Beekeeper Confidential | Bees & Beekeeping

Today’s guest got into bees in a big and unusual way. He fell in love with a commercial beekeeper's daughter! Running 3000 colonies and pollinating crops ranging from almonds, fruit, and seeds, this guy knows how to hustle. I drove down to visit him a few weeks ago and got to spend a day following him around asking a million questions. I even got to drive a forklift! Since this episode was recorded, his bees are now on their way back from California and I hope to take him up on that self-invitation to see if I can keep up with his team. To bee continued… Connect with Tom on Instagram See Tom's Feature on the OSBA website Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

Today’s guest is a beekeeper who is on a mission to bring the therapeutic values of beekeeping to veterans and first responders. But her offering doesn’t stop there, she has created an entire curriculum of comprehensive beekeeping education backed by industry influencers and scientific data. She is a powerhouse of generosity, empowerment, and beekeeping know-how. If you’re looking for inspiration, look no further. We’ve got it right here in this episode! Meet the founding director of Mission Beelieve, Monica Schmitt! Make a donation to Mission Beelieve Connect with Mission Beelieve on Instagram and Facebook Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

Today’s guest has been participating in the greater beekeeping conversation for many years with his comic, Bee-ing Apis. When I asked him to join me on the show I pointed out that “we the beekeepers” didn’t really know much about him and yet his work was, at least for me, a staple in our beekeeping content consumption. Bee-ing Apis, in his own words, is a comic about beekeeping, with a strange sense of humor, bad puns, wordplay, dad jokes, and the occasional cerebral challenge. He is clever, quirky, humble, and has generously shared his comics with us since 2015. You can get an array of Rob’s designs at beeingapis.threadless.com He also has an author page at lulu.com where you can get the official Bee-ing apis desk calendar and a book featuring his work from 2015-2016. Bee sure to follow Bee-ing Apis on Facebook and Instagram. Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

Today’s guest is a beekeeper and artist who’s voice is rooted in ecological and community awareness, and exploring our relationships to resources. In all of this, she finds solace with her bees and has moved into a deeper working relationship with them by harvesting hive materials that are used directly in her art work. Her contributions and accomplishments give her a unique voice in our community and I am so lucky to have spent a morning with her! To learn more about Janelle you can visit her online at janelledunlap.com Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

Today’s episode, which was recorded in early September, is very special to me and one that I feel is a deliciously thought provoking way to end 2021. Our guest is a beekeeper and educator that embodies wisdom, spirituality, religion, symbolism, and incorporates them into her beekeeping practices. She is one of the beacons of light in our community!

Today’s guest is a beekeeper with a very unique beekeeping journey. Her hands have touched bees from Hawaii to New Zealand offering hive inspection services and breeding queens. She works for Comvita, one of the world’s leading producers of manuka honey and she’s here to give us the scoop on all things manuka honey, wellness, queen breeding, and how she continues to feel the precious magic of the human bee relationship. I'm pleased welcome Noelani Waters! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

On today’s episode we visit with two seriously radical urban beekeepers who take on bee removals throughout Los Angeles. They’re intuitive, thoughtful, and show us that team work makes the dream work! They work strictly with feral bees and have some unique insights on the subtleties of honey bee behaviors. Meet Marvin Jordana & Jen Power! Here's an amazing article with photos of hive behaviors we often don't get to see! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

Where has Beekeeper Confidential been all this time? Mandy Shaw is in the hot seat as guest host Fonta Molyneaux asks her about what has been happening in her life and why the show was put on pause.

Our latest episode features a beekeeper based out of Texas who also moonlights as a member of the BIP Technical Transfer Team. We talk about what it takes to earn a living as an urban beekeeper, misconceptions about bees and hornets, invasive species, and finding bodies in walls... Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

Our current featured guest is extraordinary for her many talents, her journey with bees, and her generous spirit! She is the owner of Zia Queenbees based out of New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment which is also my home state. But the most recent twist in her journey brought her to the Iberian Peninsula for her Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship. I am so happy to share the first of many visits with Melanie Kirby! To learn more about Melanie and her work, visit her online at ziaqueenbees.com! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

Today we catch up with Ang Roell, who joined me from Florida where they’re caring for 200 hives. I first interviewed Ang back in late 2018 and we promised a follow up for when their book Radicalize The Hive would become available for all of us to read! That day has come, and you can get a free copy of Radicalize the Hive by visiting They Keep Bees. We also talk about the realities of how the pandemic is affecting our beekeeping operations and seeking out the silver lining. Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram. To become a patron visit Mandy's Patreon page at www.patreon.com/mandyshaw Cover art by Meggyn Pomerleau

Today’s guest is a beekeeper who lives in my neighboring state of Washington. He is super active in his local beekeeping community and through his contributions he earned the title of the 2019 WSBA Beekeeper of the year! We had been communicating with each other online for a while and I knew he listened to the show so when he earned that award I asked with fingers crossed that he would come on the show! He did, and I really enjoyed having some shop talk with him! Meet Jeff Hall from Full Frame Apiary! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram. To become a patron visit Mandy's Patreon page at www.patreon.com/mandyshaw Cover art by Meggyn Pomerleau