Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
177 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 100 ratingsShort, in-depth, plain talk discussions of all things honey bees, with Dr. Jim Tew
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Episodes
Memorable Stings (125)
May 11, 2023 10:00 - 19 minutes - 27.1 MBIf you’ve been keeping bees for a bit, you probably already have a couple of stories about that “one time in a beeyard”, or honey house, or somewhere that gave a whole new meaning to the word “sting”. Teaching a beginner’s class is absolutely the best time to make sure your students know as much as possible when it comes to getting stung: The best protective gear to wear, when to wear it, and including how to act around colonies so you don’t upset them. All of these should probably be repe...
Well... It Depends - Swarms (124)
May 04, 2023 10:00 - 21 minutes - 29.8 MBA lot of times, when somebody asks us a bee question, the best answer we can give them is, “It Depends.” In today’s episode, Kim and Jim explore the topic of Swarms. Where did it come from? Where do you put it? What do you do with the queen? Should you feed them? As they explore how to manage this newly caught swarm, they realize there are no definitive answers, as there are so many answers based upon the circumstances and the beekeeper’s goals. It just depends. Listen today, and let t...
Marking Queens (123)
April 27, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes - 33.9 MBOn today’s episode, Kim and Jim discuss all the pros and cons about marking queens. Lots of questions come up when you mention marking queens. For most of us it’s a no brainer. “Look, there’s that yellow spot, there’s the queen!” MARKING HER MAKES FINDING HER EASY, RIGHT? Yes, but how does that yellow spot get there? Mostly, or at least often we just buy them marked so we don’t have to do it ourselves. Actually marking a queen can be a stressful moment in her life, and yours. How do yo...
What About Those Springtime Bee Yard Chores (122)
April 20, 2023 10:00 - 19 minutes - 26.9 MBDepending on where you live, spring chores were over a couple of months ago, or you’ll be finishing them up about the time you check this podcast out, so we’ll keep it short, sweet and important. You can make a quick list with a couple of questions. Is there enough food? When was the last time you checked for mites? Do you need to treat? How old is the comb? Is it time to replace it? Do your bees have enough room to grow? Have you reversed brood boxes? Finally, just how old is that queen. ...
Lessons Learned: Memorable Meetings (121)
April 13, 2023 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBAre you a club president or in charge of planning meetings for your beekeeping organization? They always go well, don't they? No... of course not. They don't. What do you do when they don't? In this episode, Kim and Jim discuss their most memoriable meetings where anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. What did they do in that situation? How did they adapt planning for future meetings? Listen today to hear how they met the challenge. How would you do things differently? How can you ...
What's This About Bees Eating Their Young? (120)
April 06, 2023 10:00 - 21 minutes - 30.3 MBJim got a call from a listener who had a question. She wrote, “I went out to my bees early this week, and in front of the hive and on the landing board I saw partially eaten larvae, larva skins and a mess, all over. What could cause that to happen?” Today, Kim and Jim discuss they reason why adult bees eat the larvae. There has been some research on that subject but not much. Is it the lack of protein between pollen flows? Hygienic behavior, including the disposal of infected or varroa inf...
What About That Pollen Flow (119)
March 30, 2023 10:00 - 21 minutes - 29.8 MBIt seems that pollen flows just don’t get the respect that a good honey flow does, do they? And you’ve got to wonder why? In today’s episode, Kim and Jim take a kind of long look at pollen flows, trying to figure out how to tell there’s a pollen flow going on in the first place. It’s easy to see when a honey flow is going strong, but is a pollen flow? Bees don’t store much pollen compared to honey, and the way it’s stored it’s kind of hard to tell if it’s pollen, or bee bread, or honey. ...
Dealing with Old Frames (118)
March 23, 2023 10:00 - 21 minutes - 29.8 MBSo, you take a quick look at that top box this spring, and it’s pretty much empty and you don’t need the room for a bit, so remove the box. Then you take a look at the frames, to see what can be done with them, or, what should be done with them. What you do, of course, it depends on the type of frames you have. Wooden frame, beeswax foundation, wooden frame, plastic foundation, all plastic frame and foundation in one piece. In today’s episode, Kim and Jim discuss changing out old frames:...
Should You Paint Your Hive? (117)
March 16, 2023 10:00 - 22 minutes - 32 MBYou've spent lots of money on your woodenware and you want it to look good, last many years, and be safe for your the honey bees and the environment. What are your options? In today's episode, Jeff Ott (from Beekeeping Today Podcast) joins Jim Tew to discuss the topic of what to paint your hive with before your bees arrive. You have many options: latex, enamel, stain, beeswax and resin... or nothing at all. Jim and Jeff discuss these and share their experiences and preferences. What do ...
Preparing for the First Nectar Flow (116)
March 09, 2023 12:00 - 20 minutes - 28.9 MBIt’s early March, bees are flying every few days, early maples are blooming. Are you asking yourself, “Are my bees ready for the nectar flow?” On today’s episode, Kim and Jim look at what’s going on in their hives now that spring is starting to get serious. What should the colony be doing, what should you be seeing, and just for giggles, what should you be doing to stay a half step ahead of the bees? One thing for sure is that you’ve got to take a look inside the hive. While we’re at it,...
Managing The Small Colony (115)
March 02, 2023 12:00 - 20 minutes - 29.2 MBThe more colonies you have, the more you will notice differences between them throughout the year. On today's episode, Kim and Jim talk about what do you do when you open one of your colonies and it seems 'smaller' than the other colonies around it. Is it something that should concern you? What do you look at first? Pests? Pesticides? Failing queen? Inadequate food supplies? Do you try to fix it? Listen in as Kim and Jim discuss this sometimes perplexing topic that pesters all beekeepers, ...
Considering Atypical Bee Yards (114)
February 23, 2023 11:00 - 20 minutes - 28.1 MBThere’s lots of places you can keep bees that aren’t the typical backyard. Today Kim and Jim take a look at a couple of these places. The first is in an unused single car garage. The hive boxes sit on a bench inside the garage for easy access and he doesn’t need a cover, just a board over the top. These bees can be worked any time of day or in any weather and he uses a lot less smoke when working them. Another placed discussed is up on the roof. There are some special concerns here you n...
Finding Bee Yards (113)
February 16, 2023 11:00 - 24 minutes - 33.9 MBIt happens to most beekeepers are one point, where you have to find someplace else to keep your bees. A new, different beeyard. Where do you start? Whether you have too many in your backyard and need to put more someplace else, or the world changed and you can’t keep them in your backyard any more, you need to find that place. First off, what does a beeyard need to have to work for you? Access, definitely - year-round access. Gates, overflowing streams, unplowed roads, vandals, bear, cat...
Spring Bees: Are Nucs A Good Deal? (112)
February 09, 2023 11:00 - 23 minutes - 32.2 MBThere are a lot of good reasons to start a new colony in your beeyard using a nucleus (nuc) colony, consisting of a mated queen, brood and drawn comb rather than buying a package of bees. But there are some issues to pay particular attention to also. How old is the queen? How much of all kinds of brood are already there? What condition is the beeswax comb in? Does it come in it’s own box, what about frame exchange and how are you going to get it home? If you’re just starting out it reall...
Bee Management on Warm(ish) Winter Days (111)
February 02, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 27.9 MBIt’s going to be 50 degrees tomorrow. Kim and Jim are going to have to check their bees for the first time this very early spring. So what do they do, how do they examine a colony this time of year way up north? The beekeepers in the warmer parts of the country are already adding supers, there’s pollen coming in and the year has begun, but for those of us up north, there’s still a month of winter left. But this 50 degree day is a bonus and we can get in early, check for food, see if the be...
Dealing with Package Queens (110)
January 26, 2023 11:00 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBThe queens that come with packages today seem to be different that those we could get five or ten years ago and we think that points to some changes need to be made regarding a simple concept – Patience. It would appear that it’s taking a bit longer for the worker bees in the package to become accustomed to this new queen, and patience in every aspect of introducing them in their new home is a good idea. There are many possible reasons for this… the environment in the colony she was living...
Considering New Honey Bee Queens (109)
January 19, 2023 11:00 - 22 minutes - 31.6 MBThis is the time of year to think seriously about the queens you have in your colonies, or the queens you had in your colonies last season. If replacement is on the table, what should you be looking for? The simple and probably best answer is… a good queen. But what makes a good queen? Population production, mite resistance, gentle, the right color, honey production? All have some level of importance and it depends more on the beekeeper than what the books say, mostly, usually. It’s even m...
Dealing With American Foulbrood (108)
January 12, 2023 11:00 - 23 minutes - 32.6 MBAmerican Foulbrood is in the news lately… and for a good, positive reason. But what does it mean if you determine or a state apiarist determines you have a case or two or more of AFB in your bee yard? A vaccine is not a cure. It is a means for prevention. In today’s episode, Jim invites Beekeeping Today Podcast’s Jeff Ott on to talk about American Foulbood, the stigma attached to AFB and the go-to recommendation of burning all contaminated equipment, bees and wax is not one you want associ...
Beekeeping New Years Resolutions (107)
January 05, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 27.7 MBIt’s the beginning of a new year and Jim and Kim are thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. Almost everybody makes a few Resolutions every January – even beekeepers, but many times resolutions are made and never achieved. Kim wants to do better with the bees this season, take better care of the garden, and read a bee book a month this year. Jim also wants to do better with his bees, run fewer colonies, and be better at responding to email he gets from podcast listeners and readers of his j...
Bears in the Bee Yard (106)
December 29, 2022 11:00 - 24 minutes - 34.8 MBWhat would you do if you received a call from a neighbor saying that your bee equipment was scattered across multiple yards? What would be YOUR first thought? In today’s episode, Jim invites Beekeeping Today Podcast’s Jeff Ott to the show to talk about bears in the bee yard and how, no matter what… it is always a surprise - especially when your bees are in an area where there are “no bears”. When encountering bears, this saying may come to mind, as you climb out of your vehicle: “If it’...
Our Genesis Stories in Beekeeping (105)
December 22, 2022 11:00 - 24 minutes - 34.3 MBNot a lot of people start keeping bees without some outside influence. A relative, neighbor, college class, or getting a job in bees. Jim started out with a college class, to fill electives. Kim got a job working for the USDA because he could grow the plants they needed for bees to visit for a pollination study on soybeans. So how did you get started? A family hobby or business? A neighbor who invited you in? An interest in plants and pollination? Perhaps gardening? Almost every beekeeper ...
Beekeeper Record Keeping Considerations (104)
December 15, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 31.9 MBKnowing what you did or saw, added or removed from a colony is useful. Whether that happened earlier in the day or the prior season. Keeping track of what, how why and when you did something in the bee yard, for a specific colony will help keep you from making repeated mistakes. Historical information will help you fine tune your honey bee management. On today's episode, Kim and Jim discuss record keeping. No matter what means you employ to keep those records: hive top, inner cover, note...
Building Your Own Bee Equipment (103)
December 08, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 32 MBWhat beekeeper hasn't nailed together a hive body and thought, "Heck, I can cut these boards myself and it'd be cheaper!" Especially if they already have a wood shop with a table saw and a few other tools. But is it really? What are the pros and cons of building your own equipment? Why should you even try? On today's episode, Jim Tew invites Jeff Ott from Beekeeping Today podcast to the show to talk about building your own beekeeping equipment. They both have done it. Are they doing it s...
Managing Winter Colony Die-Offs (102)
December 01, 2022 11:00 - 21 minutes - 30.3 MBIt’s winter time and sure as the sky is blue (or grey – as the case may be), there will be many dead colonies out there next spring. If not in as early as in the few weeks. Winter kills in the US are running something like 40+% right now. A winter killed colony is a time, financial and frustrating thief of bees and honey and equipment. In today’s episode, Kim and Jim discuss Winter Die-Offs and how to inspect the colony remains to determine what may have gone wrong. By finding out what ...
Consumer Honey Challenges (101)
November 24, 2022 11:00 - 25 minutes - 36.2 MBOn today’s show, Kim and Jim discuss the most common ‘complaint’ a beekeeper who sells honey encounters. This is true whether you are selling from the back of your truck, at a roadside stand or even a local farmer’s market. What do you tell your customer who brings you or asks you about granulated honey in the jar? How you answer this may make the difference between a lifelong customer or someone who never buys honey again. How one addresses this is as varied as there are people who eat h...
5000 Years of Beekeeping in 24 Minutes (100)
November 17, 2022 11:00 - 24 minutes - 34.3 MBHoney Bee Obscura celebrates its 100th episode with this release! Jim Tew and Kim Flottum invite, Beekeeping Today Podcast’s Jeff Ott to join them to take a look at 5,000 years of beekeeping history, sorting out some of the highlights, discoveries, and mistakes, along with some of the people behind it all. Come along as we go from bees in trees, skeps, boles, boxes, hives, back to boxes and finally, back to trees. There’s lots to learn and lots to entertain. All in 24 minutes! We hope ...
Winter Reading: What's On The List? (099)
November 10, 2022 11:00 - 20 minutes - 29.4 MBWinter tends to have a bit more time inside than outside and one way to spend that time inside is to catch up on your reading. Jim and Kim talk a bit about the books they read, the authors and publishers they like and where they get the books they read all winter. Along with the new books, they have their preferred “old standby” books they rely on for information on a particular topic to see how management approaches have evolved (or not) over the years. Beekeeping has evolved over the yea...
Colony Winter Water (098)
November 03, 2022 10:00 - 17 minutes - 24.5 MBWhy on earth would honey bee foragers go out on a freezing day in winter to collect water? Ice and snow everywhere, but there they are, trying to get a drink and bring some home for their sisters. Why? Kim and Jim explore some of the reasons why. They explore the uses of water by winter bees and where they collect it. Kim and Jim also explore aspects of ventilation, or lack thereof, in the winter. Should a beehive have lots, some or none? Industry experts continue to research. Is too muc...
Midnight in the Bee Yard - A Halloween Special (097)
October 27, 2022 09:30 - 21 minutes - 30.2 MBWithout a doubt, some of the most peaceful places on Earth are bee yards. Tranquil, serene and quiet with only the soft hum of the bees fanning the air through their hives floating on top the silence… Peaceful, except when it is not. Have you ever worked in a distant bee yard, late at night, away from home, cell service, friends, and family? What did you hear? See anything… strange? Did anything go “bump” in the night? How’d it all go for you? On today’s episode Jim and guest co-host,...
Winter Is Coming - Winter Prep (096)
October 20, 2022 10:00 - 17 minutes - 24.4 MBWhen you’ve been keeping bees for decades, sometimes you do things because that’s the way you’ve always done them, right? But the world continues to change. It has to keep up with whatever is going on wherever it’s happening. And because the world is changing, every minute of every day, doing the "same ole same ole" just because that’s what you’ve always done isn’t for maybe isn’t the best choice. Beehive insulation is one of those things that maybe bees need, or don’t. And what about insu...
How Phenology Can Help Your Manage Bees (095)
October 13, 2022 09:30 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MBDoes your state Agriculture Department have a bulletin they share with everybody on the phenology, or bloom dates, of the wild flowers, trees and shrubs that grow in your state? Today Kim and Jim discuss the chart used by Ohio beekeepers. Ohio’s chart shows what is blooming each month, the adult and larvae bee population in a hive, and what beekeepers should be doing relative to space management in their hives. It’s a great tool to have for beekeepers in your state so they can know ahead...
Living With Your Smoker (094)
October 06, 2022 09:30 - 20 minutes - 28.6 MBBeekeepers have a love/hate relationship with their smokers. Beekeeper families don’t have split emotions… they tend HATE smokers and their lingering ‘perfume’. How beekeepers manage their smokers impacts more than their bees. In today’s episode, Kim and Jim talk about smokers. Arguably more so than a veil, the quintessential identifier of a beekeeper is a smoker. It is in the hand of every trope, every caricature of a beekeeper. In fact it is so emblematic, you can go into many antique s...
Liquifying Crystalized Honey (093)
September 29, 2022 10:00 - 20 minutes - 29.1 MBJim has pails of crystalized honey, but only wants enough liquid honey for his oatmeal this morning. How does he get that to work? Kim has a lot of good ideas. There are pail blankets, band heaters, boxes and more to warm a pail to liquid honey on the market, including our sponsor, Betterbee. Kim’s his friend Buzz, who made a warming box out of foam insulation, a lightbulb and a couple nails to hold it together. Cheap, easy, and it works. This is the time of year that liquifying honey co...
Bee Suits and Protective Clothing (092)
September 22, 2022 10:00 - 21 minutes - 30.7 MBOne of the first pieces of equipment a new beekeeper buys is a bee suit. If they don’t buy a bee suit, they will at least buy a veil. Stings on the face are not only painful (and memorable to all who see it), they can be dangerous if it is directly to one’s eye or around the eyes. In today’s episode, Jim Tew and Jeff Ott, from Beekeeping Today Podcast, talk about the different types of protective clothing available to beekeepers today. New beekeepers should at the very least, start with a ...
Extracting Honey (091)
September 15, 2022 10:30 - 26 minutes - 37.3 MBMoving boxes full of honey is usually a lot of work. The bees aren’t happy, the boxes are heavy, it’s hot and you have all your gear on to be safe. The one sure way to make this easier is to use devices that have wheels. Two-wheelers, carts, your truck, all make moving boxes of honey less work. Once the supers are off and the bees out, you need to get them to your honey house, whether it’s a garage for storage until extraction, your kitchen (for probably the last time) or an specially buil...
Removing Honey (090)
September 08, 2022 10:00 - 18 minutes - 26.1 MBHarvesting your honey crop isn’t about keeping bees, in fact, it is hard work. It’s when you start questioning your spring decision to expand your number of colonies. On the other hand, it’s a good measure of how well you kept bees during the season. And there are a lot of ways to convince the bees they should share what they have made this season, mostly due to your stewardship. Removing well capped, honey filled frames can be complicated but easy, or uncomplicated and a lot of work. The ...
Rim, Feeding Rim or Spacer (089)
September 01, 2022 10:00 - 20 minutes - 28.7 MBSo, what’s that thing you put between two supers to give additional space between top bars below and bottom bars above so there’s room for…something you want to add to the hive. Is it a spacer, a rim, or what? Kim has always called it a ‘rim’ and thought he had one until this week. Because it’s getting time to think about winter feeding, and he always used a rim to make room for the pollen patties he feeds, couldn’t find it. He looked in a few catalogs, but could not find them listed. J...
Dealing With Wax Moths (088)
August 25, 2022 10:00 - 20 minutes - 29.3 MBPost-harvest time is a good time to look for wax moth in your colonies. Believe it or not, wax moths are around pretty much all of the time. On today’s episode, Kim and Jim discuss wax moths! Strong colonies keep them pretty much under control, but weak colonies sometimes can’t keep up and soon they’ll have more wax moth larvae than honey bees. Stored equipment is another challenge. Some beekeepers will freeze supers after harvest to kill any moth larvae before storing them away for the ...
End of Season Evaluations (087)
August 18, 2022 10:00 - 15 minutes - 22.5 MBTowards the end of the season, it’s a good idea to take a look at the equipment and other management tricks you’ve been using all summer while it’s still fresh in your mind. Today, Jim and Kim talk about how well the veils they use worked this summer, and the bee suits they occasionally wear (did you know a good way to wash a smokey, propolis covered bee suit is to use a pressure sprayer?) and is that old smoker good for another year, or not? There’s a lot to consider… How’s your location ...
Hive Stand Options (086)
August 11, 2022 10:00 - 19 minutes - 26.8 MBHave you ever thought much about the hive stands you use? On today’s episode, Jim and Kim take a long look at the hive stands they use and why they favor them. They also look at a lot of other choices available to beekeepers – all based upon personal preferences, terrain, individual strength and even weather! Are some better than others? Absolutely! Are some expensive, while others free? Absolutely! Do you get what you pay for? Most of the time. Your hive stand can tall a lot about how y...
How Much Honey Do You Leave On A Colony? (085)
August 04, 2022 10:00 - 18 minutes - 25.3 MBHow much honey do you leave for the bees this winter? Like lots of things in beekeeping, it depends. Since “all beekeeping is local”, it is good to start in your own backyard. Do you live in the south? Midwest? North? Far north? When are you pulling your honey? In August? Or November? Do you typically have a fall nectar flow? Is it strong or just… meh. If you don’t know, check with another beekeeper. They can give you added insight to the local conditions. (This is yet another time knowing a...
Dealing With Heat in the Beeyard (084)
July 28, 2022 10:00 - 16 minutes - 22.6 MBIt’s hot out there and it looks like it isn’t going to cool off for most of us for awhile. Also, since mite treatments should be starting now, getting honey off in the heat is the rule of the day. So how do you stay cool when it’s hot out there? Well, Kim and Jim take a good long look at how to stay cool and what happens if you overdo in the heat. We hope you enjoyed today's episode. Please follow or subscribe today and leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you! ___________________ T...
Laying Workers (083)
July 21, 2022 10:00 - 19 minutes - 27.3 MBIf you have a colony of honey bees, chances are, at some point, some year, that colony will become queenless. If you do not realize it and the bees are unsuccessful at re-queening themselves, there is a pretty good chance, your colony will end up with laying workers. In this episode, Jim and visiting cohost, Jeff Ott from Beekeeping Today Podcast, talk about laying workers. How can you tell if you have laying workers? The first sign many beekeepers recognize is the appearance of multiple ...
After The Swarm (082)
July 14, 2022 10:00 - 20 minutes - 28.6 MBSwarm season is fun and exhilarating. Much has been written about swarms. They’ve been studied, photographed, pursued and just… watched. But what does the beekeeper do with the parent colony the next day? What do they do with the swarm after they’ve caught it and put it in a box? In today’s episode Jim and Jeff Ott (from Beekeeping Today Podcast) talk about… what should you do, After The Swarm? Listen as Jim and Jeff talk about the post swarm queen. Which queen? Both! Either the new queen ...
The Importance of Mentors (081)
July 07, 2022 10:00 - 19 minutes - 26.8 MBOn today’s episode, Kim and Jim talks about what it takes to be a mentor to another beekeeper, and therefore what you can look for in a good mentor. As a mentor, you have to develop good communication between you and your mentee. That means communication both ways – them to you, you to them. Establish guidelines for times, locations, and other requirements that you both respect. Go into the relationship knowing that constructive criticism is necessary. Not only for mistakes, but for chan...
Queen Excluders - Love Them or Hate Them (080)
June 30, 2022 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBOn today’s episode, Jim and Jeff Ott (from Beekeeping Today Podcast), discuss the value and use of the ‘love it or hate it” piece of equipment, the Queen Excluder. Queen excluders are included in almost every “Honey Producer Starter Package”, but why and how are they used? Jim and Jeff discuss the multiple uses of a queen excluders (Did you know they will also exclude drones? Or that you can use one to help while uncapping frames of honey? Of course you did!) They discuss the types of quee...
Water For Your Bees (079)
June 23, 2022 10:00 - 19 minutes - 26.5 MBAfter you get through the winter, spring buildup, swarming season and the ever present varroa, you can sit back and smell the flowers, right? You’re a beekeeper! There is no time to rest! Jim has a question for you… “Where are your bees getting the water they need?” On today’s episode, Jim and Jeff Ott (from Beekeeping Today Podcast) talk about where your bees are likely to find the water they need. If you are miles from your nearest neighbor, then you only need to consider whether or not ...
Dealing with Marginal Queens (078)
June 16, 2022 10:00 - 18 minutes - 25.6 MBPretty much every beekeeper, at one time or another, ends up with a queen that’s not doing what they think she should be doing or - not doing what all the rest of your queens are doing. So, what is happening and can you do anything to get her going? Marginal queens are tough to identify. There is one easy fix: You just replace her. That said, how long do you wait to make a decision? Wait! Perhaps it is not the queen that’s marginal. Maybe something else going on. Once you figure that ...
Small Furry Pests (077)
June 09, 2022 10:00 - 21 minutes - 29.6 MBIt doesn’t take long after getting into beekeeping and then repeatedly, as long as you have beekeeping equipment laying around or stacked neatly, until you have to deal with small furry pests. Mice, rats and other critters love the shelter, warmth, relative safety and often food, found in beekeeping equipment. In today’s episode, Jim Tew talks with Jeff Ott, from Beekeeping Today Podcast, about Small Furry Pests. There are ways to deal with mice and rats. What works in a bee yard? The guys...
Exploring Honey Prices (076)
June 02, 2022 10:00 - 18 minutes - 25.4 MBDuring a recent trip to a big-name US drug store, Kim saw honey on the shelf for $4.99 per pound. It was a blend of honeys from Argentina and India. A US commercial beekeeper shoots for a price of honey (in the 55-gallon barrel to a packer) for about the going price of diesel fuel, which, at the end of May was pushing $7 per gallon. In today’s Honey Bee Obscura episode, Kim and Jim dissect this problem a bit. This quickly leads to the question we should all ask ourselves before we casual...