The Hive Jive - Beekeeping Podcast

(Original Air Date: Sept 24th, 2020) After a hard spring and summer, Ken has finally come to the conclusion that next season it might be a better idea to focus on the quality of his remaining hives as opposed to the overall number of hives he can accumulate.

(Original Air Date: Sept 10th, 2020) The world has really gone bananas. Or at least some of the beekeepers sure have! Every so many years there are these miracle cures and wonder elixirs that make their rounds on the internet. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in them as we all would love a simple cure all solution to life’s problems. Rarely, though, is that the case. Bananas are one such magic...

John has a few things he would like to share with you before we round out 2022.  Tune in now to hear his podcast recommendation, updates about The Hive Jive itself, and what to expect in the coming weeks.

For this month's Natural Beekeeping Corner, Nathalie breaks down the first two stages of IPM (Integrated Pest Management) for natural beekeeping and goes into detail about how each stage can be implemented into your own natural practices.   

Welcome to a grizzly tail from the forest... ok, so not really grizzly (though the bees would beg to differ), but it does involve a bear.  A Black Bear to be specific!  Tune in now and listen along as John details his first encounter with a Black Bear and the path of devastation it left behind.

Today John gives us an update on the current state of his health, and poses a question based on one of his current COVID related symptoms.  What would beekeeping be like without the sense of smell?

For the 13th installment of the Natural Beekeeping Corner, Nathalie sits down with Les Crowder to discuss the current events that are unfolding in Australia with the introduction of Varroa Destructor.  The pair offer up some natural beekeeping solutions that can be used to both help check for and reduce mite populations in an effort to provide a little bit of hope to our fiends Down Under.  Tune i...

(Original Air Date: Sept 3rd, 2020) Some listeners recently shared an article about a 17-year-old young lady who has invented a new entrance portal that will help treat bees for mites as they pass through the portal. John and Ken discuss the potential pros and cons of this concept. The guys also talk more about Ken’s swarms and if he should be combining his hives, and if so, which queens to keep a...

(Original Air Date: Aug 27th, 2020) Apparently, based solely on the sounds of their voices and their redneck speak, someone thought that John and Ken both had long thick beards. Think, Duck Dynasty! LOL Of course, we couldn’t let such a thing just pass on by without comment. The guys also discuss some of the exciting changes and additions that are currently in the works for The Hive Jive. Tune in...

(Original Air Date: Aug 20th, 2020) A little while back, a listener commented on a social media post and asked if we were ever going to discuss the single box method. To which, John has responded by staring at the screen and scratching his head in confusion... for weeks on end.  "What exactly do you mean?" he wonders to himself. Is this a reference to a literal single box of bees, no expansions, n...

(Original Air Date: Aug 13, 2020) In this episode, John and Ken learn about one of the oldest intact Apiaries to ever be discovered on an archaeological dig in Israel. They guys also discuss the bizarre possibility of bees making a hive out of an active underground septic system, and talk about some culturally sensitive and possibly inappropriate naming conventions.

(Original Air Date: Aug 6, 2020) In this bonus episode, John learns a startling revelation about the infamous (and still not assembled) Flow Hive. The guys also discuss the appearance of late season swarms, and whether they are worth the effort or not.

(Original Air Date: July 30, 2020) In what is a rather quick episode, we talk about going slow and steady. Ha! Ken discusses his most recent bee removal from a water meter box, how Max’s beekeeping diligence differs from his own, as well as a new swarm caught out at his brother's property. John tries to remind Ken that there is truth to Max’s methods and that going slow and steady in all aspects o...

(Original Air Date: July 9, 2020) In this bonus episode, John continues his talk with Steve Jimenez from Hives for Heroes. This conversation picks up directly from where the main podcast episode left off. Despite the main episode being completed, the mics kept recording and the camera kept rolling as the discussion carried on.  

(Original Air Date: July 2, 2020) From horse and cow manure to misrepresented TP and even a few crappy people, this episode sure does have a lot of toilet talk. There’s also a few bad words too… Well poo!

(Original Air Date: June 25, 2020) The colonies have divided and sent out multiple potential new colonies as Swarmageddon sets in out at Ken's place. Could this be a repeat of last year’s crazy swarms that Ken and John experienced at the lake? Only time will tell, but it sure had Ken all riled up as they start to run out of swarm traps.

(Original Air Date: June 18, 2020) John recounts a recent bee removal with some really testy bees and their shady neighbors.  Plus, we take another shot at identifying the difference between Swarm Cells vs Supersedure Cells vs Emergency Cells.

(Original Air Date: June 11, 2020) It is now June and for many regions the nectar flow is now at its peak, but it won’t last forever. In fact, for some of us, we are running out of time to maximize this year’s honey crop! Is Ken going to be ready? Will he get any honey? Does he know how to count his boxes? Tune in to find out these burning questions and more…

For the 12th installment of the Natural Beekeeping Corner, Nathalie sits down with Fonta Molyneaux from Wild Everlasting Farm to discuss Brood Dynamics and how to optimize your natural beekeeping for your own specific region.  This is a great conversation to help lead you down the path to becoming a more intuitive and instinctual beekeeper.  Tune in now to learn more…

Today John poses a challenge to any interested beekeeper out there who might be willing to do a little research.  We've always heard how much honey it takes for the bees to make wax.  But, we never hear how much wax a colony actually needs.  Someone should really figure this out to help fill in the gap of knowledge and understand of our bee statistics.  Are you up for the challenge?

Nathalie B. takes us on a journey of sustainably raising your own queens right in your backyard.  She discusses the difference between commercial queens vs locally raised queens, as well as the reasons you might consider requeening a colony to begin with.  Plus, Nathalie walks us through the process of the 2 into 3 split!  Tune in now to learn more…

Join us, as we look back from 2062 and thank you all for forty years of Hive Jive in our lives.

Nathalie B. sits down with James Lee, a natural beekeeper and licensed clinical social worker who founded the Sustainable Beekeepers Guild of Michigan, to discuss the cognitive bias and dissonance that can be found in all human interactions.  Can we find a way to have tolerance for other beekeeping styles (and humanity) by empathizing with our fellow beekeepers instead of assuming they are wrong b...

Has John completely lost his mind?  Well, that remains to be seen.  Join us for a special stand-alone episode of The Hive Jive and learn all about the wild and crazy things that have taken place since we went off the air in 2021, and possibly catch a glimpse of what's still to come in 2022.

Consider this a reminder that to love and to be loved is the most important thing there is in this world.  In his own words and from his personal trials, John takes us on a somber tribute to those people in our lives we have lost over the past year, and a reminder to those left behind that you are not alone.  Always bee kind to one another!