The Pollen Nation Podcast

Will commercial beekeeping survive the next 10 years? If you were starting a commercial operation from scratch today, would you still do it? In this episode of The Pollen Nation Podcast, we look at the business side of beekeeping: colony losses, almond pollination risk, scale, genetics and technology, and whether honey alone can pay the bills. The big idea is that having enough colonies isn’t the...

I share my thoughts on the U.S. and Canadian tariff war and how it impacts the beekeeping industry. My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com Check out my beekeeping vlog: www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog

Oxalic acid is sold at the hardware store as wood bleach. Beekeepers heat it into a gas and pump it directly into their hives to fight Varroa destructor. In this episode, we go deep on vaporized oxalic acid (OAV): where it came from, how it actually works at a biological level, and what the real research says. My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my beekeeping vlog: www.youtube....

In my last episode, I argued AGAINST the subsidy programs I actually use in my commercial beekeeping operation. Now it's time for my real position. This is the companion to my Devil's Advocate episode on ELAP, NAP, and rainfall index insurance. If you haven't watched that one yet, I'd recommend starting there to get the full context, but this episode stands on its own as my defense...

Welcome to the first episode of my Devil's Advocate series, where I research and argue for positions I don't personally hold. Today, I'm making the strongest case I can AGAINST the very subsidy programs I use in my own commercial beekeeping operation. In this episode, I argue against ELAP (Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program), NAP (Noninsured Crop...

Taktic. It’s one of the worst-kept secrets in commercial beekeeping… but almost nobody talks about it openly. In this episode of The Pollen Nation Podcast, we dig into the real story behind Taktic and amitraz: why so many beekeepers use it, what makes it so effective, what the risks are, and how it compares to legal products like Apivar and Amiflex. Disclaimer This episode is for educational and d...

I give a presentation on the entire queen rearing process at the Wiregrass Beekeepers Association in Dothan, Alabama. My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog: www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog

If you’ve ever questioned why commercial beekeepers feed high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) instead of sugar syrup, or worried it might end up in the honey, this episode is for you. In this deep dive, I break down the science and economics behind HFCS feeding. My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog: www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog Show notes: https...

How is the current government shutdown impacting the beekeeping industry? My website:https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog:www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog #Beekeeping #HoneyBees #BeekeepingPodcast #CommercialBeekeeping #WalkInTheWoodsApiary #governmentshutdown

Can probiotics really make your bees healthier or is it just clever marketing? In this episode, we dig deep into the science behind bee probiotics like SuperDFM and others, breaking down what the peer-reviewed research actually says. My website:https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog:www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog #Beekeeping #HoneyBees #BeeHealth #Probioti...

This video attempts to answer the question if honey helps cure allergy symptoms. My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog: www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog

As we're coming up to the two year anniversary of the podcast, I just wanted to share my thoughts about where I want to take it going forward. My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog: www.youtube.com/@walkinthewoodsapiaryvlog

In Episode 28 I look into the origins of the "Save the Bees" slogan and discuss whether we're overlooking the most important bees of all. My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog: https://www.youtube.com/@UCRc81mRPEeRhSIVxWsvRUEg

In Episode 27 I go over how to ship mated queens through the mail and give some tips that I've learned. My website: https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/ Check out my weekly beekeeping vlog: https://www.youtube.com/  ⁨@WalkintheWoodsApiaryVlog⁩ 

In this brief episode I give my first impressions of how the Trump administration's recently passed "Big Beautiful Bill" may impact the beekeeping community. https://walkinthewoodsapiary.com/

In Episode 25 I'll be going over queen banks, how to build them and the pros and cons of using them.

In Episode 24 I'll be discussing reasons why new queens fail to be successfully introduced into a new colony and tips to improve acceptance.

In today's episode I interview Israel Raehl from Spanish Fork, Utah. Israel runs Spanish Gold Honey and Bees and is transitioning from a hobby beekeeper into a sideliner.

In today's episode I'll be going over my mistakes and successes with the business in 2024 as well as my goals for 2025.

In Episode 21 I interview Christopher Leach with The American Honeybee Company. Chris is a honeybee educator and offers beekeeping classes, mentorship, hive management services, and produces for nucs for sale! https://www.facebook.com/share/14ixgNWsET/?mibextid=wwXIfr https://www.instagram.com/theamericanhoneybeeco/ https://www.tiktok.com/@usahoneybees?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc http://...

In Episode 20 I'll be covering different types of USDA loans for starting and growing your beekeeping business. I'll also be covering a few different free subsidies that you can apply for.

In episode 19 I'll be briefly summarizing some folklore and myths from different cultures that involve honeybees.

Brent Nixon is a queen breeder from Australia who also runs his own beekeeping podcast where he interviews beekeepers from all around the world! Check out Brent's beekeeping podcast: "Breeding the Honeybee"   https://open.spotify.com/show/5c7bevh7Vzn22TK4HYfELs?si=2e9ddd36d13b4e4d and his website: https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/

For the 1-year anniversary episode of The Pollen Nation Podcast I'll be interviewing Bracken Barker of Barker's Bees & Honey from northern Utah. Barkers Bees & Honey - YouTube tiktok.com/@barkersbeesandhoney?lang=en instagram.com/barkers_bees facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089296014769

In Episode 16 I'll be going into detail over what the income and expenses would be to start up a 400 hive commercial apiary from scratch and run it for one year!