee breeding and stock lab

566
00:29:36,380 --> 00:29:39,980
and back rooms where Africanized bees are just coming in.

567
00:29:39,980 --> 00:29:43,620
And so my job as a rookie lab technician,

568
00:29:43,620 --> 00:29:46,700
where we were pulling wings and legs off bees

569
00:29:46,700 --> 00:29:50,620
to see if we could see any morphological differences

570
00:29:50,620 --> 00:29:53,700
in these that we could use to identify bee samples

571
00:29:53,700 --> 00:29:55,340
that came in before.

572
00:29:55,340 --> 00:29:58,500
Then I was offered a job by Datant and Sons

573
00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:02,580
as a branch manager up in Michigan.

574
00:30:02,580 --> 00:30:04,380
And I did that for a year,

575
00:30:04,380 --> 00:30:07,340
and then I was offered another job by somebody else.

576
00:30:07,340 --> 00:30:09,100
And the people at Datant said, no,

577
00:30:09,100 --> 00:30:11,660
we're gonna move you down to Hamilton, Illinois,

578
00:30:11,660 --> 00:30:13,660
the home office at Datant.

579
00:30:13,660 --> 00:30:16,220
So I was there for a long time.

580
00:30:16,220 --> 00:30:18,900
It was great because I learned so much.

581
00:30:18,900 --> 00:30:23,060
It was a great experience learning about the business,

582
00:30:23,060 --> 00:30:24,340
about beekeeping.

583
00:30:24,340 --> 00:30:27,580
And I wrote the classroom question and answer section

584
00:30:27,580 --> 00:30:30,740
in the American Bee Journal for 40 years, I think,

585
00:30:30,740 --> 00:30:32,620
or so I think I have the world's record.

586
00:30:32,620 --> 00:30:37,620
And then from there to Monsanto in Missouri,

587
00:30:38,020 --> 00:30:42,700
and then I was gonna retire and Kim Flodham,

588
00:30:42,700 --> 00:30:45,180
the editor of Bee Culture Magazine,

589
00:30:45,180 --> 00:30:48,060
always got a retired and they asked me if I wanted to do it.

590
00:30:48,060 --> 00:30:51,300
And I'd never been an editor before,

591
00:30:51,300 --> 00:30:55,100
written papers and outright books and that kind of stuff.

592
00:30:55,100 --> 00:30:56,180
But I said, well, shoot,

593
00:30:56,180 --> 00:30:57,940
who gets to be offered this job?

594
00:30:57,940 --> 00:31:00,940
So I took it and this has been marvelous as well,

595
00:31:00,940 --> 00:31:03,700
to be engaged with the industry

596
00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:07,580
and a fun educational outreach, if you will.

597
00:31:07,580 --> 00:31:11,220
Has it been difficult to adjust your beekeeping technique,

598
00:31:11,220 --> 00:31:12,660
style, whatever it is,

599
00:31:12,660 --> 00:31:15,300
between the various different climates you've been

600
00:31:15,300 --> 00:31:16,860
from Michigan to Florida

601
00:31:16,860 --> 00:31:19,940
and nearly every place in between?

602
00:31:19,940 --> 00:31:21,700
Give me a little feel for that

603
00:31:21,700 --> 00:31:24,140
and where you enjoyed it the most, maybe.

604
00:31:24,140 --> 00:31:25,980
No, you're right, but it's all seasonal.

605
00:31:25,980 --> 00:31:27,900
It's all based on temperature.

606
00:31:27,900 --> 00:31:30,460
And so regardless of where you're at,

607
00:31:30,460 --> 00:31:34,460
you're looking at daylight length and temperatures

608
00:31:34,460 --> 00:31:37,020
and when spring officially may be coming,

609
00:31:37,020 --> 00:31:40,380
when the dandelions pop out of the ground and do that.

610
00:31:40,380 --> 00:31:43,300
So it's been, it hasn't been difficult

611
00:31:43,300 --> 00:31:45,660
in the different places.

612
00:31:45,660 --> 00:31:47,540
You just have to be paying attention

613
00:31:47,540 --> 00:31:49,580
and be on your game a little bit.

614
00:31:49,580 --> 00:31:51,740
No, you make that sound pretty easy.

615
00:31:51,740 --> 00:31:53,380
I got that from a podcast.

616
00:31:53,380 --> 00:31:56,300
Well, then it must be true.

617
00:31:56,300 --> 00:31:57,140
That's right.

618
00:31:58,180 --> 00:32:00,620
This podcast is really meant to be

619
00:32:00,620 --> 00:32:02,180
for people that love honeybees

620
00:32:02,180 --> 00:32:04,460
and that can be beekeepers

621
00:32:04,460 --> 00:32:07,700
or people that have no desire to be a beekeeper,

622
00:32:07,700 --> 00:32:11,780
but realize what an important resource honeybees are.

623
00:32:11,780 --> 00:32:13,300
Do you have any recommendations

624
00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:17,060
that you would give to people in all walks of life,

625
00:32:17,060 --> 00:32:19,820
no matter where they are on that spectrum?

626
00:32:19,820 --> 00:32:22,980
What can we all do to help honeybees?

627
00:32:22,980 --> 00:32:25,220
I know one of the things that we've tried to do

628
00:32:25,220 --> 00:32:29,020
in our family is different things that we've planted

629
00:32:29,020 --> 00:32:31,300
around our yard and garden.

630
00:32:31,300 --> 00:32:32,940
Give us some wisdom.

631
00:32:32,940 --> 00:32:35,580
I don't know if this is gonna be wisdom or not,

632
00:32:35,580 --> 00:32:40,580
but there are approximately 125,000 beekeepers

633
00:32:42,620 --> 00:32:47,620
in the United States according to the National Honey Board.

634
00:32:47,620 --> 00:32:50,380
Not all states register beekeepers

635
00:32:50,380 --> 00:32:53,620
and so those numbers are up and down and back and forth.

636
00:32:53,620 --> 00:32:57,100
Out of 330 million people in the United States,

637
00:32:57,100 --> 00:33:01,620
there's more people who do yoga or stamp collecting

638
00:33:01,620 --> 00:33:03,020
than beekeeping.

639
00:33:03,020 --> 00:33:08,020
And so I don't want us to focus so much on ourselves,

640
00:33:08,140 --> 00:33:13,140
but on ourselves as educational outreach teachers

641
00:33:13,620 --> 00:33:18,300
to our family, our friends, our community, our churches,

642
00:33:18,300 --> 00:33:19,540
what have you.

643
00:33:19,540 --> 00:33:23,860
Because we are aware of how valuable honeybees are

644
00:33:23,860 --> 00:33:26,740
for pollinating fruits, nuts and vegetables,

645
00:33:26,740 --> 00:33:31,220
how valuable they are as they forge in the environment

646
00:33:31,220 --> 00:33:35,500
to, you know, pollinate trees that produce seeds and nuts

647
00:33:35,500 --> 00:33:38,620
that they can reproduce on or squirrels or turkeys

648
00:33:38,620 --> 00:33:41,220
or deer, each and what have you.

649
00:33:41,220 --> 00:33:44,820
I want those people who walk into the grocery store.

650
00:33:44,820 --> 00:33:46,620
And when you walk into the grocery store,

651
00:33:46,620 --> 00:33:48,940
most of the time you walk into the produce section

652
00:33:48,940 --> 00:33:52,380
because that is where value is.

653
00:33:52,380 --> 00:33:55,700
And most of that value comes from honeybees going

654
00:33:55,700 --> 00:33:59,700
from one flower to another flower with this collaboration

655
00:33:59,700 --> 00:34:02,620
that these two different species have come up with

656
00:34:02,620 --> 00:34:06,820
over the millennia and be aware that that's there

657
00:34:06,820 --> 00:34:11,740
because of honeybees or agriculture and what have you.

658
00:34:11,740 --> 00:34:13,420
And then you go down all the other aisles

659
00:34:13,420 --> 00:34:15,860
and see the canned beans and the frozen fruit

660
00:34:15,860 --> 00:34:19,820
and everything else because of honeybees

661
00:34:19,820 --> 00:34:23,420
and growers who do this.

662
00:34:23,420 --> 00:34:26,140
And this is amazing.

663
00:34:26,140 --> 00:34:29,380
I think we're getting 30 to 40% of our fruit, nuts

664
00:34:29,380 --> 00:34:33,380
and vegetables from other countries, but nobody cares.

665
00:34:33,380 --> 00:34:35,740
Why would you care if you walk into the produce section

666
00:34:35,740 --> 00:34:38,580
and it's full of stuff that you can still box?

667
00:34:38,580 --> 00:34:41,660
I disagree with that 100% because what happens

668
00:34:41,660 --> 00:34:44,300
if those countries decide, well, you know,

669
00:34:44,300 --> 00:34:46,660
you're, you know, this has been great,

670
00:34:46,660 --> 00:34:49,860
but we're not doing this anymore, have a nice day.

671
00:34:49,860 --> 00:34:52,820
And we don't have food to eat.

672
00:34:52,820 --> 00:34:56,940
We're not as self-sufficient as we could be to eat.

673
00:34:56,940 --> 00:34:59,460
And if you're watching the six o'clock news now

674
00:34:59,460 --> 00:35:02,700
and seeing those struggles that others are having

675
00:35:02,700 --> 00:35:06,340
because their food supply change has been disrupted,

676
00:35:06,340 --> 00:35:11,340
I don't want hours to and have that negative influence.

677
00:35:11,340 --> 00:35:14,580
One of the things that we've done at our house

678
00:35:14,580 --> 00:35:17,300
is to plant a pussy willow tree.

679
00:35:17,300 --> 00:35:19,660
And the reason for that is because it seems

680
00:35:19,660 --> 00:35:22,940
to be the very first thing, at least where I am,

681
00:35:22,940 --> 00:35:27,620
even before the dandelions that the bees absolutely love

682
00:35:27,620 --> 00:35:29,300
and can feed off of.

683
00:35:29,300 --> 00:35:31,980
You have any other recommendations?

684
00:35:31,980 --> 00:35:34,460
No, but you're to go back once you said,

685
00:35:34,460 --> 00:35:37,460
pussy willows of course, but I always wait for

686
00:35:37,460 --> 00:35:41,780
the dandelions, that's my, that's one,

687
00:35:41,780 --> 00:35:46,780
that's when I really get excited about a spray time.

688
00:35:46,780 --> 00:35:50,340
Because dandelions, the neat thing about dandelions

689
00:35:50,340 --> 00:35:53,660
is not only they produce pollen, which bees can use,

690
00:35:53,660 --> 00:35:55,980
you know, as their protein bottom on mineral source,

691
00:35:55,980 --> 00:36:00,300
but the sugar in their nectar is very high.

692
00:36:00,300 --> 00:36:02,900
It can be a high as 30%.

693
00:36:02,900 --> 00:36:05,580
And so bees, when they're trying to build up,

694
00:36:05,580 --> 00:36:10,580
raise new bees in their colony and get ready,

695
00:36:10,900 --> 00:36:12,500
you know, bees are always preparing for winter.

696
00:36:12,500 --> 00:36:14,500
They want a big colony that they can prepare

697
00:36:14,500 --> 00:36:15,660
for the next winter.

698
00:36:15,660 --> 00:36:18,820
So that resource is tremendous.

699
00:36:18,820 --> 00:36:21,700
And we beekeepers, you know, one of the things we do

700
00:36:21,700 --> 00:36:24,940
is feed honeybees with sugar share.

701
00:36:24,940 --> 00:36:27,580
This is one of those things where this is a natural product

702
00:36:27,580 --> 00:36:30,380
that the bees like and that really helps them.

703
00:36:30,380 --> 00:36:32,740
So what if your neighbors give you a hard time

704
00:36:32,740 --> 00:36:35,260
for not killing all the dandelions in your yard?

705
00:36:35,260 --> 00:36:38,700
Yeah, when I moved here, bought a house

706
00:36:38,700 --> 00:36:43,700
in kind of the semi-country, we have eight acres.

707
00:36:43,820 --> 00:36:47,940
And the person who owned the home before us,

708
00:36:47,940 --> 00:36:52,220
talking to the people who live on either side of us,

709
00:36:52,220 --> 00:36:56,500
said that he would mow three to four times a week.

710
00:36:56,500 --> 00:36:59,940
And I said, I'm not doing that

711
00:36:59,940 --> 00:37:03,500
because grass is a waste of time and money.

712
00:37:03,500 --> 00:37:06,460
And they just kind of looked at me.

713
00:37:06,460 --> 00:37:07,700
Welcome to the neighborhood.

714
00:37:07,700 --> 00:37:10,180
Right, and so now we have,

715
00:37:11,940 --> 00:37:14,100
we experiment in growing things

716
00:37:14,100 --> 00:37:16,300
and we have some fruit trees

717
00:37:16,300 --> 00:37:19,420
and we have like 30 apple trees, actually,

718
00:37:19,420 --> 00:37:20,980
fruit trees and what have you.

719
00:37:20,980 --> 00:37:24,900
And it's different than it was before,

720
00:37:24,900 --> 00:37:28,500
but I always take our neighbors jars of honey over the year

721
00:37:28,500 --> 00:37:31,020
just so that they don't get too bulky with me.

722
00:37:31,020 --> 00:37:33,860
Well, I know we're replacing a lot of our grass,

723
00:37:33,860 --> 00:37:36,700
our turf with clover.

724
00:37:36,700 --> 00:37:38,060
Ooh, nice.

725
00:37:38,060 --> 00:37:43,060
And I let it grow, I let it bloom, I mow it every once in a while

726
00:37:43,180 --> 00:37:44,740
when I absolutely have to,

727
00:37:44,740 --> 00:37:48,180
but actually the deer do most of the mowing for me.

728
00:37:48,180 --> 00:37:51,340
So I don't have to mow it very much.

729
00:37:51,340 --> 00:37:53,780
But yeah, I'm like you, I'm semi-country,

730
00:37:53,780 --> 00:37:56,540
I'm on five acres and we can do that.

731
00:37:56,540 --> 00:37:58,940
My neighbors don't complain too terribly much

732
00:37:58,940 --> 00:38:00,340
about dandelions.

733
00:38:00,340 --> 00:38:02,060
Yeah, and clover is amazing.

734
00:38:02,060 --> 00:38:04,460
You know, it's a legume and put some roots, you know,

735
00:38:04,460 --> 00:38:09,100
10 to 12 feet, breaks up the soil, adds nitrogen.

736
00:38:09,100 --> 00:38:11,100
It's just a great plant.

737
00:38:11,100 --> 00:38:13,140
And you can, you know, as you said,

738
00:38:13,140 --> 00:38:14,380
you don't have to mow it that often

739
00:38:14,380 --> 00:38:16,260
because generally it doesn't grow more than three

740
00:38:16,260 --> 00:38:19,180
to six inches high and it looks okay.

741
00:38:19,180 --> 00:38:20,660
And it uses less water,

742
00:38:20,660 --> 00:38:23,060
which here in the desert is a big deal.

743
00:38:23,060 --> 00:38:24,300
Oh, growling, yeah.

744
00:38:24,300 --> 00:38:27,340
Well, when you're putting down roots 10 to 12 feet,

745
00:38:27,340 --> 00:38:31,380
generally, but you guys have certainly had a lot of issues

746
00:38:31,380 --> 00:38:35,740
with less rainfall, it generally can survive pretty well.

747
00:38:35,740 --> 00:38:39,300
Okay, last thing, this is the fun part.

748
00:38:39,300 --> 00:38:41,420
I wanna hear some kind of wild and crazy

749
00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:43,260
beekeeping story from you.

750
00:38:43,260 --> 00:38:44,660
Something that stands out,

751
00:38:44,660 --> 00:38:48,620
it might have been fun, embarrassing, painful.

752
00:38:48,620 --> 00:38:51,700
Well, it's all been painful sometimes.

753
00:38:51,700 --> 00:38:55,100
Valley, no, I really, I mean, it's all been fun

754
00:38:55,100 --> 00:38:59,260
and in a learning situation for me,

755
00:38:59,260 --> 00:39:04,260
I guess the worst thing that's happened to me

756
00:39:04,660 --> 00:39:07,380
is we had a few years ago,

757
00:39:07,380 --> 00:39:11,260
a guy with, I think he had a couple acres of pumpkins

758
00:39:11,260 --> 00:39:13,500
around us and he wanted some bee hives.

759
00:39:13,500 --> 00:39:16,380
So I loaded bee hives on this little trailer.

760
00:39:16,380 --> 00:39:18,820
I had used only a couple of miles away.

761
00:39:18,820 --> 00:39:22,820
And using my exquisite expert brain,

762
00:39:22,820 --> 00:39:26,260
I did not tie them down because I thought two miles,

763
00:39:26,260 --> 00:39:29,460
I can go slow and it'll be okay, I won't have you.

764
00:39:30,300 --> 00:39:35,300
And yes, I did slow and went around a curve

765
00:39:35,540 --> 00:39:39,660
into his drive and they both turned over

766
00:39:39,660 --> 00:39:41,740
and I had bees everywhere

767
00:39:41,740 --> 00:39:44,700
and he was really unimpressed with me.

768
00:39:44,700 --> 00:39:46,300
That's a good one.

769
00:39:46,300 --> 00:39:50,500
How about something in beekeeping that just brings you joy?

770
00:39:50,500 --> 00:39:55,500
I like it when beekeepers get together and don't argue.

771
00:39:57,780 --> 00:40:02,540
They share, they socialize, share information.

772
00:40:02,540 --> 00:40:03,740
I have a few weeks ago,

773
00:40:03,740 --> 00:40:08,540
I was up in Saskatchewan, Canada, Saskatoon,

774
00:40:08,540 --> 00:40:10,180
where they were having a meeting

775
00:40:10,180 --> 00:40:13,100
and they had asked me to come and speak.

776
00:40:13,100 --> 00:40:17,020
And this was mostly a commercial group

777
00:40:17,020 --> 00:40:22,020
and they were wonderful in talking

778
00:40:22,020 --> 00:40:27,020
and you could challenge them with some ideas or things

779
00:40:27,540 --> 00:40:28,860
or what they needed to do

780
00:40:28,860 --> 00:40:31,660
or what you needed them to do for you.

781
00:40:31,660 --> 00:40:35,700
And it was a family event.

782
00:40:35,700 --> 00:40:38,900
And I really loved that feeling

783
00:40:38,900 --> 00:40:41,300
that everybody was on the same page.

784
00:40:41,300 --> 00:40:42,540
Maybe they didn't agree

785
00:40:42,540 --> 00:40:44,060
or maybe they had different opinions,

786
00:40:44,060 --> 00:40:45,620
but they would listen

787
00:40:45,620 --> 00:40:47,540
and you can all of a sudden see some of them

788
00:40:47,540 --> 00:40:49,020
had that aha moment

789
00:40:49,020 --> 00:40:50,900
and the light bulb went over their head

790
00:40:50,900 --> 00:40:52,460
and I just love that.

791
00:40:52,460 --> 00:40:54,540
Last thing, I'm gonna let you give a little pitch

792
00:40:54,540 --> 00:40:56,100
for your magazine.

793
00:40:56,100 --> 00:40:58,740
So I'm holding up Bee Culture Magazine.

794
00:40:58,740 --> 00:41:03,740
We're coming up on our 152nd year of this magazine

795
00:41:05,300 --> 00:41:08,380
that was started by AI Root, who was an amazing guy.

796
00:41:08,380 --> 00:41:10,780
There should be a whole podcast on AI Root

797
00:41:10,780 --> 00:41:13,700
about honey bees and beekeeping

798
00:41:13,700 --> 00:41:16,020
and how we can be better

799
00:41:16,020 --> 00:41:18,140
and how we can join together,

800
00:41:18,140 --> 00:41:22,500
how you can see new information, research.

801
00:41:22,500 --> 00:41:23,820
The last couple of years,

802
00:41:23,820 --> 00:41:26,020
I've had series in there

803
00:41:26,020 --> 00:41:31,020
by a well-known beekeeping research agents, universities.

804
00:41:31,740 --> 00:41:35,540
I had the University of Florida and Dr. Jamie Ellis.

805
00:41:35,540 --> 00:41:38,620
And then last year we had the University of California,

806
00:41:38,620 --> 00:41:41,940
Davis and this year we're having Auburn University.

807
00:41:41,940 --> 00:41:45,020
And so it's not about telling you what to do,

808
00:41:45,020 --> 00:41:50,020
it's sharing many things about researchers, universities,

809
00:41:50,460 --> 00:41:52,980
beekeepers, what they do, how they do it,

810
00:41:52,980 --> 00:41:57,660
how they nest up and organizations and meetings

811
00:41:57,660 --> 00:42:01,740
and all these things which I think need to be brought together

812
00:42:01,740 --> 00:42:03,860
so that we can be better beekeepers

813
00:42:03,860 --> 00:42:06,580
because bee culture is,

814
00:42:06,580 --> 00:42:09,780
it's the best beekeeping magazine around.

815
00:42:09,780 --> 00:42:12,900
And when Eugene hears me from ABJ say that,

816
00:42:12,900 --> 00:42:15,260
probably his eyes will roll back in his head.

817
00:42:15,260 --> 00:42:19,540
But, and I worked for ABJ for years, great magazine,

818
00:42:19,540 --> 00:42:23,980
but I have to be selfish now and say bee culture is amazing.

819
00:42:23,980 --> 00:42:27,900
All right, Jerry, thanks so much for being with me today.

820
00:42:27,900 --> 00:42:31,220
Thank you, this has been fun, I sure appreciate it.

821
00:42:33,060 --> 00:42:36,020
Thank you so much for joining us here on Bee Love Beekeeping

822
00:42:36,020 --> 00:42:37,620
presented by Man Lake.

823
00:42:37,620 --> 00:42:40,420
Please, right now before you forget, hit that follower,

824
00:42:40,420 --> 00:42:43,340
subscribe button and be sure to share this podcast

825
00:42:43,340 --> 00:42:44,660
with a friend.

826
00:42:44,660 --> 00:42:47,220
Remember, if you're not just in it for the honey

827
00:42:47,220 --> 00:42:49,620
or the money, you're in it for the love.

828
00:42:49,620 --> 00:42:50,780
See you next week.

829
00:42:50,780 --> 00:43:16,660
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