Latest Keeping bees Podcast Episodes
Episode 275: Honey Room Havoc
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - October 08, 2023 07:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: This last week has been one of trying to regain control of the honey room once more. The weather remains warm, the Ivy is in flower and there's a bit of a rush to get settled ready for the quieter time of year, and that's just me! Hopefully, you're all in better control o...
Episode 274: First Heather Honey Crop
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - October 01, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: It's been an interesting week to say the least. We're in the middle of an Autumn Heatwave and I've had my trip to the heather moors to discover whether or not I have a crop of honey in return for all of my effort. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 274 of my p...
Episode 273: Early Autumn Sunshine
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - September 30, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: September arrives with a pleasant calming of the weather for us here. Warmer, drier days but the inevitably cooler nights as Summer gives way to Autumn. Colonies are now preparing for Winter and so, should we. Stay tuned for my latest update on our beekeeping journey. Hi...
Episode 272: Moving Bees and Truck Troubles
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - September 24, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: It's been something of a frustrating week, we did manage to get bees moved but ran into truck mechanical issues that will need fixing, not a job I can attend to, so while the truck is being repaired my thoughts turn to colony preparations for the coming Autumn and Winter....
Episode 271: Borage Bonus and More Wasps!
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - September 17, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: Although the main honey crops of the Summer are finished for us now I did find a little bonus nectar coming in this week. It's also time to start preparing colonies for the months ahead. The final days of the summer will slip away quickly now so don't delay. Hi, I’m Ste...
Episode 270: Road Trip to the Heather
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - September 10, 2023 07:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: The trip to the heather moors has finally happened and not without some struggles. Having had a chance to recover for a few days and with the chance to look back at the whole operation it does now seem quite comical, at the time it was anything but!Listen in for all the t...
Episode 269: Our Honey Room Set Up
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - September 03, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: Now that the Summer honey crop has been taken off my time has been spent extracting frame after frame of honey. This week I wanted to share how we have our honey room set up, what works well and what caused a slight hold up in the process. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welc...
Episode 268: The Summer Honey Crop
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - August 27, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: The Summer nectar flow dries up and we switch our focus to getting honey supers off the hives and back to base for extracting, exciting times as we see what our bees have produced. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 268 of my podcast, Beekeeping Short and Swee...
Episode 267: Wasps, Wasps, Wasps!
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - August 20, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: As we draw towards the end of the Summer flow it's obvious that the wasps have had a good Summer too. They seem to have suddenly appeared and in large numbers around one or two of our apiaries. Time to batten down the hatches, get cleared up, and give our colonies as much...
Episode 266: Summer Forage Shutdown
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - August 13, 2023 08:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: It's been an interesting week, more sunshine and Showers, the nectar on the borage keeps flowing in but locally we're close to the Summer nectar flow shutting down, the tap is about to get turned off and the next phase of the season begins. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and wel...
Episode 265: Formic Pro Urgent Treatment
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - August 06, 2023 07:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: During our last series of inspections I discovered a couple of colonies with higher varroa levels than I would have wished. We're going to try out a couple of techniques to help these colonies, you'll have guessed one by the title of this episode, but what's the other opt...
Episode 264: Long Hours of Work
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - July 30, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: It's been a long, hard, working week. Some overnight sessions preparing colonies for the move to the borage and getting them there safely. But there's no complaints, the borage is looking great and we've had some much needed rain! Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Ep...
Episode 263: Uniting Colonies
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - July 16, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: As we prepare to move colonies to the Summer Borage pollination some final checks reveal a couple of hopelessly queenless colonies. Uniting these colonies with queenright colonies makes for a quick solution. Listen in for this simple technique that gives the queenless col...
Episode 262: Introducing New Queens
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - July 02, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: With the preparatory work completed and the arrival of our new queens, timing is everything, and wouldn't you just know it, this season my timing is a little bit off, listen in to here how things went! Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 262 of my podcast, Be...
Episode 261: Heatwave and Splits
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - June 25, 2023 07:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: At long last it appears Summer has begun. Temperatures heading up and a drier outlook makes for some urgent beekeeping work to begin in time for the main nectar flow of the season and our planned move to the Borage. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 261 of my...
Episode 260: Killing Queens
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - June 18, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: I had a really interesting but brief conversation with a beginner beekeeper this week about the morality of knocking down queen cells. All beekeepers have a dilemma to face when colonies are trying to swarm, some think deeper and longer than others, here's what we discus...
Episode 259 - Sunny Spring Inspections
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - June 11, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: Finally, it's warm and sunny, The bees are getting busy, we're queen-rearing, attempting to prevent swarms and doping a little varroa control all at the same time! Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 259 of my podcast, Beekeeping Short and Sweet. Contact Me a...
Episode 258: More Lucky Beekeeping
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - June 04, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: Sometimes, just sometimes, you walk into an apiary, start inspecting, and as the inspections go from one hive to the next you just keep getting luckier and luckier, stay tuned to hear exactly what I'm talking about. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 258 of m...
Episode 257: Opportunistic Splits
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - May 28, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: Suddenly, we find ourselves moving from chilly wet days to warm Spring conditions and for some colonies it's a sure signal to swarm, we can deal with it easily enough, if only we can find the queen. Listen in for tips for finding your queen and what to do if you can't. ...
Episode 256: Lighting a Smoker
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - May 21, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: I spent a very pleasant day inspecting some of our honeybee colonies this week, maybe our season is about to begin, It got me thinking about smoker fuel of all things! Listen in for tips and techniques to keep your smoker alight this season. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and w...
Episode 255: A Cold, Start-Stop Season
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - May 14, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: A chilly East wind continues to blow and it's disrupting my early inspections, we start, we stop, we start again, listen in to hear how this is affecting my early season. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 255 of my podcast, Beekeeping Short and Sweet. Cont...
Episode 254: Spring Inspections Begin
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - May 07, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: Finally, April has produced some warmer weather, albeit, short bursts of sunshine in between chilly hail showers, but it's given me a chance to take a first peek inside some colonies, listen in to hear what I discovered. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 254...
Episode 253: Bee Chat with Stephen Barnes From the BBKA
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - April 30, 2023 07:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: This week something slightly different, today I'm joined by Stephen Barnes, Vice Chair of the British Beekeepers Association for a chat about all things BBKA! Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 253 of my podcast, Beekeeping Short and Sweet. Website of the B...
Episode 252: Oilseed Rape Challenges
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - April 23, 2023 07:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: One of our early major nectar flows comes in the form of the Oilseed Rape crops sown widely by farmers across the UK. It brings with it a ready source of nectar and pollen for our bees, but also some challenges in terms of timing and extraction, here's my take on a love/...
Episode 251: New Queen Rearing Methods
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - April 16, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: With Spring inspections almost upon us it's a good time to think about how we might replace old queens and that means queen rearing, stay tuned, as I have a couple of new options to try. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 251 of my podcast, Beekeeping Short a...
Episode 250: Can I Inspect My Bees Yet?
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - April 09, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: Another week and a change in the weather. Warmer conditions and a chance for our bees to break cluster, get out and forage, and with a little luck, begin to build their brood nest area. Hold tight though, it might still be too soon to inspect. Stay tuned for my reasons w...
Episode 249: Snow, Sun and Patience
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - April 02, 2023 08:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: It's been a cold week, a very cold week in some spots. We got off lightly here in Norfolk but the snow still settled on the ground, if only for an hour or two. The forecast is slightly warmer and then back to colder conditions, time then, to hold fast, wait another coupl...
Episode 248 - Getting Ready for Spring
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - March 26, 2023 08:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: March often begins with a cold snap followed by warmer, sunnier days, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a fast start but the forecast isn't very helpful, listen in to hear why I'm ever so slightly concerned. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 248 of my podcas...
Episode 247: Happy Fifth Birthday
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - March 19, 2023 00:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: It's My Birthday! Five years ago, on February 25th I publish my very first podcast, since then we've covered all manner of topics and I've offered up tips and techniques to help you get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of your bees. Stay tuned as we head into the new ...
Episode 246: Pests and Diseases - Part 2
Beekeeping - Short and Sweet - March 12, 2023 08:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsIn this week's Podcast: In my last podcast I was discussing the more serious honeybee diseases AFB and EFB. This time it's the turn of the not-so-tricky pests and diseases such as Chalkbrood, Wax Moth and also possibly the biggest threat to our colonies the Varroa Mite. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks a...
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