Beekeeper Confidential | Bees & Beekeeping

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.

Today’s guest is an organic farmer and beekeeper from here in Oregon! She and her partner became inspired to start a business, grow organic food and use sustainable farming practices when they fell in love while hiking the pacific crest trail. We talk about veggies, wildfire smoke, chickens, pesticides, beehives, and just how long can a person withstand a stinger in their neck. Meet Ruby Reid from Valhalla Organics!   ***RUBY LOST HER HOME AND BEES TO WILDFIRE*** To help Ruby rebuild, donate here.   For notes and pictures from this episode visit Mandy's blog at waggleworkspdx.com/blog To become a patron of Mandy's work and gain access to exclusive content visit her patron page!   Follow Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube   Cover Art by Meggyn Pomerleau

Today’s guest is a beekeeper who’s running bees in the Big Apple. Though he’s a highly experienced beekeeper, he still gains insights from the time he spends working with folks that are new to the hobby. But this is no hobby for him, his beekeeping business, Astor Apiaries is expanding! Please welcome Nick Hoefly, the NYC Beekeeper!   Visit Nick online! https://astorapiaries.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/astorapiaries/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHJ080TLMLfaurNjvvS0epQ   The Bee Conservancy https://thebeeconservancy.org/   Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

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 from San Antonio, Texas who’s journey into beekeeping guided her through the loss of a loved one. Her transformation as a beekeeper is nothing short of amazing and her story reminds us that things do happen for a reason! I am always impressed with her ability to keep a cool head with hot bees, which has become one of her signatures on social media. Meet the ultra cool Heather Wilk! ​ Connect with Heather on Instagram Watch Heather on the Charlie Bee Company show Check out the Alamo Area Beekeeping Association Gretchen Bee Ranch Honeybee Obscura Podcast   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.

Dr. Erin Zagadailov is the founder and creator of Lady Grantham Apiary, a bees first flower farm in Grantham, NH with a mission to promote pollinator conservation and locally grown flowers. Taking a sabbatical from biotech, she is a pharmacist and health economist with expertise in developing and commercializing treatments for oncology and rare diseases. Her research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and other scientific journals. In her spare time, Dr. Zagadailov volunteers with the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation. Visit Lady Grantham Apiary on Instagram  Lady Grantham Apiary Get your official Lady Grantham Apiary Merch! Learn about creating a backyard pollinator heaven: Grantham Garden Club  Apimaye Hives

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.  

Join Mandy on an adventure inside of a colony leading up to and during a swarm! Sit back and enjoy this dramatic glimpse into the private lives of virgin queens and swarming bees.   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.

Each year the Bee Informed Partnership conducts a colony management and loss survey and YOU ARE INVITED to participate! The data that is collected each year adds to the longest running pool of honeybee losses and management in the US. I'm joined by BIP affiliate Selena Bruckner, PhD from Auburn University who fills us in on the details from previous years survey results.  You can take the survey HERE   Bee sure to follow us on social media @beekeeperconfidential

On today's episode we talk about what it means to walk a different path with bees. My friend and natural beekeeping advocate Alasdair Mackenzie of 18 Bees shares how his journey has evolved from traditional backyard beekeeping, to providing swarm habitat and educating land owners about the importance of forage throughout Oregon and Washington.    Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

This episode is SUCH a treat.   We get to know Sara Carmody, a recent anthropology undergrad who traveled to Cambodia to study the culture surrounding Apis Dorsata. ​ You can also learn more about this topic by subscribing to Dani Jump's channel Bees Unlimited.   Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.

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.  

Today’s episode is different from previous episodes in that we have not one or two but 4 guests! Each fulfills an important role in local beekeeping and ecological conservation. They share their personal stories and how bees have inspired them to take important steps to provide education to new beekeepers and to make their communities better for not just the bees but for the people, too.   In order of interview: Breanna Suarez, David Riera, Megan Long AKA Queenie, and Daniel Calzadilla.   How to connect:   @Breesbees1 @Plantman_dan  @Bee_wranglers  @SFLbeekeeping @meltingbigfoot @MiaSTEAMEduu ​ Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram.