Do bees die if they sting another bee? Why is it better to stand still than swat at a bee? Why do bees have hair on their eyes? What drug is popular with both bees and humans? When were honey bees first brought to North America? Do bees sleep and what's your proof? Why do bees shake each other? What happens to a bee when it's put in a flight chamber? Learn the answer to these questions and a bunch of other random facts about honey bees. In this episode I also talk about how I made beeswax...

How do bees know how to build a hexagon-shaped cell? Honeycomb is the foundation of the beehive. Learn how the bees make it, why no other shape would work as well, and how we, at our bee farm, harvest honeycomb.  We'll also be talking about the honey infusions we're working on at the farm and what the bees are doing right now in Hawaii. PLUS - we now have a phone line for you to call in about your experiences with bees and beekeeping. Share with us your stories and we will add them to the...

Did you know most wasps are non-stinging insects? Or that there's a variety of wasps that can kill a beehive of 40,000 in under an hour? Learn about these amazing creatures and why Hollywood is indebted to them in this episode about wasps. Featuring Joe O'Brien​ with his knowledge and love for these guys. In this episode we talk about: • the difference between wasps and bees • how wasps can help your garden & other benefits of wasps • a few crazy species of wasps including the "yak killers"

A shoe box full of bees, the meanest bees I ever met and encounters with queen breeders accusing us of stealing their bees. I've caught a swarms and did bee removals in the past. This episode I share some of the dumb things I've done while attempting to catch swarms, the annoying people I've met and why I still encourage beekeepers to try it anyway.

Swarm season usually comes in the Spring & Summer when there's lots of flowers blooming. Bees swarm when the hive gets too full, but it's also how they reproduce. Learn all about how bees swarm, why it's necessary for the survival of the honeybee population and what to do if a swarm of bees take up residence on your property. For the beekeepers, we'll also discuss how to prevent your hives from swarming, how to catch a swarm and why swarming is a sign of how strong the honeybee population...

Learn all about varroa mites. In this episode I will talk about how varroa mites harm the bees, where they originated, their relationship with humans, and why it's in the mite's best interest to not cause too much harm to the bees. Then for the beekeepers, I discuss integrated pest management techniques to keep mites levels low, what to do if you have an infestation and how to test your hive to see if what your mite levels are. I will discuss organic, inorganic and non chemical-based...

This episode is about the role of the beekeeper when it comes to keeping the bees healthy. How do beekeepers help the bee population and how do they harm it? Is beekeeping hurting the native bee population? And a special added ASMR clip of my niece eating honeycomb. Our Kickstarter campaign is still going! Make a donation & help us get our online beekeeping classes going. Our rewards include raw honey, Bee Happy Hawaii t-shirts & early access to the class. Watch our video & donate...

This podcast episode is all about the male honeybee, also called the drone. For the most part, they have an easy job, but for those that make it to the start of Winter, their easy breezy lifestyle is cut short by their sisters. Is mating their only purpose and why are scientists so sure of this? How are drones used by beekeepers to keep varroa mite levels low and why is there a popping sound when a drone mates? All these topics are addressed in this episode. If you enjoy listening to our...

This episode is all about the worker bee of the honeybee world. The worker bee does most of the work in the hive. She makes up 99-100% of the hive. She takes care of the baby bees, gathers nectar, turns nectar into honey, and is the only one who stings. How do we know this and what exactly are the drones and queen doing? All of these questions are answered in this podcast. 

Most people have been stung by an European honeybee. That's why Schmidt use the honeybee as his basis for the Schmidt Pain Index where he rates how painful different insects' bites and stings are. We go into the most and least painful insects he has been stung by as well as where the honeybee ranks on this scale.  But getting stung doesn't just end with a little bit of pain. Did you know the honeybee dies after she stings you, unless she's the queen bee? We get into why insects sting, why...

I started beekeeping in my last 20s. I was living in downtown Philadelphia and a friend of mine from Maine thought it would be fun. we didn't have suits, or a smoker, or had ever been around a beehive. Needless to say, the bees didn't stay long. I learned a lot the first few years beekeeping and there are lot of things I would have done differently if I had the choice.   

European honeybees have been surviving the cold winters for thousands of years before beekeepers existed. But how do they do it? Why don't they freeze?  This episode talks about how bees survive the months of snow and cold weather and what beekeepers do to help the bees out in the winter.  At the end we'll share some fun facts about bees in the Winter like the fact that bees don't go to the bathroom in the hive. On the first warm Winter day, you'll see thousands of bees fleeing the hive...

This episode is about the queen bee in a honeybee hive. The queen bee is very important and unique to the hive. There is only one and she has an important job to do. She is the mother of all the bees in the hive.  In this episode we will discuss exactly how much power over the hive the queen has, what happens if a queen dies, how a new queen is made and how to spot a queen bee.  Did you know a queen mates with up to 30 males in one day? Or that the queens battle it out until there is only...