The Hive Jive - Beekeeping Podcast

Today Nathalie and John discuss whether the fact that the Honey Bee has become the Poster Child of the "Save the Bees" movement is a good thing, or if it could have it's own unintended consequences.  There are pros and cons to both sides of this, and of course it all depends on how you look at it.  Tune in now, and let us know what you think about this scenario...   (Original Air Date: Feb 15th, 2...

This week, John and Nathalie discuss their preferred queen rearing methods.  What strategies have they tried, what has worked well and what hasn't, and do they agree on the best practices?  Tune in now to learn more...   (Original Air Date: Feb 8th, 2023)

your own beekeeping operation without stepping on the toes of those who might have mentored you along the way.  Are there ways to avoid these types of situations from the start, and what if you find yourself in the middle of this type of situation unintentionally?  Tune in now to learn more...   (Original Air Date: Feb 1st, 2023)

In today's Beekeeper Chat, Nathalie and John discuss some new research that shows the potential side effects of OA (Oxalic Acid) treatments and the impacts it has on developing larvae.  Tune in now to learn more...   (Original Air Date: Jan 25th, 2023)

In today's beekeeper chat, Nathalie and John tackle a couple of listener questions regarding the use of plywood or OSB boards when building hives, as well as the effects on newly drawn wax when feeding sugar.  Tune in now to learn more...   (Original Air Date: Jan 18th, 2023)

The USDA has recently approved the 1st vaccination for Honey Bees!  This specific vaccination is to help colonies guard against AFB infections, also know as American Foulbrood disease.  Tune in now to hear Nathalie and John's take on this new concept for beekeeping!   (Original Air Date: Jan 11th, 2023)

John and Nathalie are back to kick off the new year with a bang!  But, unfortunately John has experienced another setback in his beekeeping journey... as have a few others out there in Bee Land.  Plus, the pair tackle a listener question about whether a hive population is too big to be condensed down.  Tune in now to learn more...   (Original Air Date: Jan 4th, 2023)

Just in time for Christmas, the gang is all back together to bring you the 2023 year in review!  Catch up with John, Nathalie and Ken as they recap the stats from the podcast over the last year.  

Just in time for the Holiday weekend, Nathalie and John are up early and decked out in their holiday PJs to bring you one final Beekeeper Chat for 2022.  The pair recap some of the past episodes from this year, as well as theorizing what the new year might hold for each of them.  Tune in now and help us wrap up 2022!   P.S.   From all of us here at The Hive Jive, we wish you and yours a very happy...

Today John and Nathalie discuss a hot button issue on the pros and cons of Honey Queen/Princess programs at the various levels of local clubs to national associations.  While there are many benefits to such programs, could some aspects be a bit outdated... and potentially undermine the whole point of the program?  Tune in now to hear some honest opinions from two people who have been in the middle...

This week Nathalie and John discuss the touchy subject of volunteering at the different levels of various bee associations and clubs.  From the local town club, to county clubs, and state associations, there can be a very drastic range of options, commitments, and personalities to deal with.  Have you ever volunteered to help out your favorite bee club?  Do you want to?  Should you?  Tune in now t...

Today Nathalie and John discuss some of the ways you can rekindle the spark you originally felt that can help you reconnect and remind you why you love beekeeping so much.  We all have frustrations from time to time, and we can feel at a loss, or defeated.  So how does one pull themselves back up from that?  Tune in now to hear our favorite things about beekeeping, and methods we use to help reign...

John and Nathalie take a stroll down memory lane and share a few stories from their past experiences that are both humorous, as well as great examples of why we always need to be aware of our surroundings when doing beekeeping.  We tend to become very focused on the bees themselves and can often forget that there are other things lurking that could cause us some unexpected issues.  Tune in now to...

For today's Beekeeper Chat, Nathalie and John go back and revisit a topic that John and Ken originally covered on a bonus episode back in September of 2020 regarding a Thymol Entrance Portal.  It has been a couple of years, and this product, now called HiveGuard, is nearing the end of it's testing trials and is said to be releasing to the public in the coming months.  Has John's opinion of this de...

The first cold snap of winter for 2022 has finally arrived and it has John questioning what has really changed with beekeeping over the last century.  Join us as Nathalie and John discuss whether or not he core concept is really any different today than it was way back when.  Plus, get some updates about recent changes, and some insights into John's recent Hive Insulation video.   (Original Air Da...

For this week's beekeeper chat, Nathalie and John discuss different ways that they have improvised various aspects of their beekeeping practices.  This type of 'out of the box' thinking can come in handy in a pinch, and just might save the day.  Tune in now to learn more, and let us know some of your own improvised tricks!   (Original Air Date: 11/9/22)

In today's Beekeeper Chat, Nathalie and John discuss some new and exciting research revolving around honey bee swarms.  Plus, a few other odd occurrences in beekeeping news from around the world. Tune in now to learn more...   (Original Air Date: Nov 2nd, 2022)

We should always strive to keep learning, putting ourselves out there, and gaining new experiences.  So, for this week's Beekeeper Chat, Nathalie details some details about her recent trip to Missouri for a beekeeping seminar, and her takeaways from the experience.  Tune in now to learn more... (Original Air Date: Oct 26th, 2022)

We all have those moments, some more than others, when we have the best of intentions to get something accomplished... but it can wait until tomorrow.  Tomorrow becomes next week, or even next month.  In beekeeping we often have these moments as other distractions seem to take precedence.  However, there are times when things really can't be put off.  And, in those instances, if we ignore our resp...

Do imported Honey Bees actually outcompete our Native Bees?  This week Nathalie and John approach this evolving question first from a rational standpoint, and then start digging in deeper with a little bit of scientific backing.  Could we be unknowingly be doing a disservice to our local environment?  Are there ways we can help to offset the issue if there truly is a problem?  Tune in now to learn...

Clearly there was no clear path for this week's Beekeeper Chat as the pair jump from topic to topic with their only goal being to try and stay focused on Bees!  John gives an update on his two hives, and the status of the colony from the bear attack.  They also discuss the initial plans on how to help overwinter this colony with a modification of the topbar conversion hive, and John points out tha...

Today Nathalie and John discuss the pros and cons of both being a mentor, and being an apprentice.  As with anything, you get out of it what you put into it, and it all starts with choosing wisely.  Have you ever considered apprenticing along with someone, or do you have what it takes to be a mentor to someone else?  Tune in now to learn more about how to make the best of these experiences  regard...

For today's beekeeper chat, Nathalie and John discuss new research into h. saltator ant queens which is helping to reveal how queens in a superorganism are able to sustain such long lifespans.  With ants, termites, and honey bees being so closely related, could this also help to shed light on why our own queen bees are able to live for so long despite the great energy demand of constantly reproduc...

In today's beekeeper chat, Nathalie and John discuss the pros and cons of attempting to give a hive more ventilation during a heatwave, and John gives us an update on the Bear situation.  Plus, the pair discuss a "What If" scenario where someday there might be a mite treatment that has zero negative effects on the bees themselves.  Would that change things, and would it actually be beneficial to t...

John gives us a recap on what has transpired over the last 12 days.  He and Nathalie discuss what beekeeping would be like without your sense of smell.  Also, the Black Bear! (Original Air Date: Aug 24th, 2022)