March 13, 2025
Spring Beekeeping, Wax-Dipped Woodenware, More!
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The Not Real Jeff Foxworthy is back with all new material, much of it sent in by our listeners!
Our featured guest on this episode is Jenna Prososki, Director of Sales & Marketing, Mann Lake. We discuss the essentials of spring beekeeping, feeding bees, dead-outs, the importance of testing and treating for mites, and much more!
Learn about wax-dipped woodenware, how to know if you're buying quality equipment, Mann Lake's history, and new beekeeping products.
Of course we top if off with a couple of wild & crazy beekeeping stories.
Beekeeping and the beekeepers, it's all about he love of honey bees!
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Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Mann Lake! https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
Mann Lake discount code: MLBEELOVE10 for $10 off a $100 order.
Transcript
WEBVTT
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May I have your attention, please? The following
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is not the real Jeff Fox review. If you failed
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freshman science, but now teach honeybee anatomy
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at your local bee club, you might be a beekeeper.
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If you use a queen clip to keep your hair out...
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your face during hive inspection, you might be
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a beekeeper. If you go to the car wash and the
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attendant there says, I can't get rid of these
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orange spots on your vehicle, you might be a
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beekeeper. Welcome welcome to Be Love Beekeeping
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presented by Man Lake. A very special thank you
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to all those who contributed ideas for the new
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versions of the not real Jeff Fox worthy intros.
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If you sent one in and didn't hear it today keep
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listening over the next few weeks you will probably
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hear it. Our guest today is a special representative
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from Man Lake to discuss what we need to do for
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our bees in the spring. plus new beekeeping inventions,
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wax -dipped woodenware, and much, much more.
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Before we check in with her, let's hear a couple
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new wild and crazy beekeeping stories from our
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listeners. From Arizona. I've had hives get so
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hot that frames of honey have melted and bees
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have come surfing right out of the entrance.
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And this from Oregon. The first time that I got
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stung was the day that I got a swarm call. Now
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realize that this day I was just hanging out
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at home in my underwear. So at that time I just
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put on a whole bee suit, socks, boots, and went
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out. I didn't even realize that I had forgotten
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to zip the ankles closed until we shook the swarm
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out onto a sheet and a bee crawled up my leg
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and stung my left butt cheek. Alright. Enough
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for the silliness today. Let's get on with our
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guest. I would like to welcome our special guest
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today, Jenna Prozoski. How are you, Jenna? I'm
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doing fabulous. I'm excited for spring. Definitely
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ready to get into the beekeeping season this
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year. Well, speaking of that, I want to jump
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into where you live and what it's like beekeeping
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there. You're in Minnesota. Yes. Are you sort
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of in the middle part of the state? North Central.
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So if you put a pin right in the center of Minnesota,
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we're about an hour north of there. So we do
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have harsher winters, colder temperatures in
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the wintertime. We just wrapped up a pretty nasty
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cold stretch where there was a lot of below zero
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temperatures. So I'm glad to be past that. I'm
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hoping that that's the last of it for this year.
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for the listeners. We're recording near the end
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of February. This isn't going to come out until
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in March sometime. Hopefully by March, you've
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got flowers and 60 degrees and who knows. In
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March, where we're at, we usually get at least
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one good snowstorm. It's usually around the big
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basketball tournament, college basketball tournament.
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We seem to always get a snowstorm beginning of
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March. And even sometimes we've gotten snow in
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early April, so our winters do last a long time
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here. I don't feel that sorry for you then. I
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thought it was a lot colder in Minnesota, but
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we've had snow in May. And a couple of years
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ago, we had a freeze in our garden on June 30th.
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I as long as I've been gardening, I don't think
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I've really had a hard freeze after the beginning
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of June. So I I'm lucky to have at least a little
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bit more temperate climate once we get into into
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June. Anyway, any idea how your personal bees
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are doing this year? So I have three hives. It's
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not a huge beekeeper. I like to keep bees for
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pollination in my garden because I'm an avid
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gardener. So far, so good. All three colonies
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were really strong going into the winter. Just
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as a preventative, I always add in extra winter
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feed just to be safe. I need to get into my hives
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yet to see exactly how much of that they have
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left. Because yesterday was really the first
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warm day that we've had this winter where I could
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do that. So I'm hoping this week to get in. But
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so far, so good. All three are still buzzing
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inside their boxes. That is awesome. In fact,
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I'm doing the same thing today because we may
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hit 50 degrees here today. We're having a little
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warm snap, so I'm going to go see how they're
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doing on food. And you should have bees even
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flying then doing their cleansing flights at
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50. Yeah, yeah, so I'm pretty excited for this
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afternoon and it's a nice sunny day, so I think
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it's going to be a good one. So I'm going to
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let people know up front you are marketing director
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for Man Lake. We're in love with Man Lake around
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here as people know I'm not gonna apologize for
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that one little bit But I want to hear and we
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are I promise listeners. We are not turning this
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into an infomercial today, but I think there's
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some things that People don't know about Man
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Lake that'd be good for them to know for example
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your app and your AI tool Can you just give us
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an idea of some of those things? Yeah, so over
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the past year and a half, two years, we have
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really put a lot of energy towards building resources
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for beekeepers because we know, especially when
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you're first getting started, it's not necessarily
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an easy hobby to get into. There's tons of information
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out there. tried to just become a reliable resource
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for beekeepers. So on our website, we have Bella,
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who is an AI chatbot, and we have put a lot of
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energy into training her. So she's giving good
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information. So if you have just a general beekeeping
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question, you can go on and just type it in and
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she'll give you an answer. Some people are in
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Florida, some are in Alaska. How does Bella know
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how to answer their questions? It is helpful
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if you can provide that information. So I'm in
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Florida, when should I feed my bees pollen substitute?
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So the more information that you put into your
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question, the better answer that you're going
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to get from her. And we have really put Bella
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to the test and we've asked customers, even commercial
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beekeepers to just throw some crazy questions
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out there. And the feedback has just been phenomenal
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on the answers that she's giving. She's very,
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very good. Very, very smart. Yes. Thanks to all
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the good information that went into it. Yeah,
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exactly. How about your app? What can you do
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on the app and why do I want the app versus just
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looking up things on my computer? Yeah. So, you
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know, a lot of people would think, oh man, like
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has an app that's just for shopping. You can
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shop on there. Absolutely. All of our products
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are available there, but there's also a full
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resource library. So We have our videos on there,
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blog articles. There's also a plant identification
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feature, which we layered in a list of bee friendly
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plants. So if you're out in your garden, you
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want to take a snap of that plant to see if it's
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bee friendly, pull up the app, identify the plant,
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and it'll tell you whether or not it is good
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for bees. So what if I'm out on a hike? in the
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hills and I see some kind of plant that is just
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covered with bees. So I'm like, I want to get
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that in my yard, but I don't know what it is
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Will it do that also or only tell me if it's
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good for bees? No, it will identify and tell
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you what that plant is There's also a feature
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if you were to build a pollinator garden in your
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area You can select your region and it will list
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out all the pollinator friendly plants that are
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native to your area So you can focus on native
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plants that are bee friendly as well Okay, what
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if I'm somebody that doesn't want to use an app?
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afraid of AI and I want to talk to a live person,
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is there some way to call Man Lake and say, hey,
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I'm a brand new beekeeper or I've just been doing
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this a couple of years and I have a question
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about such and such. Yeah, we have a dedicated
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customer service staff that will answer your
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phone calls. One really exciting thing is that
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a lot of them are also beekeepers and we have
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also put them. through the University of Florida
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Master Beekeepers course. Not everyone has completed
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the course yet, but they are. That's that's part
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of their their training is to learn about beekeeping.
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So if you are getting started and you're uncertain
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of what to get, how many hives to start with
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and just those basic questions, just give us
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a call and we can answer those questions. OK,
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here's one thing that I want to know, and this
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may or may not have anything to do with Mad Lake.
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but it has to do with equipment. How do we know
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what is good equipment to buy? And I'm talking
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wood and wear for starters. Boxes, frames, for
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those of us that have bought them from different
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places, and some of them seem to hold together
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real well. Some it seems like, oh, when the frames
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get propolized and I pry that thing up, it's
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splitting apart. Yep. How do I know what's quality
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so I know what to buy and not? So my best advice
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is make sure that you are buying from a trusted
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supplier that manufactures in the US that is
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not importing their woodenware and is especially
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not importing their frames and foundation. And
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I say that specifically because there are quality
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control efforts in place with the beeswax coating
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that we put on our foundation. And that is not
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in place in other countries. So if you are buying
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products from Man Lake, I can confidently tell
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you that it's safe for you to use in your hive.
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It's safe for your bees. If you're ordering off
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of some of those Chinese apps where you can get
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things super cheap. I cannot confidently tell
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you that what you're getting is quality and what
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you're getting is going to be safe for your bees.
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Speaking of foundation, how do I know when to
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replace it? Can I just keep foundation forever?
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You can't. And the reason is, is that your bees
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are out foraging and when they're bringing things
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back to the hive, they're not only bringing nectar
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and pollen back, they're bringing things from
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the environment. So over time, pesticides and
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will build up in the hive. A general rule, five
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years, you can stretch it out a little bit further,
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but I think if you try to hold yourself to that
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five -year mark, chances are you'll be switching
00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:27.460
it out around six or seven, if you're a beekeeper
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like me. Well, and it's hard to ever switch it
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out because it is the bees work so hard to draw
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out all that comb. And at some point, it's true
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what you're saying. You do have to realize there's
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a buildup of pesticides and stuff in there, and
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there's times to just throw it away and let them
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start over for their own health. Exactly. And
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you can see it in the color of the comb. It just
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darkens over time. And at a certain point, you
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just need to replace it. And one thing that I've
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done that I've found Helpful is I don't replace
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an entire box at one time So I'll just rotate
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certain frames out every year so I'll pull two
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or four frames out and replace and basically
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just you know move move the frames that were
00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:23.700
in there in put my new frames on the outside
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and then Just just rotate them out Speaking of
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that. What's the deal with black foundation?
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If you have not used black foundation, you definitely
00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:36.549
should It's not necessary in your honey supers,
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but in your bird chamber, it is so much easier
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to see the eggs in the cells. It just provides
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that contrast to where it's night and day difference.
00:12:48.110 --> 00:12:52.350
It really is. So I'm guessing also in what you're
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doing, and I know you're going to all the trade
00:12:54.269 --> 00:12:57.250
shows and. and the Honey Bee Expos all over the
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country and stuff. Tell us about some of the
00:12:59.789 --> 00:13:02.129
new products you see out there, because I'm kind
00:13:02.129 --> 00:13:05.570
of a gadget guy, and I love hearing about anything
00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:09.049
new and whether you think they work or not. Give
00:13:09.049 --> 00:13:12.809
us an idea. The newest thing on the market, and
00:13:12.809 --> 00:13:16.750
everyone, I think, is offering some fashion of
00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:21.129
this, is the wax -dipped woodenware. And I actually
00:13:21.129 --> 00:13:23.700
would like to talk a little bit more about that
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and how you know that you're getting something
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that is wax -dipped. Because if you're looking
00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:31.519
at our wax -dipped boxes, the finish on it isn't
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all that different from just a regular box. I
00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:38.860
mean, if you have an untreated box next to a
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wax -dipped box, there's just a slight color
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difference. So you actually have to spray water
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on to see whether or not a box is wax -dipped.
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Because with the process, the boxes or woodenware,
00:13:54.250 --> 00:13:56.009
because we have tops and bottoms that are dipped
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as well, are dipped at such a high temperature
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that when you dip it into the solution, it actually
00:14:03.090 --> 00:14:06.330
almost boils the moisture out of your box and
00:14:06.330 --> 00:14:08.929
then the wax permeates it. So you don't really
00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:12.690
see it on the outside. But with the new wax -dipped
00:14:12.690 --> 00:14:15.309
products that are out on the market, those boxes,
00:14:15.610 --> 00:14:19.299
tops and bottoms, they're going to last 20 -25
00:14:19.299 --> 00:14:23.899
years out in the fields because you've sterilized
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but with that high temperature and you've removed
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all the moisture from the wood -aware. And you
00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.700
don't have to paint them, right? You don't have
00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:33.519
to paint. It is a beautiful natural finish. You
00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:36.120
certainly could paint if you wanted to and there's
00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:39.600
people that will. I know there's a lot of beekeepers
00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.720
that like to paint the outside of their boxes
00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:44.750
if they've got several hives. next to each other,
00:14:44.870 --> 00:14:47.029
just so there's a little bit of differentiation.
00:14:47.629 --> 00:14:49.870
When the bees are coming and going, they can
00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:53.529
orient and identify which hive they belong to
00:14:53.529 --> 00:14:55.850
based off of what's on the outside of the box.
00:14:56.370 --> 00:14:58.649
But you don't have to paint. You can just leave
00:14:58.649 --> 00:15:01.730
it as that nice natural look for your backyard.
00:15:02.470 --> 00:15:05.690
They really are pretty. They're beautiful, absolutely
00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:09.409
beautiful and functional. And I've thought about
00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:12.519
taking some before I had heard about the whole
00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:16.440
dipping process of taking some that were like,
00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:19.840
quote, ready for paint and putting a nice varnish
00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.559
on it. But most varnishes are toxic and you don't
00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:25.759
want to do that to the bees. And even some paint,
00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:28.480
you have to be careful. You have to pay attention
00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:32.059
to what you're doing. And I think it's a bit
00:15:32.059 --> 00:15:34.299
of a misconception to new beekeepers that you
00:15:34.299 --> 00:15:36.600
can just paint your boxes and put your bees in
00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:38.909
there right away. I would strongly recommend
00:15:38.909 --> 00:15:42.409
against that because there's also the fumes and
00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:44.909
the smell. So if you have a box that you're putting
00:15:44.909 --> 00:15:48.870
a brand new package of bees in and it's freshly
00:15:48.870 --> 00:15:52.129
painted, I think that you are increasing the
00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:54.370
chance that that package could abscond and just
00:15:54.370 --> 00:15:58.850
up and leave. So don't want to encourage the
00:15:58.850 --> 00:16:01.809
bees to do that in any way. Well, yeah, off -gassing
00:16:01.809 --> 00:16:05.110
definitely is a thing. And they may leave or
00:16:05.110 --> 00:16:08.480
they may just not be quite as healthy. Yeah.
00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:11.120
Because there's so much of it. So, so yeah, if
00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:15.019
you want to paint, paint, leave it outside, let
00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:17.320
it be in the sun and air out for a few days.
00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:20.059
Yeah. Air out, dry out, then put your frames
00:16:20.059 --> 00:16:22.659
in and put your bees in. Yeah. I think that's
00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:26.039
really good advice. Any other new type inventions?
00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:29.879
New inventions. I'm trying to think the biggest
00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:33.480
things. There is a new mite treatment that is
00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:37.110
coming out. this spring, we're waiting on EPA
00:16:37.110 --> 00:16:40.610
approval. It's called Naroa. And I think that
00:16:40.610 --> 00:16:45.789
that could be a game changer. As far as new inventions,
00:16:46.049 --> 00:16:48.110
we also have a new high stand that's going to
00:16:48.110 --> 00:16:51.429
be coming out on the market. That's all the legs
00:16:51.429 --> 00:16:53.970
are adjustable. So you can put it on an uneven
00:16:53.970 --> 00:16:56.529
surface and adjust the legs to make sure that
00:16:56.529 --> 00:16:59.789
your hive is level. I'll take a couple of those.
00:17:00.009 --> 00:17:02.450
Yeah, we should have that in the next couple
00:17:02.450 --> 00:17:04.809
of months as well. There's a few other things
00:17:04.809 --> 00:17:06.410
that we're working on. I just can't talk about
00:17:06.410 --> 00:17:09.269
them yet. Top secret. We'll let you know when
00:17:09.269 --> 00:17:12.170
they come out. Top secret. I don't want to promise
00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:13.809
something, and then all of a sudden it's two
00:17:13.809 --> 00:17:17.049
years before we have it. Yeah, because if it's
00:17:17.049 --> 00:17:19.289
still in development, it may not work first time
00:17:19.289 --> 00:17:21.670
out. Yep, exactly. You don't want to be selling
00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:23.569
them until they're really tested and working
00:17:23.569 --> 00:17:27.410
well. Yeah. We've talked quite a bit about overwintering
00:17:27.410 --> 00:17:30.430
bees, and so I don't want to get into that. right
00:17:30.430 --> 00:17:32.630
now, even though you're in Minnesota. I want
00:17:32.630 --> 00:17:35.170
to talk about spring. What do you do for your
00:17:35.170 --> 00:17:39.150
bees in the spring? Really, as as my bees are
00:17:39.150 --> 00:17:43.009
coming into spring, it's our spring can be very
00:17:43.009 --> 00:17:47.529
late. So there's not necessarily a lot of forage
00:17:47.529 --> 00:17:51.349
available. So my my first thing is is it starts
00:17:51.349 --> 00:17:54.289
to warm up. I'm putting a pollen substitute honey
00:17:54.289 --> 00:17:57.740
on there. At Man Lake, we have a feed mill here
00:17:57.740 --> 00:18:01.099
in Hackensack. And so we make all of our pollen
00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:03.539
substitutes, both the dry and the patty formulas.
00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:07.420
And we did just come out with a new one last
00:18:07.420 --> 00:18:09.900
year called our Rocket Fuel Patties that has
00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:13.019
natural pollen as well as the Apis Biologics
00:18:13.019 --> 00:18:17.079
supplement in it, which adds vitamins, minerals,
00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:21.740
enzymes to really mimic the profile of natural
00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:24.869
pollen. So that's one of the first things. that
00:18:24.869 --> 00:18:26.950
I'm putting out there as a pollen substitute
00:18:26.950 --> 00:18:30.009
and then syrup as well, just to allow that colony
00:18:30.009 --> 00:18:32.150
to build up before there actually is a nectar
00:18:32.150 --> 00:18:35.170
flow. One of the saddest things that I've ever
00:18:35.170 --> 00:18:39.430
seen was in February. Oh, yes, the bees are doing
00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:45.430
great. And in March or April, they're dead. And
00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:49.250
they ran out of food in March. Yes. And that,
00:18:49.410 --> 00:18:53.029
believe me. If you are so fortunate as to have
00:18:53.029 --> 00:18:55.869
your bees get through winter, do not let them
00:18:55.869 --> 00:18:59.349
starve in the spring. Please. Please check if
00:18:59.349 --> 00:19:03.069
they need food, feed them. It's OK. It is OK.
00:19:03.329 --> 00:19:06.650
And if you put extra feed on there that does
00:19:06.650 --> 00:19:09.089
not get consumed and your bees make it through
00:19:09.089 --> 00:19:11.950
winter, I guarantee you you're not going to regret
00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:15.759
that because. It's expensive to replace bees,
00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:19.059
but at the same time for anybody that's new to
00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:22.259
beekeeping and you do lose your bees, don't get
00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:26.480
discouraged. It happens to everybody and it's
00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:29.400
okay. It's okay as long as you learn from it.
00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:33.960
So make sure that you're going in and inspecting
00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:36.000
that hive thoroughly as you clean it out to try
00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.759
to figure out what happened. If your bees have
00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:41.920
their heads stuck in the comb with their little
00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:44.779
butts facing out, chances are that they did starve.
00:19:44.980 --> 00:19:47.400
And so you know next year that you need to add
00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:50.200
additional feed. So whether it just be sugar
00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:53.460
added on the top of the frames of the mountain
00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:56.519
camp method or use the winter patties that we
00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:59.980
sell, it's just a cheap insurance policy to make
00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:01.980
sure that your hive makes it through winter.
00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:05.940
And also moisture can be such a challenge, especially
00:20:05.940 --> 00:20:09.009
as we get closer to spring. Here the temperatures
00:20:09.009 --> 00:20:11.930
will bounce up and down one day. It'll be 50
00:20:11.930 --> 00:20:15.069
degrees the next day. It'll be 20 degrees and
00:20:15.069 --> 00:20:18.150
That can cause moisture issues in the hive So
00:20:18.150 --> 00:20:20.390
as you're coming into spring checking your moisture
00:20:20.390 --> 00:20:22.190
boards to make sure that they're not saturated
00:20:22.190 --> 00:20:24.109
to where they can still help control moisture
00:20:24.109 --> 00:20:28.029
levels can also also be a cheap insurance Just
00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:31.210
replacing out that moisture board So how do people
00:20:31.210 --> 00:20:35.369
know when to stop feeding bees? Really the bees
00:20:35.369 --> 00:20:38.920
will decrease their consumption. And you can
00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:41.940
also just watch them as they're coming and going.
00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:44.900
If you're watching your bees and landing on the
00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:47.920
entrance and you can see that their pollen sacks
00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:50.440
are full, you don't need to be offering a pollen
00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:52.299
substitute at that point because they're out
00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:54.279
there and they're finding it. There's one thing
00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:57.759
I love to see. It is. I'd love to see bees coming
00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:01.440
in with those big. Yeah. Hunks of pollen stuck
00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:03.539
on there. I think it is one of the most amazing
00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:06.039
and beautiful things you can see. It's fun to
00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:08.980
watch and it's also really interesting to watch
00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:11.740
the different colors that they'll bring in. Yeah.
00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:14.980
And if you don't notice it on the bees themselves
00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:18.200
when you're doing an inspection and you take
00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:22.119
a frame out and you're like yellow, orange, red,
00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:25.339
and all these colors in between, here's something
00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:28.180
to add to your app. In addition to the plant
00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:31.960
identifier, a pollen identifier. I will take
00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:37.920
that note down. Pollen color chart. I know that's
00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:40.279
probably impossible, but it'd be cool to take
00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:43.079
a picture and go, oh, well, that's from such
00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:46.240
and such a tree or something like that. Ask Bella
00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:50.240
to do something along those lines. We all experience
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:53.180
dead outs from time to time and you mentioned
00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:57.559
how to tell if your hive starved what other things
00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:01.099
if somebody has a dead out and they're Inspecting
00:22:01.099 --> 00:22:03.799
what else could they find that would help them
00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:07.759
learn from what happened? For example, if they
00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:11.519
went into fall with their Varroa counts a little
00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:14.940
high How do they know that in the spring when
00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:18.339
they have a dead out? That's a tough one I would
00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:20.980
strongly recommend that you're monitoring and
00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:24.019
treating early before going into winter as far
00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:28.119
as knowing for sure what your levels were when
00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:30.920
that colony perished. I honestly, I don't know
00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.539
the answer to that. Anything else from looking
00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:37.160
at a dead out that could teach us something about
00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:40.519
what happened? If moisture was an issue, a lot
00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:43.660
of times you'll see just your bees down piled
00:22:43.660 --> 00:22:46.579
up at the bottom on your bottom board. A lot
00:22:46.579 --> 00:22:49.200
of times you'll see mildew in the hive and it
00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:52.420
just, if moisture was the reason that your hive
00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:55.720
perished, it can be a pretty - It's gross. Gross
00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:58.819
thing to clean out. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of
00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:01.720
yucky. One of the things that I've done is bought
00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:05.359
a power washer. Yeah. So I can really scrub that
00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:08.079
stuff out really good. Some people use a flame,
00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:10.779
burn it, which seems like a really good idea
00:23:10.779 --> 00:23:14.569
too. You've been beekeeping long enough. I'm
00:23:14.569 --> 00:23:17.250
sure you've had some wild and crazy things happening
00:23:17.250 --> 00:23:21.789
to you. Give me an idea of one. Yes, I will tell
00:23:21.789 --> 00:23:26.190
you about the first swarm that I caught. It was
00:23:26.190 --> 00:23:31.349
my second year of beekeeping and I was out working
00:23:31.349 --> 00:23:34.109
in my garden and I keep my hives right in my
00:23:34.109 --> 00:23:38.410
garden and I noticed a lot of activity and I
00:23:38.410 --> 00:23:41.349
thought, oh great, they're swarming. Something's
00:23:41.349 --> 00:23:44.980
going on here. And I ended up leaving for a little
00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:49.799
bit and coming back. And the swarm was in a tree
00:23:49.799 --> 00:23:54.039
just next to my hives, probably about 25 feet
00:23:54.039 --> 00:23:57.539
up in the air. And I am very fortunate that my
00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:01.380
husband owns a construction company. So I called
00:24:01.380 --> 00:24:04.400
him up and I said, these swarms, we need to get
00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:07.579
up there. And we actually took a scissor lift
00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:10.200
and drove it to where the swarm was and lifted
00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:14.369
up and cut the tree branch into just a cardboard
00:24:14.369 --> 00:24:17.950
box and I was able to catch my first swarm with
00:24:17.950 --> 00:24:21.309
a scissor lift. So it was pretty cool. You know
00:24:21.309 --> 00:24:23.690
how many swarm catchers would just absolutely
00:24:23.690 --> 00:24:27.910
kill to have access to a scissor lift? It definitely
00:24:27.910 --> 00:24:31.809
made it much easier and safer to get up to where
00:24:31.809 --> 00:24:33.710
they were because honestly they were high enough
00:24:33.710 --> 00:24:36.630
up in the hives. I wouldn't have felt comfortable
00:24:36.630 --> 00:24:38.470
climbing up there with the ladder. There's no
00:24:38.470 --> 00:24:41.410
way I would have just watched them go wherever
00:24:41.410 --> 00:24:43.819
they were going to go at that point. Twenty five
00:24:43.819 --> 00:24:47.079
feet is high. It was really high in the air.
00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:49.619
I couldn't believe it. I mean, even if you're
00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:54.059
up like 12 or 15 feet on a ladder and you're
00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:58.000
holding a box and if you're cutting off a limb,
00:24:58.019 --> 00:25:00.660
you've got some kind of cutting tool and you're
00:25:00.660 --> 00:25:04.440
trying to hold the ladder. Yeah. And I'm surprised
00:25:04.440 --> 00:25:07.240
more people don't die doing that every year.
00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:10.759
Sorry, that's not funny, but that's really everyone
00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:15.359
needs to. exercise caution when catching swarms
00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:18.420
that are high up in trees. Yeah, okay. Well,
00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:21.940
thank you for everything and for all the advice.
00:25:23.140 --> 00:25:26.380
And lastly, I know you've been at Man Lake for
00:25:26.380 --> 00:25:29.460
a long time. And I don't know very much about
00:25:29.460 --> 00:25:32.000
the history of the company. What do you know?
00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:34.970
What do you want to tell us about it? So Man
00:25:34.970 --> 00:25:39.529
Lake was founded by Jack and Betty Thomas in
00:25:39.529 --> 00:25:44.329
1983. I started with the company about 13 years
00:25:44.329 --> 00:25:46.890
ago, and they were still actively involved at
00:25:46.890 --> 00:25:49.869
that point. So I was fortunate enough to be able
00:25:49.869 --> 00:25:54.289
to meet them and work with them. And they started
00:25:54.289 --> 00:25:57.890
Man Lake Bee Supply in their garage at their
00:25:57.890 --> 00:26:00.349
home on Man Lake, which is where the name came
00:26:00.349 --> 00:26:03.990
from. So there is a lake. or a chain of lakes
00:26:03.990 --> 00:26:06.829
in Hackensack that's Man Lake, Woman Lake, Child
00:26:06.829 --> 00:26:10.549
Lake. So that is where the name came from. Shortly
00:26:10.549 --> 00:26:13.269
after they started their supply business, they
00:26:13.269 --> 00:26:16.589
moved into the town of Hackensack, which for
00:26:16.589 --> 00:26:19.089
those of you that have not had the chance to
00:26:19.089 --> 00:26:21.609
visit here, there's about 300 people in this
00:26:21.609 --> 00:26:25.849
town. So it is a very, very small town. We actually,
00:26:26.130 --> 00:26:28.630
at certain points in our history, have employed
00:26:28.630 --> 00:26:30.670
more people than what actually lived in the town
00:26:30.670 --> 00:26:35.299
of Hackensack. So it's a pretty cool place to
00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:37.559
work because it is just a small town environment
00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:40.740
and we are just the biggest company here. So
00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:44.599
it's really been a pleasure to work and work
00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:47.119
for this company and just seeing how we've been
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:51.440
able to grow. Jack and Betty founded the company.
00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:56.200
They expanded into California, then Pennsylvania,
00:26:56.779 --> 00:26:59.680
Texas. We bought Kelly Beekeeping. So now we
00:26:59.680 --> 00:27:02.660
have a location in Kentucky and also Florida.
00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:06.559
And I've been able to be a part of that growth
00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:08.539
with the exception of the California location.
00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:10.660
We had that when I started here, but everything
00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:13.180
else has been added on since I started at the
00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:16.059
company. So how many retail stores and how much
00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:19.150
of your business is online versus retail? So
00:27:19.150 --> 00:27:21.349
we have six retail stores. The majority though
00:27:21.349 --> 00:27:25.170
is still online just because our locations are
00:27:25.170 --> 00:27:28.289
not necessarily in really populated areas. The
00:27:28.289 --> 00:27:31.609
locations that we have were more so centered
00:27:31.609 --> 00:27:35.289
around commercial beekeeping and trying to have
00:27:35.289 --> 00:27:37.170
locations that are convenient for commercial
00:27:37.170 --> 00:27:40.329
beekeepers to access as they're moving around
00:27:40.329 --> 00:27:43.150
the country doing their pollination. Any other
00:27:43.150 --> 00:27:46.470
advice for new beekeepers or someone that maybe
00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:50.170
isn't one yet, but is thinking huh? That sounds
00:27:50.170 --> 00:27:52.890
interesting and by the way for people in that
00:27:52.890 --> 00:27:57.069
category It is wonderful and it's harder than
00:27:57.069 --> 00:28:00.690
you would expect Beekeeping definitely is harder
00:28:00.690 --> 00:28:02.970
than what you would expect and I would strongly
00:28:02.970 --> 00:28:07.130
encourage anyone that is thinking about getting
00:28:07.130 --> 00:28:11.940
started in beekeeping to take a year and do some
00:28:11.940 --> 00:28:16.059
research, so read some books, take a beginner's
00:28:16.059 --> 00:28:18.980
class, find a mentor if you have one in your
00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:22.119
area, or join your local beekeeping club, and
00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:26.079
take the time to learn about beekeeping in your
00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:30.680
area before you actually get started. Then, once
00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:33.660
you get started, my best advice for a brand new
00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:37.339
beekeeper is when you are doing your hive inspections,
00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:40.740
do not feel like you have to find the queen.
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:44.160
everybody goes in and I can't find my queen.
00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:46.579
I don't think she's in there. I didn't see her.
00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:51.740
And if you look at the frame, it is full of eggs
00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:54.599
and larvae, a beautiful brood pattern. You don't
00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:56.339
have to find your queen. Just make sure that
00:28:56.339 --> 00:28:59.220
she is laying eggs. If you see eggs, you have
00:28:59.220 --> 00:29:02.259
a queen. If you see eggs, you have a queen and
00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:05.279
don't take the time to tear apart your entire
00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:08.160
colony looking for her. You know she's in there.
00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:11.240
What if somebody just wants to take the time?
00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:15.880
If you want to take the time, absolutely. Tips
00:29:15.880 --> 00:29:21.099
for finding your queen is look for a frame that
00:29:21.099 --> 00:29:25.299
has eggs in it, eggs that are just laid so they're
00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:27.339
going to be very tiny which they're the black
00:29:27.339 --> 00:29:29.160
foundation comes in very handy it's going to
00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:31.759
make it much easier for you to see those and
00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:35.799
just slowly scan. You can watch the worker bees
00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:38.859
as well because oftentimes they'll circle around
00:29:38.859 --> 00:29:42.640
her so if you just watch their behavior sometimes
00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:45.339
you can spot your queen that way. And by the
00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:48.599
way if you want to see the queen so bad and you're
00:29:48.599 --> 00:29:51.740
new at it so it's taking you an hour or two you
00:29:51.740 --> 00:29:54.940
are not making your bees happy. And they will
00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:58.059
likely let you know when they have reached their
00:29:58.059 --> 00:30:01.700
tolerance point for Joe Beekeeper and it's time
00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:04.740
to go away and you start getting hit in the face,
00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:09.380
you know. Exactly. One last thing that I wanted
00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:12.380
to mention that has never before come up on this
00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:16.240
show or today. And that is I know a lot of beekeepers
00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:20.119
also like to keep backyard chickens. Seriously.
00:30:20.430 --> 00:30:23.630
Man Lake has poultry stuff too. Yes, you can
00:30:23.630 --> 00:30:26.809
do all of your shopping for your bees and your
00:30:26.809 --> 00:30:29.829
chickens on our website. Let's face it, the two
00:30:29.829 --> 00:30:32.150
hobbies go hand in hand. You have your little
00:30:32.150 --> 00:30:34.450
backyard farm. I'm sure a lot of you are gardeners
00:30:34.450 --> 00:30:38.609
as well. So hopefully someday down the road,
00:30:38.750 --> 00:30:41.369
we'll be able to get into that as well. And compared
00:30:41.369 --> 00:30:44.069
to bees, I can say from experience, chickens
00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:49.250
are much easier. They are. They are. They're
00:30:49.250 --> 00:30:53.450
dirtier, but they are much easier. Anyway, Jenna,
00:30:53.710 --> 00:30:56.269
I appreciate your time very much. Thanks for
00:30:56.269 --> 00:30:59.349
being with me today. Yeah, happy to be here.
00:31:01.609 --> 00:31:04.390
Thanks again for joining us here on Be Love Beekeeping
00:31:04.390 --> 00:31:08.180
presented by Man Lake. Another great place for
00:31:08.180 --> 00:31:11.180
more information on everything related to this
00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:14.660
podcast is in our email newsletter. You can sign
00:31:14.660 --> 00:31:18.240
up for it for free at BeLoveBekeeping .com. And
00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:20.299
remember, if you're not just in it for the honey
00:31:20.299 --> 00:31:23.140
or the money, you're in it for the love. See
00:31:23.140 --> 00:31:23.799
you next week.
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.660
May I have your attention, please? The following
00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:10.519
is not the real Jeff Fox review. If you failed
00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:15.300
freshman science, but now teach honeybee anatomy
00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:20.780
at your local bee club, you might be a beekeeper.
00:00:22.899 --> 00:00:27.339
If you use a queen clip to keep your hair out...
00:00:27.309 --> 00:00:32.429
your face during hive inspection, you might be
00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:39.009
a beekeeper. If you go to the car wash and the
00:00:39.009 --> 00:00:42.850
attendant there says, I can't get rid of these
00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:48.289
orange spots on your vehicle, you might be a
00:00:48.289 --> 00:00:57.939
beekeeper. Welcome welcome to Be Love Beekeeping
00:00:57.939 --> 00:01:02.140
presented by Man Lake. A very special thank you
00:01:02.140 --> 00:01:05.280
to all those who contributed ideas for the new
00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:08.599
versions of the not real Jeff Fox worthy intros.
00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:11.519
If you sent one in and didn't hear it today keep
00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:14.239
listening over the next few weeks you will probably
00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:17.620
hear it. Our guest today is a special representative
00:01:17.620 --> 00:01:20.760
from Man Lake to discuss what we need to do for
00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:24.250
our bees in the spring. plus new beekeeping inventions,
00:01:24.849 --> 00:01:27.370
wax -dipped woodenware, and much, much more.
00:01:27.829 --> 00:01:30.170
Before we check in with her, let's hear a couple
00:01:30.170 --> 00:01:32.790
new wild and crazy beekeeping stories from our
00:01:32.790 --> 00:01:39.810
listeners. From Arizona. I've had hives get so
00:01:39.810 --> 00:01:43.290
hot that frames of honey have melted and bees
00:01:43.290 --> 00:01:45.829
have come surfing right out of the entrance.
00:01:46.569 --> 00:01:50.019
And this from Oregon. The first time that I got
00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:53.640
stung was the day that I got a swarm call. Now
00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:55.859
realize that this day I was just hanging out
00:01:55.859 --> 00:01:59.239
at home in my underwear. So at that time I just
00:01:59.239 --> 00:02:01.900
put on a whole bee suit, socks, boots, and went
00:02:01.900 --> 00:02:05.060
out. I didn't even realize that I had forgotten
00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:08.960
to zip the ankles closed until we shook the swarm
00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:12.439
out onto a sheet and a bee crawled up my leg
00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:16.789
and stung my left butt cheek. Alright. Enough
00:02:16.789 --> 00:02:19.849
for the silliness today. Let's get on with our
00:02:19.849 --> 00:02:25.310
guest. I would like to welcome our special guest
00:02:25.310 --> 00:02:29.830
today, Jenna Prozoski. How are you, Jenna? I'm
00:02:29.830 --> 00:02:33.150
doing fabulous. I'm excited for spring. Definitely
00:02:33.150 --> 00:02:35.330
ready to get into the beekeeping season this
00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:38.330
year. Well, speaking of that, I want to jump
00:02:38.330 --> 00:02:41.050
into where you live and what it's like beekeeping
00:02:41.050 --> 00:02:44.189
there. You're in Minnesota. Yes. Are you sort
00:02:44.189 --> 00:02:47.650
of in the middle part of the state? North Central.
00:02:48.150 --> 00:02:51.189
So if you put a pin right in the center of Minnesota,
00:02:51.430 --> 00:02:54.550
we're about an hour north of there. So we do
00:02:54.550 --> 00:02:56.870
have harsher winters, colder temperatures in
00:02:56.870 --> 00:03:00.490
the wintertime. We just wrapped up a pretty nasty
00:03:00.490 --> 00:03:03.050
cold stretch where there was a lot of below zero
00:03:03.050 --> 00:03:06.069
temperatures. So I'm glad to be past that. I'm
00:03:06.069 --> 00:03:08.830
hoping that that's the last of it for this year.
00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:11.819
for the listeners. We're recording near the end
00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:14.300
of February. This isn't going to come out until
00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:18.830
in March sometime. Hopefully by March, you've
00:03:18.830 --> 00:03:22.590
got flowers and 60 degrees and who knows. In
00:03:22.590 --> 00:03:24.909
March, where we're at, we usually get at least
00:03:24.909 --> 00:03:29.710
one good snowstorm. It's usually around the big
00:03:29.710 --> 00:03:31.729
basketball tournament, college basketball tournament.
00:03:32.150 --> 00:03:34.849
We seem to always get a snowstorm beginning of
00:03:34.849 --> 00:03:37.610
March. And even sometimes we've gotten snow in
00:03:37.610 --> 00:03:40.870
early April, so our winters do last a long time
00:03:40.870 --> 00:03:43.759
here. I don't feel that sorry for you then. I
00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:45.719
thought it was a lot colder in Minnesota, but
00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:48.879
we've had snow in May. And a couple of years
00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:54.120
ago, we had a freeze in our garden on June 30th.
00:03:54.460 --> 00:03:57.840
I as long as I've been gardening, I don't think
00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:01.580
I've really had a hard freeze after the beginning
00:04:01.580 --> 00:04:07.139
of June. So I I'm lucky to have at least a little
00:04:07.139 --> 00:04:09.659
bit more temperate climate once we get into into
00:04:09.659 --> 00:04:12.960
June. Anyway, any idea how your personal bees
00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:15.979
are doing this year? So I have three hives. It's
00:04:15.979 --> 00:04:18.939
not a huge beekeeper. I like to keep bees for
00:04:18.939 --> 00:04:21.680
pollination in my garden because I'm an avid
00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:24.420
gardener. So far, so good. All three colonies
00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:27.050
were really strong going into the winter. Just
00:04:27.050 --> 00:04:29.829
as a preventative, I always add in extra winter
00:04:29.829 --> 00:04:33.550
feed just to be safe. I need to get into my hives
00:04:33.550 --> 00:04:35.649
yet to see exactly how much of that they have
00:04:35.649 --> 00:04:37.990
left. Because yesterday was really the first
00:04:37.990 --> 00:04:41.769
warm day that we've had this winter where I could
00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:44.449
do that. So I'm hoping this week to get in. But
00:04:44.449 --> 00:04:46.829
so far, so good. All three are still buzzing
00:04:46.829 --> 00:04:49.939
inside their boxes. That is awesome. In fact,
00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:52.180
I'm doing the same thing today because we may
00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:55.220
hit 50 degrees here today. We're having a little
00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:57.639
warm snap, so I'm going to go see how they're
00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:00.939
doing on food. And you should have bees even
00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:02.980
flying then doing their cleansing flights at
00:05:02.980 --> 00:05:06.819
50. Yeah, yeah, so I'm pretty excited for this
00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:09.259
afternoon and it's a nice sunny day, so I think
00:05:09.259 --> 00:05:11.899
it's going to be a good one. So I'm going to
00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:15.060
let people know up front you are marketing director
00:05:15.060 --> 00:05:18.579
for Man Lake. We're in love with Man Lake around
00:05:18.579 --> 00:05:22.459
here as people know I'm not gonna apologize for
00:05:22.459 --> 00:05:25.920
that one little bit But I want to hear and we
00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:28.259
are I promise listeners. We are not turning this
00:05:28.259 --> 00:05:31.339
into an infomercial today, but I think there's
00:05:31.339 --> 00:05:34.279
some things that People don't know about Man
00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:36.939
Lake that'd be good for them to know for example
00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:39.980
your app and your AI tool Can you just give us
00:05:39.980 --> 00:05:42.800
an idea of some of those things? Yeah, so over
00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:45.759
the past year and a half, two years, we have
00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:50.120
really put a lot of energy towards building resources
00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:53.939
for beekeepers because we know, especially when
00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:56.860
you're first getting started, it's not necessarily
00:05:56.860 --> 00:06:01.680
an easy hobby to get into. There's tons of information
00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:07.120
out there. tried to just become a reliable resource
00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:10.839
for beekeepers. So on our website, we have Bella,
00:06:10.939 --> 00:06:14.639
who is an AI chatbot, and we have put a lot of
00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.800
energy into training her. So she's giving good
00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:20.980
information. So if you have just a general beekeeping
00:06:20.980 --> 00:06:24.100
question, you can go on and just type it in and
00:06:24.100 --> 00:06:26.980
she'll give you an answer. Some people are in
00:06:26.980 --> 00:06:29.920
Florida, some are in Alaska. How does Bella know
00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:32.930
how to answer their questions? It is helpful
00:06:32.930 --> 00:06:36.709
if you can provide that information. So I'm in
00:06:36.709 --> 00:06:39.930
Florida, when should I feed my bees pollen substitute?
00:06:40.329 --> 00:06:42.389
So the more information that you put into your
00:06:42.389 --> 00:06:44.209
question, the better answer that you're going
00:06:44.209 --> 00:06:48.629
to get from her. And we have really put Bella
00:06:48.629 --> 00:06:52.050
to the test and we've asked customers, even commercial
00:06:52.050 --> 00:06:55.850
beekeepers to just throw some crazy questions
00:06:55.850 --> 00:06:58.589
out there. And the feedback has just been phenomenal
00:06:58.589 --> 00:07:01.519
on the answers that she's giving. She's very,
00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:05.660
very good. Very, very smart. Yes. Thanks to all
00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:08.139
the good information that went into it. Yeah,
00:07:08.259 --> 00:07:10.779
exactly. How about your app? What can you do
00:07:10.779 --> 00:07:14.240
on the app and why do I want the app versus just
00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:17.060
looking up things on my computer? Yeah. So, you
00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:19.040
know, a lot of people would think, oh man, like
00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:21.360
has an app that's just for shopping. You can
00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:23.360
shop on there. Absolutely. All of our products
00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:26.519
are available there, but there's also a full
00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:30.160
resource library. So We have our videos on there,
00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:33.759
blog articles. There's also a plant identification
00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:39.379
feature, which we layered in a list of bee friendly
00:07:39.379 --> 00:07:42.139
plants. So if you're out in your garden, you
00:07:42.139 --> 00:07:44.639
want to take a snap of that plant to see if it's
00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:48.160
bee friendly, pull up the app, identify the plant,
00:07:48.180 --> 00:07:50.240
and it'll tell you whether or not it is good
00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.500
for bees. So what if I'm out on a hike? in the
00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:57.980
hills and I see some kind of plant that is just
00:07:57.980 --> 00:08:00.930
covered with bees. So I'm like, I want to get
00:08:00.930 --> 00:08:02.850
that in my yard, but I don't know what it is
00:08:02.850 --> 00:08:05.829
Will it do that also or only tell me if it's
00:08:05.829 --> 00:08:08.430
good for bees? No, it will identify and tell
00:08:08.430 --> 00:08:11.350
you what that plant is There's also a feature
00:08:11.350 --> 00:08:14.310
if you were to build a pollinator garden in your
00:08:14.310 --> 00:08:17.790
area You can select your region and it will list
00:08:17.790 --> 00:08:20.050
out all the pollinator friendly plants that are
00:08:20.050 --> 00:08:22.569
native to your area So you can focus on native
00:08:22.569 --> 00:08:25.329
plants that are bee friendly as well Okay, what
00:08:25.329 --> 00:08:28.250
if I'm somebody that doesn't want to use an app?
00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:32.159
afraid of AI and I want to talk to a live person,
00:08:32.700 --> 00:08:35.720
is there some way to call Man Lake and say, hey,
00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:38.620
I'm a brand new beekeeper or I've just been doing
00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:40.860
this a couple of years and I have a question
00:08:40.860 --> 00:08:44.799
about such and such. Yeah, we have a dedicated
00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:47.240
customer service staff that will answer your
00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:50.840
phone calls. One really exciting thing is that
00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:54.399
a lot of them are also beekeepers and we have
00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:57.669
also put them. through the University of Florida
00:08:57.669 --> 00:09:01.250
Master Beekeepers course. Not everyone has completed
00:09:01.250 --> 00:09:03.830
the course yet, but they are. That's that's part
00:09:03.830 --> 00:09:07.110
of their their training is to learn about beekeeping.
00:09:07.549 --> 00:09:10.649
So if you are getting started and you're uncertain
00:09:10.649 --> 00:09:14.330
of what to get, how many hives to start with
00:09:14.330 --> 00:09:17.029
and just those basic questions, just give us
00:09:17.029 --> 00:09:19.549
a call and we can answer those questions. OK,
00:09:19.629 --> 00:09:21.850
here's one thing that I want to know, and this
00:09:21.850 --> 00:09:24.009
may or may not have anything to do with Mad Lake.
00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:27.960
but it has to do with equipment. How do we know
00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:30.860
what is good equipment to buy? And I'm talking
00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:35.500
wood and wear for starters. Boxes, frames, for
00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:38.039
those of us that have bought them from different
00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:41.860
places, and some of them seem to hold together
00:09:41.860 --> 00:09:45.259
real well. Some it seems like, oh, when the frames
00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:48.759
get propolized and I pry that thing up, it's
00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:52.620
splitting apart. Yep. How do I know what's quality
00:09:52.620 --> 00:09:57.320
so I know what to buy and not? So my best advice
00:09:57.320 --> 00:10:01.419
is make sure that you are buying from a trusted
00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:05.440
supplier that manufactures in the US that is
00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.120
not importing their woodenware and is especially
00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:11.539
not importing their frames and foundation. And
00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:15.720
I say that specifically because there are quality
00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:20.259
control efforts in place with the beeswax coating
00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:26.279
that we put on our foundation. And that is not
00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:32.100
in place in other countries. So if you are buying
00:10:32.100 --> 00:10:35.039
products from Man Lake, I can confidently tell
00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:38.580
you that it's safe for you to use in your hive.
00:10:38.659 --> 00:10:41.679
It's safe for your bees. If you're ordering off
00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:44.639
of some of those Chinese apps where you can get
00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:47.379
things super cheap. I cannot confidently tell
00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:50.100
you that what you're getting is quality and what
00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:51.799
you're getting is going to be safe for your bees.
00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:55.559
Speaking of foundation, how do I know when to
00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:58.519
replace it? Can I just keep foundation forever?
00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:02.000
You can't. And the reason is, is that your bees
00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.059
are out foraging and when they're bringing things
00:11:04.059 --> 00:11:06.419
back to the hive, they're not only bringing nectar
00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:08.539
and pollen back, they're bringing things from
00:11:08.539 --> 00:11:12.480
the environment. So over time, pesticides and
00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:16.440
will build up in the hive. A general rule, five
00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:19.000
years, you can stretch it out a little bit further,
00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.279
but I think if you try to hold yourself to that
00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:24.179
five -year mark, chances are you'll be switching
00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:27.460
it out around six or seven, if you're a beekeeper
00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:31.080
like me. Well, and it's hard to ever switch it
00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:35.539
out because it is the bees work so hard to draw
00:11:35.539 --> 00:11:39.820
out all that comb. And at some point, it's true
00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:42.259
what you're saying. You do have to realize there's
00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:45.120
a buildup of pesticides and stuff in there, and
00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.159
there's times to just throw it away and let them
00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:50.259
start over for their own health. Exactly. And
00:11:50.259 --> 00:11:54.860
you can see it in the color of the comb. It just
00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:58.460
darkens over time. And at a certain point, you
00:11:58.460 --> 00:12:03.419
just need to replace it. And one thing that I've
00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:07.840
done that I've found Helpful is I don't replace
00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:11.779
an entire box at one time So I'll just rotate
00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:15.440
certain frames out every year so I'll pull two
00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:18.279
or four frames out and replace and basically
00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.960
just you know move move the frames that were
00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:23.700
in there in put my new frames on the outside
00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:28.059
and then Just just rotate them out Speaking of
00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:30.100
that. What's the deal with black foundation?
00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:34.299
If you have not used black foundation, you definitely
00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:36.549
should It's not necessary in your honey supers,
00:12:36.610 --> 00:12:41.850
but in your bird chamber, it is so much easier
00:12:41.850 --> 00:12:45.149
to see the eggs in the cells. It just provides
00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:47.850
that contrast to where it's night and day difference.
00:12:48.110 --> 00:12:52.350
It really is. So I'm guessing also in what you're
00:12:52.350 --> 00:12:54.269
doing, and I know you're going to all the trade
00:12:54.269 --> 00:12:57.250
shows and. and the Honey Bee Expos all over the
00:12:57.250 --> 00:12:59.789
country and stuff. Tell us about some of the
00:12:59.789 --> 00:13:02.129
new products you see out there, because I'm kind
00:13:02.129 --> 00:13:05.570
of a gadget guy, and I love hearing about anything
00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:09.049
new and whether you think they work or not. Give
00:13:09.049 --> 00:13:12.809
us an idea. The newest thing on the market, and
00:13:12.809 --> 00:13:16.750
everyone, I think, is offering some fashion of
00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:21.129
this, is the wax -dipped woodenware. And I actually
00:13:21.129 --> 00:13:23.700
would like to talk a little bit more about that
00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:26.500
and how you know that you're getting something
00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:28.500
that is wax -dipped. Because if you're looking
00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:31.519
at our wax -dipped boxes, the finish on it isn't
00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:35.940
all that different from just a regular box. I
00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:38.860
mean, if you have an untreated box next to a
00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:41.740
wax -dipped box, there's just a slight color
00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:44.500
difference. So you actually have to spray water
00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:48.740
on to see whether or not a box is wax -dipped.
00:13:48.909 --> 00:13:54.049
Because with the process, the boxes or woodenware,
00:13:54.250 --> 00:13:56.009
because we have tops and bottoms that are dipped
00:13:56.009 --> 00:13:59.250
as well, are dipped at such a high temperature
00:13:59.250 --> 00:14:03.090
that when you dip it into the solution, it actually
00:14:03.090 --> 00:14:06.330
almost boils the moisture out of your box and
00:14:06.330 --> 00:14:08.929
then the wax permeates it. So you don't really
00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:12.690
see it on the outside. But with the new wax -dipped
00:14:12.690 --> 00:14:15.309
products that are out on the market, those boxes,
00:14:15.610 --> 00:14:19.299
tops and bottoms, they're going to last 20 -25
00:14:19.299 --> 00:14:23.899
years out in the fields because you've sterilized
00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:26.039
but with that high temperature and you've removed
00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:28.159
all the moisture from the wood -aware. And you
00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.700
don't have to paint them, right? You don't have
00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:33.519
to paint. It is a beautiful natural finish. You
00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:36.120
certainly could paint if you wanted to and there's
00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:39.600
people that will. I know there's a lot of beekeepers
00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.720
that like to paint the outside of their boxes
00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:44.750
if they've got several hives. next to each other,
00:14:44.870 --> 00:14:47.029
just so there's a little bit of differentiation.
00:14:47.629 --> 00:14:49.870
When the bees are coming and going, they can
00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:53.529
orient and identify which hive they belong to
00:14:53.529 --> 00:14:55.850
based off of what's on the outside of the box.
00:14:56.370 --> 00:14:58.649
But you don't have to paint. You can just leave
00:14:58.649 --> 00:15:01.730
it as that nice natural look for your backyard.
00:15:02.470 --> 00:15:05.690
They really are pretty. They're beautiful, absolutely
00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:09.409
beautiful and functional. And I've thought about
00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:12.519
taking some before I had heard about the whole
00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:16.440
dipping process of taking some that were like,
00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:19.840
quote, ready for paint and putting a nice varnish
00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.559
on it. But most varnishes are toxic and you don't
00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:25.759
want to do that to the bees. And even some paint,
00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:28.480
you have to be careful. You have to pay attention
00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:32.059
to what you're doing. And I think it's a bit
00:15:32.059 --> 00:15:34.299
of a misconception to new beekeepers that you
00:15:34.299 --> 00:15:36.600
can just paint your boxes and put your bees in
00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:38.909
there right away. I would strongly recommend
00:15:38.909 --> 00:15:42.409
against that because there's also the fumes and
00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:44.909
the smell. So if you have a box that you're putting
00:15:44.909 --> 00:15:48.870
a brand new package of bees in and it's freshly
00:15:48.870 --> 00:15:52.129
painted, I think that you are increasing the
00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:54.370
chance that that package could abscond and just
00:15:54.370 --> 00:15:58.850
up and leave. So don't want to encourage the
00:15:58.850 --> 00:16:01.809
bees to do that in any way. Well, yeah, off -gassing
00:16:01.809 --> 00:16:05.110
definitely is a thing. And they may leave or
00:16:05.110 --> 00:16:08.480
they may just not be quite as healthy. Yeah.
00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:11.120
Because there's so much of it. So, so yeah, if
00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:15.019
you want to paint, paint, leave it outside, let
00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:17.320
it be in the sun and air out for a few days.
00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:20.059
Yeah. Air out, dry out, then put your frames
00:16:20.059 --> 00:16:22.659
in and put your bees in. Yeah. I think that's
00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:26.039
really good advice. Any other new type inventions?
00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:29.879
New inventions. I'm trying to think the biggest
00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:33.480
things. There is a new mite treatment that is
00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:37.110
coming out. this spring, we're waiting on EPA
00:16:37.110 --> 00:16:40.610
approval. It's called Naroa. And I think that
00:16:40.610 --> 00:16:45.789
that could be a game changer. As far as new inventions,
00:16:46.049 --> 00:16:48.110
we also have a new high stand that's going to
00:16:48.110 --> 00:16:51.429
be coming out on the market. That's all the legs
00:16:51.429 --> 00:16:53.970
are adjustable. So you can put it on an uneven
00:16:53.970 --> 00:16:56.529
surface and adjust the legs to make sure that
00:16:56.529 --> 00:16:59.789
your hive is level. I'll take a couple of those.
00:17:00.009 --> 00:17:02.450
Yeah, we should have that in the next couple
00:17:02.450 --> 00:17:04.809
of months as well. There's a few other things
00:17:04.809 --> 00:17:06.410
that we're working on. I just can't talk about
00:17:06.410 --> 00:17:09.269
them yet. Top secret. We'll let you know when
00:17:09.269 --> 00:17:12.170
they come out. Top secret. I don't want to promise
00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:13.809
something, and then all of a sudden it's two
00:17:13.809 --> 00:17:17.049
years before we have it. Yeah, because if it's
00:17:17.049 --> 00:17:19.289
still in development, it may not work first time
00:17:19.289 --> 00:17:21.670
out. Yep, exactly. You don't want to be selling
00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:23.569
them until they're really tested and working
00:17:23.569 --> 00:17:27.410
well. Yeah. We've talked quite a bit about overwintering
00:17:27.410 --> 00:17:30.430
bees, and so I don't want to get into that. right
00:17:30.430 --> 00:17:32.630
now, even though you're in Minnesota. I want
00:17:32.630 --> 00:17:35.170
to talk about spring. What do you do for your
00:17:35.170 --> 00:17:39.150
bees in the spring? Really, as as my bees are
00:17:39.150 --> 00:17:43.009
coming into spring, it's our spring can be very
00:17:43.009 --> 00:17:47.529
late. So there's not necessarily a lot of forage
00:17:47.529 --> 00:17:51.349
available. So my my first thing is is it starts
00:17:51.349 --> 00:17:54.289
to warm up. I'm putting a pollen substitute honey
00:17:54.289 --> 00:17:57.740
on there. At Man Lake, we have a feed mill here
00:17:57.740 --> 00:18:01.099
in Hackensack. And so we make all of our pollen
00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:03.539
substitutes, both the dry and the patty formulas.
00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:07.420
And we did just come out with a new one last
00:18:07.420 --> 00:18:09.900
year called our Rocket Fuel Patties that has
00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:13.019
natural pollen as well as the Apis Biologics
00:18:13.019 --> 00:18:17.079
supplement in it, which adds vitamins, minerals,
00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:21.740
enzymes to really mimic the profile of natural
00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:24.869
pollen. So that's one of the first things. that
00:18:24.869 --> 00:18:26.950
I'm putting out there as a pollen substitute
00:18:26.950 --> 00:18:30.009
and then syrup as well, just to allow that colony
00:18:30.009 --> 00:18:32.150
to build up before there actually is a nectar
00:18:32.150 --> 00:18:35.170
flow. One of the saddest things that I've ever
00:18:35.170 --> 00:18:39.430
seen was in February. Oh, yes, the bees are doing
00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:45.430
great. And in March or April, they're dead. And
00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:49.250
they ran out of food in March. Yes. And that,
00:18:49.410 --> 00:18:53.029
believe me. If you are so fortunate as to have
00:18:53.029 --> 00:18:55.869
your bees get through winter, do not let them
00:18:55.869 --> 00:18:59.349
starve in the spring. Please. Please check if
00:18:59.349 --> 00:19:03.069
they need food, feed them. It's OK. It is OK.
00:19:03.329 --> 00:19:06.650
And if you put extra feed on there that does
00:19:06.650 --> 00:19:09.089
not get consumed and your bees make it through
00:19:09.089 --> 00:19:11.950
winter, I guarantee you you're not going to regret
00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:15.759
that because. It's expensive to replace bees,
00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:19.059
but at the same time for anybody that's new to
00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:22.259
beekeeping and you do lose your bees, don't get
00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:26.480
discouraged. It happens to everybody and it's
00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:29.400
okay. It's okay as long as you learn from it.
00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:33.960
So make sure that you're going in and inspecting
00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:36.000
that hive thoroughly as you clean it out to try
00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.759
to figure out what happened. If your bees have
00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:41.920
their heads stuck in the comb with their little
00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:44.779
butts facing out, chances are that they did starve.
00:19:44.980 --> 00:19:47.400
And so you know next year that you need to add
00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:50.200
additional feed. So whether it just be sugar
00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:53.460
added on the top of the frames of the mountain
00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:56.519
camp method or use the winter patties that we
00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:59.980
sell, it's just a cheap insurance policy to make
00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:01.980
sure that your hive makes it through winter.
00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:05.940
And also moisture can be such a challenge, especially
00:20:05.940 --> 00:20:09.009
as we get closer to spring. Here the temperatures
00:20:09.009 --> 00:20:11.930
will bounce up and down one day. It'll be 50
00:20:11.930 --> 00:20:15.069
degrees the next day. It'll be 20 degrees and
00:20:15.069 --> 00:20:18.150
That can cause moisture issues in the hive So
00:20:18.150 --> 00:20:20.390
as you're coming into spring checking your moisture
00:20:20.390 --> 00:20:22.190
boards to make sure that they're not saturated
00:20:22.190 --> 00:20:24.109
to where they can still help control moisture
00:20:24.109 --> 00:20:28.029
levels can also also be a cheap insurance Just
00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:31.210
replacing out that moisture board So how do people
00:20:31.210 --> 00:20:35.369
know when to stop feeding bees? Really the bees
00:20:35.369 --> 00:20:38.920
will decrease their consumption. And you can
00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:41.940
also just watch them as they're coming and going.
00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:44.900
If you're watching your bees and landing on the
00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:47.920
entrance and you can see that their pollen sacks
00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:50.440
are full, you don't need to be offering a pollen
00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:52.299
substitute at that point because they're out
00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:54.279
there and they're finding it. There's one thing
00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:57.759
I love to see. It is. I'd love to see bees coming
00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:01.440
in with those big. Yeah. Hunks of pollen stuck
00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:03.539
on there. I think it is one of the most amazing
00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:06.039
and beautiful things you can see. It's fun to
00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:08.980
watch and it's also really interesting to watch
00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:11.740
the different colors that they'll bring in. Yeah.
00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:14.980
And if you don't notice it on the bees themselves
00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:18.200
when you're doing an inspection and you take
00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:22.119
a frame out and you're like yellow, orange, red,
00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:25.339
and all these colors in between, here's something
00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:28.180
to add to your app. In addition to the plant
00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:31.960
identifier, a pollen identifier. I will take
00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:37.920
that note down. Pollen color chart. I know that's
00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:40.279
probably impossible, but it'd be cool to take
00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:43.079
a picture and go, oh, well, that's from such
00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:46.240
and such a tree or something like that. Ask Bella
00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:50.240
to do something along those lines. We all experience
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:53.180
dead outs from time to time and you mentioned
00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:57.559
how to tell if your hive starved what other things
00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:01.099
if somebody has a dead out and they're Inspecting
00:22:01.099 --> 00:22:03.799
what else could they find that would help them
00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:07.759
learn from what happened? For example, if they
00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:11.519
went into fall with their Varroa counts a little
00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:14.940
high How do they know that in the spring when
00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:18.339
they have a dead out? That's a tough one I would
00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:20.980
strongly recommend that you're monitoring and
00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:24.019
treating early before going into winter as far
00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:28.119
as knowing for sure what your levels were when
00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:30.920
that colony perished. I honestly, I don't know
00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.539
the answer to that. Anything else from looking
00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:37.160
at a dead out that could teach us something about
00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:40.519
what happened? If moisture was an issue, a lot
00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:43.660
of times you'll see just your bees down piled
00:22:43.660 --> 00:22:46.579
up at the bottom on your bottom board. A lot
00:22:46.579 --> 00:22:49.200
of times you'll see mildew in the hive and it
00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:52.420
just, if moisture was the reason that your hive
00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:55.720
perished, it can be a pretty - It's gross. Gross
00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:58.819
thing to clean out. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of
00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:01.720
yucky. One of the things that I've done is bought
00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:05.359
a power washer. Yeah. So I can really scrub that
00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:08.079
stuff out really good. Some people use a flame,
00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:10.779
burn it, which seems like a really good idea
00:23:10.779 --> 00:23:14.569
too. You've been beekeeping long enough. I'm
00:23:14.569 --> 00:23:17.250
sure you've had some wild and crazy things happening
00:23:17.250 --> 00:23:21.789
to you. Give me an idea of one. Yes, I will tell
00:23:21.789 --> 00:23:26.190
you about the first swarm that I caught. It was
00:23:26.190 --> 00:23:31.349
my second year of beekeeping and I was out working
00:23:31.349 --> 00:23:34.109
in my garden and I keep my hives right in my
00:23:34.109 --> 00:23:38.410
garden and I noticed a lot of activity and I
00:23:38.410 --> 00:23:41.349
thought, oh great, they're swarming. Something's
00:23:41.349 --> 00:23:44.980
going on here. And I ended up leaving for a little
00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:49.799
bit and coming back. And the swarm was in a tree
00:23:49.799 --> 00:23:54.039
just next to my hives, probably about 25 feet
00:23:54.039 --> 00:23:57.539
up in the air. And I am very fortunate that my
00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:01.380
husband owns a construction company. So I called
00:24:01.380 --> 00:24:04.400
him up and I said, these swarms, we need to get
00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:07.579
up there. And we actually took a scissor lift
00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:10.200
and drove it to where the swarm was and lifted
00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:14.369
up and cut the tree branch into just a cardboard
00:24:14.369 --> 00:24:17.950
box and I was able to catch my first swarm with
00:24:17.950 --> 00:24:21.309
a scissor lift. So it was pretty cool. You know
00:24:21.309 --> 00:24:23.690
how many swarm catchers would just absolutely
00:24:23.690 --> 00:24:27.910
kill to have access to a scissor lift? It definitely
00:24:27.910 --> 00:24:31.809
made it much easier and safer to get up to where
00:24:31.809 --> 00:24:33.710
they were because honestly they were high enough
00:24:33.710 --> 00:24:36.630
up in the hives. I wouldn't have felt comfortable
00:24:36.630 --> 00:24:38.470
climbing up there with the ladder. There's no
00:24:38.470 --> 00:24:41.410
way I would have just watched them go wherever
00:24:41.410 --> 00:24:43.819
they were going to go at that point. Twenty five
00:24:43.819 --> 00:24:47.079
feet is high. It was really high in the air.
00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:49.619
I couldn't believe it. I mean, even if you're
00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:54.059
up like 12 or 15 feet on a ladder and you're
00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:58.000
holding a box and if you're cutting off a limb,
00:24:58.019 --> 00:25:00.660
you've got some kind of cutting tool and you're
00:25:00.660 --> 00:25:04.440
trying to hold the ladder. Yeah. And I'm surprised
00:25:04.440 --> 00:25:07.240
more people don't die doing that every year.
00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:10.759
Sorry, that's not funny, but that's really everyone
00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:15.359
needs to. exercise caution when catching swarms
00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:18.420
that are high up in trees. Yeah, okay. Well,
00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:21.940
thank you for everything and for all the advice.
00:25:23.140 --> 00:25:26.380
And lastly, I know you've been at Man Lake for
00:25:26.380 --> 00:25:29.460
a long time. And I don't know very much about
00:25:29.460 --> 00:25:32.000
the history of the company. What do you know?
00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:34.970
What do you want to tell us about it? So Man
00:25:34.970 --> 00:25:39.529
Lake was founded by Jack and Betty Thomas in
00:25:39.529 --> 00:25:44.329
1983. I started with the company about 13 years
00:25:44.329 --> 00:25:46.890
ago, and they were still actively involved at
00:25:46.890 --> 00:25:49.869
that point. So I was fortunate enough to be able
00:25:49.869 --> 00:25:54.289
to meet them and work with them. And they started
00:25:54.289 --> 00:25:57.890
Man Lake Bee Supply in their garage at their
00:25:57.890 --> 00:26:00.349
home on Man Lake, which is where the name came
00:26:00.349 --> 00:26:03.990
from. So there is a lake. or a chain of lakes
00:26:03.990 --> 00:26:06.829
in Hackensack that's Man Lake, Woman Lake, Child
00:26:06.829 --> 00:26:10.549
Lake. So that is where the name came from. Shortly
00:26:10.549 --> 00:26:13.269
after they started their supply business, they
00:26:13.269 --> 00:26:16.589
moved into the town of Hackensack, which for
00:26:16.589 --> 00:26:19.089
those of you that have not had the chance to
00:26:19.089 --> 00:26:21.609
visit here, there's about 300 people in this
00:26:21.609 --> 00:26:25.849
town. So it is a very, very small town. We actually,
00:26:26.130 --> 00:26:28.630
at certain points in our history, have employed
00:26:28.630 --> 00:26:30.670
more people than what actually lived in the town
00:26:30.670 --> 00:26:35.299
of Hackensack. So it's a pretty cool place to
00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:37.559
work because it is just a small town environment
00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:40.740
and we are just the biggest company here. So
00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:44.599
it's really been a pleasure to work and work
00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:47.119
for this company and just seeing how we've been
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:51.440
able to grow. Jack and Betty founded the company.
00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:56.200
They expanded into California, then Pennsylvania,
00:26:56.779 --> 00:26:59.680
Texas. We bought Kelly Beekeeping. So now we
00:26:59.680 --> 00:27:02.660
have a location in Kentucky and also Florida.
00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:06.559
And I've been able to be a part of that growth
00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:08.539
with the exception of the California location.
00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:10.660
We had that when I started here, but everything
00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:13.180
else has been added on since I started at the
00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:16.059
company. So how many retail stores and how much
00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:19.150
of your business is online versus retail? So
00:27:19.150 --> 00:27:21.349
we have six retail stores. The majority though
00:27:21.349 --> 00:27:25.170
is still online just because our locations are
00:27:25.170 --> 00:27:28.289
not necessarily in really populated areas. The
00:27:28.289 --> 00:27:31.609
locations that we have were more so centered
00:27:31.609 --> 00:27:35.289
around commercial beekeeping and trying to have
00:27:35.289 --> 00:27:37.170
locations that are convenient for commercial
00:27:37.170 --> 00:27:40.329
beekeepers to access as they're moving around
00:27:40.329 --> 00:27:43.150
the country doing their pollination. Any other
00:27:43.150 --> 00:27:46.470
advice for new beekeepers or someone that maybe
00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:50.170
isn't one yet, but is thinking huh? That sounds
00:27:50.170 --> 00:27:52.890
interesting and by the way for people in that
00:27:52.890 --> 00:27:57.069
category It is wonderful and it's harder than
00:27:57.069 --> 00:28:00.690
you would expect Beekeeping definitely is harder
00:28:00.690 --> 00:28:02.970
than what you would expect and I would strongly
00:28:02.970 --> 00:28:07.130
encourage anyone that is thinking about getting
00:28:07.130 --> 00:28:11.940
started in beekeeping to take a year and do some
00:28:11.940 --> 00:28:16.059
research, so read some books, take a beginner's
00:28:16.059 --> 00:28:18.980
class, find a mentor if you have one in your
00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:22.119
area, or join your local beekeeping club, and
00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:26.079
take the time to learn about beekeeping in your
00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:30.680
area before you actually get started. Then, once
00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:33.660
you get started, my best advice for a brand new
00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:37.339
beekeeper is when you are doing your hive inspections,
00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:40.740
do not feel like you have to find the queen.
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:44.160
everybody goes in and I can't find my queen.
00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:46.579
I don't think she's in there. I didn't see her.
00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:51.740
And if you look at the frame, it is full of eggs
00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:54.599
and larvae, a beautiful brood pattern. You don't
00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:56.339
have to find your queen. Just make sure that
00:28:56.339 --> 00:28:59.220
she is laying eggs. If you see eggs, you have
00:28:59.220 --> 00:29:02.259
a queen. If you see eggs, you have a queen and
00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:05.279
don't take the time to tear apart your entire
00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:08.160
colony looking for her. You know she's in there.
00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:11.240
What if somebody just wants to take the time?
00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:15.880
If you want to take the time, absolutely. Tips
00:29:15.880 --> 00:29:21.099
for finding your queen is look for a frame that
00:29:21.099 --> 00:29:25.299
has eggs in it, eggs that are just laid so they're
00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:27.339
going to be very tiny which they're the black
00:29:27.339 --> 00:29:29.160
foundation comes in very handy it's going to
00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:31.759
make it much easier for you to see those and
00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:35.799
just slowly scan. You can watch the worker bees
00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:38.859
as well because oftentimes they'll circle around
00:29:38.859 --> 00:29:42.640
her so if you just watch their behavior sometimes
00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:45.339
you can spot your queen that way. And by the
00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:48.599
way if you want to see the queen so bad and you're
00:29:48.599 --> 00:29:51.740
new at it so it's taking you an hour or two you
00:29:51.740 --> 00:29:54.940
are not making your bees happy. And they will
00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:58.059
likely let you know when they have reached their
00:29:58.059 --> 00:30:01.700
tolerance point for Joe Beekeeper and it's time
00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:04.740
to go away and you start getting hit in the face,
00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:09.380
you know. Exactly. One last thing that I wanted
00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:12.380
to mention that has never before come up on this
00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:16.240
show or today. And that is I know a lot of beekeepers
00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:20.119
also like to keep backyard chickens. Seriously.
00:30:20.430 --> 00:30:23.630
Man Lake has poultry stuff too. Yes, you can
00:30:23.630 --> 00:30:26.809
do all of your shopping for your bees and your
00:30:26.809 --> 00:30:29.829
chickens on our website. Let's face it, the two
00:30:29.829 --> 00:30:32.150
hobbies go hand in hand. You have your little
00:30:32.150 --> 00:30:34.450
backyard farm. I'm sure a lot of you are gardeners
00:30:34.450 --> 00:30:38.609
as well. So hopefully someday down the road,
00:30:38.750 --> 00:30:41.369
we'll be able to get into that as well. And compared
00:30:41.369 --> 00:30:44.069
to bees, I can say from experience, chickens
00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:49.250
are much easier. They are. They are. They're
00:30:49.250 --> 00:30:53.450
dirtier, but they are much easier. Anyway, Jenna,
00:30:53.710 --> 00:30:56.269
I appreciate your time very much. Thanks for
00:30:56.269 --> 00:30:59.349
being with me today. Yeah, happy to be here.
00:31:01.609 --> 00:31:04.390
Thanks again for joining us here on Be Love Beekeeping
00:31:04.390 --> 00:31:08.180
presented by Man Lake. Another great place for
00:31:08.180 --> 00:31:11.180
more information on everything related to this
00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:14.660
podcast is in our email newsletter. You can sign
00:31:14.660 --> 00:31:18.240
up for it for free at BeLoveBekeeping .com. And
00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:20.299
remember, if you're not just in it for the honey
00:31:20.299 --> 00:31:23.140
or the money, you're in it for the love. See
00:31:23.140 --> 00:31:23.799
you next week.
