Bee Love Beekeeping... presented by Mann Lake

Grab your bee suit and get ready to meet royalty! In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we sit down with Delanie Craighead, the American Honey Queen, to find out what it’s really like to wear the crown, travel the country, and talk nonstop about honey bees.

Delanie shares how she became Queen, what goes into the competition, and some of the fun adventures that come with representing Beekeeping and Beekeepers across America.

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But this isn’...

What do Picasso paintings, bee dance-offs, and a swarm living on a greasy crane have in common? They’re all part of the wonderfully weird world of honey bees and beekeeping!

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we head to San Diego to meet Hilary Kearney of Girl Next Door Honey, who has turned 16 years of beekeeping experience into a creative, full-time business.

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We also explore the unique challenges of keeping bees in San Diego, wher...

Get ready to meet your match for Africanized bee expertise: third-generation beekeeper Monica King joins Bee Love Beekeeping host, Eric Bennett, to talk about wrangling "killer bees" in the 110-degree heat of southern Arizona.

Monica shares her beekeeping secrets for night-time hive removals under red lanterns (bees hate white light and love drama). She explains why "hangry" honey bees get meaner during droughts, and reveals her go-to trick for spotting varroa mite infestations by popping open drone brood cells.

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Forget everything you thought you knew about swarm removal!

This episode is a full-on myth-busting session with SoCal's own Bee Man Dan, a rescuer who's handled over 21,000 colonies and trained in Beekeeping the unconventional way: through his Kung Fu school, under Daoist and Buddhist monks.

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The internet gospel says "find the queen, box her, and the rest will follow." Dan says nope. After years of hands-on Swarm Removal, he discovered bees actually chase the brood ("the ba...

What is "RNA Interference" and why are beekeepers calling it birth control for Varroa?

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we're buzzing into two topics that every beekeeper should know about. First, we tackle the sticky subject of glyphosate (Roundup®) and what the latest research says about its surprising effects on honey bees—from disrupting their gut health to changing the way they forage.

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Then we welcome Adam Pachl of GreenLight Biosciences to talk all thing...

This week's beekeeping adventure takes us to Byron Bay, Australia, where Flow Hive co-inventor Cedar Anderson gives us the buzz on life after Varroa mites invaded the continent.

After a failed containment effort that saw thousands of hives burned, Australian beekeepers battled a brutal one-two punch of Varroa weakening colonies and small hive beetles finishing the job — sound familiar, fellow beekeepers?

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The good news: things are stabilizing. But Australian beekeeping comes with its own wild twist: bee...

This week we're heading to Oregon to hang out with Joy and Eric McEwen, husband-and-wife beekeepers who've been at it together for 26 seasons and now tend around 650 colonies.

They coined the term "natural nest beekeeping" to describe their whole philosophy: foundationless, paint-free, plastic-free hives, protected with a homemade beeswax-linseed-pine rosin sealant, queens raised in-house by their own sister bees instead of grafted or shipped in cages, and a Warré-inspired vertical hive design that lets the bees' own body heat pre-warm their winter honey stores.

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2 Million Americans are allergic to bee stings. Do you know what to do for yourself, or someone else, when they have a severe reaction?

We kick things off with eight bee sting facts that'll make you the most insufferable know-it-all at your next beekeeping club meeting. Did you know only lady bees can sting, that a detached stinger keeps pumping venom like a tiny horror-movie villain, or that bee venom is basically one superstar protein wearing a trench coat? You're welcome.

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Buzzing with intrigue, this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping kicks off with spider venom playing mite assassin.

Then the real fun begins: UC Riverside's Genesis Chong and Owen Wagner dish on their scrappy "Californian" hybrid bees, tough, hybridized survivors that shrug off Varroa infestations that would tank a typical commercial colony.

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For beekeepers tired of chemical treatments, this is the kind of hopeful buzz worth tuning in for.

Turns out the secret isn't new ch...

Yappy: "This will get me excommunicated from the bee community!"

Firefighter by day, bee-whisperer by everything else — Yappy BeeMan joins the show fresh off a job (complete with a couple of fresh stings) to spill 15 years of beekeeping wisdom, chaos, and comedy.

Yappy tells the wild story of how one shaky cell-phone video — where he caught a queen bare-handed, mid-recording, with nowhere to put her — rocketed his channel from 5,000 subscribers to a million views practically overnight.

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Fro...

Before getting into the honey of it all, host Eric riffs on a string of bizarre highway mishaps — rolled-over bee trucks, a tofu spill, flaming ribeyes — proving that 2026 is just a weird year for cargo.

Then the real magic begins: mechanical-engineer-turned-beekeeper Bill Hesbach drops some serious hive-mind wisdom on condensing hives, the practice of letting bees manage their own internal climate instead of beekeepers cranking up the ventilation.

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Turns out our buzzy friends are basically tiny thermo...

Host Eric Bennett, travels across the pond to Cornwall, England, for a fascinating conversation with Molly Earl, full-time beekeeper and founder of Bees Off and The Rescued Bee.

Molly specializes in live bee removals — rescuing honeybee colonies from chimneys, walls, flat roofs, and other structures — and has grown what started as a two-hive hobby into an operation managing roughly 300 beehives across mid-Cornwall.

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The conversation covers her techniques, tools, the Cornwall beekeeping season, and pest management. Plus, Molly...

In this fun episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, host Eric Bennett sits down with Tara Skubella and Darrin Reay — survivalists best known from Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid — to talk all things honey bees and beekeeping.

The duo shares their passion project: a custom apitherapy bee hut built atop four Langstroth hives, where visitors breathe healing pheromones and soak up therapeutic vibrations without a single sting.

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Darren, a fabricator-turned-beekeeper with 13 hives and three consecutive winters of zero c...

Hold onto your veils, because this week's episode is a wild ride through the wonderful world of beekeeping with Ohio-based guest Emily Mueller, a certified master herbalist, doctoral student, homeschooling mom of four, and — most importantly — a certified crazy bee lady.

Beekeeper Emily schooled us on the art of drone races, the jaw-dropping healing powers of propolis for cavities and cold sores, and bee venom therapy, which she's been administering to herself and others for more than a decade.

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What happens when bees ignore your perfectly prepared swarm trap and instead move into a beat-up, broken-lidded box on a woodshed floor? Pure beekeeping magic, apparently.

Host Eric Bennett, kicks off this episode with exactly that delightful chaos before welcoming guest Michael Scott from Indiana, Pennsylvania — a town whose name exists solely to confuse people.

The two dive deep into sustainable beekeeping, covering everything from honey colors (light and citrusy tulip poplar vs. dark, rich knotweed) to the idea that the best beekeeper might just be the one who gets out of the bees' way an...

Heroic news for a bee truck traveling the mountains of Utah... Bees on the loose at the White House... And building a beautiful long lang hive!

This episode of Bee Love Beekeeping features host Eric Bennett in conversation with Curtis "Jack Lumber" Nielsen, a first-year beekeeper from British Columbia, Canada, who dove headfirst into beekeeping by building his own custom hive from scratch.

Rather than purchasing a standard setup, Jack designed and milled an impressive 80-inch long langstroth hive almost entirely from a single log harvested on his own property. Thick two-inch walls, spring-loaded recycled...

Buckle up, honey lovers — this episode is a wild ride through the wonderfully chaotic world of beekeeping with Connecticut backyard beekeeper Lauren Doninger!

Before diving into the conversation, host Eric drops ten mind-blowing facts about honey bees (spoiler: they might understand the concept of zero and play soccer). Then Lauren takes us through her approach to swarm catching, the vertical split technique, condensing hives, her biggest beekeeping mistakes and a ton more!

She also gives us a peek into her utterly charming self-service honey stand, where neighbors stop by, grab a jar, and leave cash or...

What do a Massachusetts eviction standoff, a forklift disaster, and the secret to a thriving bee yard have in common? They all made an appearance in this week's absolutely buzzing episode of Bee Love Beekeeping!

Host Eric Bennett kicked things off with a wild news story about a beekeeper who showed up to a $1.9 million home eviction with a truck full of hives — and yes, things went exactly as chaotically as you'd imagine.

Then Eric welcomed Utah commercial beekeeper Seth Homer, whose family operation grew from his dad overhearing a gardening class conversation about honey be...

Bob Ford of Sticky Bee Honey Farm in southern Minnesota is living proof that beekeepers never do anything halfway. What started as two hives quickly ballooned to 65–80 before his back had other ideas.

Now running 40–45 hives, Bob shares the joys and heartbreaks of Minnesota beekeeping — where you can survive a brutal winter only to watch colonies mysteriously collapse during a "false spring" a few weeks later.

He also gets real about varroa mite management, wind exposure, and the sad reality of neighboring beekeepers who just let their bees die every year and buy new packages in the...

Brian Schmitz keeps bees on Orcas Island in Washington's San Juan Islands — a place so peaceful and remote that residents refer to trips to the mainland as "going to America."

A pandemic-era beekeeper turned 30-colony operator, Brian navigates a uniquely temperate maritime climate where the ocean acts as a natural air conditioner. He's also the reigning salmon derby champion at his local American Legion post, a title unchallenged since 2019 — and yes, he's proud of it.

The real action comes when yellow jackets enter the picture. Brian and host Eric Bennett dig into one of the Paci...

Beekeeping Advice from Dr. Sammy Ramsey!

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, host Eric Bennett welcomes Dr. Samuel (Sammy) Ramsey — PhD entomologist, National Geographic Explorer, and producer of the new Disney+ and Hulu documentary series Secrets of the Bees.

Dr. Ramsey shares what it was like collaborating with James Cameron and National Geographic, how filmmakers captured never-before-seen footage inside a beehive using endoscopy cameras and high-speed rigs, and what it meant to contribute both as a scientist and a vocalist to the project.

The conversation then dives deep into honey bee health: th...

How do you reach out to local beekeepers to help save millions of bees after their transport truck jackknifes?

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, host Eric Bennett welcomes Tristen Tartaglia, a Southern Oregon beekeeper and owner of Southern Oregon Swarms, to share her remarkable story of saving millions of bees after a major truck accident.

Tristen is deeply embedded in the local beekeeping community, performing 60–120 cutouts per year — including chemical-free removals of yellow jackets and bald-faced hornets.

The episode also features a fascinating science segment on the waggle dance, revealing that bees...

"There is no such thing as ORGANIC U.S. honey!" Honey Dumping. Fake Honey & Much more with ABF President, Debbie Seib.

The episode features beekeeper, Debbie Seib, president of the American Beekeeping Federation, who shares her decades-long journey from beginner to industry leader, offering insight into running a large-scale beekeeping operation and the realities of working closely with honey bees.

Throughout the conversation, Debbie emphasizes that successful beekeeping relies heavily on education, mentorship, and adaptability. She discusses common challenges beekeepers face, such as seasonal food shortages, parasite management like varroa mites, and unpredictable environmental conditions...

Making money selling honey takes business smarts! Catch all the Do's and Don'ts this week as we wrap up a two-part conversation with beekeeper, Danielle Brooks, founder of Honey Truck in St. Augustine, Florida.

Danielle is a former family photographer turned full-time honey entrepreneur who runs a brick-and-mortar shop, farmers market operation, and wholesale distribution business. All while taking care of two children and 10 beehives.

In this episode, she covers the practical side of selling honey — from packaging and customer retention to knowing when to say no to a big opportunity — plus shares some hard-won wisd...

What does it take to make money selling honey? It's Marketing 101 for beekeepers!

This episode of Bee Love Beekeeping features an interview with Danielle Brooks, whose experience turning a small beekeeping hobby into a real honey business, is full of invaluable information for all beekeepers.

Most beekeepers undervalue their product and underestimate the importance of knowing who they're selling to. Brooke draws on her background in photography and communications to talk about storytelling as a sales tool: knowing your honey's origin, its seasonal character, and the beekeepers behind it gives you something to say that...

Host Eric Bennett reaches out all the way to Gloucestershire, England to have a discussion with Stuart Roweth, beekeeper and inventor of Bee Gym and Bee Gym Slim.

Stuart is on a mission to help bees fight back against varroa without chemicals. He walks us through his beekeeping journey, from receiving his first swarm in a cardboard box to developing the Bee Gym, a mechanical device that encourages bees to groom varroa mites off themselves using small flippers, spikes, and wires.

The episode also features an Inside the Hive segment exploring how bees regulate summer...

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, host Eric Bennett wraps up a three-part conversation with Mann Lake's Kim and Steph — two experienced and enthusiastic beekeepers — covering the final entries on their top 10 list of decisions to make before getting into beekeeping.

The discussion covers mindset, fear of stings, how many hives to start with, long-term goal setting, predator protection, and what to do with your honey.

The episode also features an "Inside the Hive" segment on beeswax, plus Kim and Steph's hilarious — and slightly harrowing — story about a live TikTok inspection gone wrong.

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What gear do beginning beekeepers need? What PPE do you need? Where do you place your hives? Where do you buy your bees? Smokers? Hive tools? All of these questions, and more, are answered here in Part 2 of our discussion with beekeepers, Kim & Steph.

The "Inside the Hive" segment highlights the honey bee waggle dance, including new research showing individual bees navigate far more precisely than the dance itself can communicate.

The episode concludes with a candid look at beekeeping philosophy, from treatment-free approaches to conventional varroa management. Steph shares a hard-learned lesson from losing...

Don't Start Beekeeping Until You Have Made These 10 Decisions (Part 1)

Host Eric Bennett sits down with Kim and Steph — seasoned beekeepers and popular TikTok content creators — to kick off an exciting multi-episode series covering the 10 most important decisions aspiring beekeepers need to make before taking the leap into beekeeping.

Kim and Steph bring years of hands-on experience working with honey bees, and their enthusiasm and practical wisdom make this an essential listen for anyone considering starting their beekeeping journey.

The episode also features a fascinating "Inside the Hive" educational segment on swarming behavior, that...

In this heartfelt and information-packed episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we begin with an important update on new research revealing that neonicotinoid pesticides are even more harmful to honeybees than previously understood. Every beekeeper needs this information.

From there, we head “Inside the Hive” to explore one of nature’s most fascinating transformations: how a queen bee and a worker bee start as identical eggs, and how just three days of royal jelly determines a worker bee's destiny. We also dive into the dramatic piping and dueling of emerging queen bees.

Then, in a special Valent...

Beekeeping Winterization, Mentors, Varroa, Single Brood Management, Swarms, Advice for New Beekeepers... This episode is packed!

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we dive deep into the world of honeybees and the humans who care for them. From a poetic opening that celebrates the harmony of the hive to practical, boots-on-the-ground advice, this episode blends wonder with real-world beekeeping wisdom.

We kick off a new weekly segment, Inside the Hive, exploring how bees survive winter by clustering, vibrating to generate heat, and carefully managing their honey stores. Then, recorded live from the North American...

In this information-packed episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we welcome master beekeeper Deborah Klughers for a rapid-fire deep dive into practical, real-world beekeeping.

Building off her legendary “100+ tips” for beekeepers presentation, Deb shares hard-earned lessons on feeding strategies, hive stands, smoker safety, mite monitoring, drone brood management, and even the controversial—but fascinating—role of bee venom in beekeeper health.

From her favorite baggie feeder system and why warm syrup matters, to a cautionary tale about toxic cinder blocks and treated pallets, Deb emphasizes that small management decisions can have life-or-death consequences for honey bee colonies...

In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of honey bees, looking at how bees communicate, work together, and inspire humans—from scientists to everyday beekeepers. The show opens with a brief reflection on honey bees as masters of collective intelligence, followed by intriguing research suggesting that bees and their mathematical communication may even offer insights for extraterrestrial intelligence studies.

The conversation then turns to Sung Lee, a passionate beekeeper whose backyard experiment in beekeeping grew into a full-blown obsession. What began as a way to help garden pollination evolved into managing more than 100 hives and producing th...

Conversation with Dr. Jason Graham, Ph.D. Questions asked and answered.

In this episode, we kick off our coverage from the North American Honey Bee Expo with an in-depth and surprisingly entertaining conversation with entomologist and beekeeper Dr. Jason “Dr. J” Graham. Recorded live on the bustling expo floor, this episode blends science, storytelling, and practical beekeeping insight.

Dr. Graham shares his unconventional journey from high school dropout to PhD, and how a single beekeeping class sparked a lifelong passion for honey bees. From there, the discussion dives deep into the inner workings of the hive...

In this episode, we reconnect with Chris Hyatt, past president of the American Honey Producers Association and a lifelong commercial beekeeper managing 18,000 colonies across North Dakota, California, and Washington. Chris returns to give an unfiltered look at the state of commercial beekeeping after one of the most challenging years on record.

The conversation opens with a reflection on devastating winter losses, where even the most experienced operators saw colonies wiped out despite best management practices. Chris explains why there is no single cause—amitraz resistance, viral loads, pesticide exposure, weather, and management variables all intertwine to create wh...

In this episode, we kick off Season 3 by diving deep into the North American Bee Strategy with special guest Matt Mulica of the Honey Bee Health Coalition. Together, we explore the biggest challenges facing honey bees and beekeepers today—and what’s being done across the U.S. and Canada to address them.

From Varroa mites and emerging threats like Tropilaelaps, to honey fraud, beekeeping economics, pesticides, forage, and applied research, this is a wide-ranging and practical conversation for beekeepers of all experience levels.

Along the way, we discuss why “live and let die” is not a Va...

"Desensitization" is the key, but how is it applied?

In this final installment of the Apitherapy series, we return to Romania to sit down once more with Dr. Stefan Stangaciu, MD, beekeeper and one of the world’s leading authorities on apitherapy.

Building on the foundation laid in episodes 250 and 251, this conversation takes a deep dive into how bee products can be used to support the body in cases of seasonal allergies and hay fever.

Dr. Stangaciu explains the science behind pollen allergies, distinguishing between airborne anemophilous pollen and the heavier pollen collected by...

Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Stefan Stangaciu:

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we discuss the step-by-step approach to treating burns with honey. Then we shift to bee venom therapy to treat all kinds of illnesses, including Lyme Disease, Cancer, Chronic Pain, and more.

Takeaways

Join host Eric Bennett and Dr. Ștefan Stangaciu, MD from Romania. Dr. Stangaciu is the world’s leading authority on apitherapy, as well as being a beekeeper, medical doctor, and president of the International Federation of Apitherapy.

In part 1 of this series, we learn why propolis, pollen and bee-derived extracts often outperform honey for healing, how to extract and handle honey for medicinal use, and practical ways beekeepers and families can use propolis safely.

The conversation delves into the medicinal uses of these products, their extraction methods, and practical applications for everyday health issues.

D...

In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, host Eric Bennett, welcomes Rob Wright, CEO of Mann Lake, for an honest and surprisingly personal look at the current state of the beekeeping industry.

From swarm-catching mishaps and hive cutouts to global honey tastings and the future of bee health, this episode blends practical insights, industry updates, and stories that every beekeeper—from hobbyist to commercial operator—will relate to.

Rob shares what he’s learned from four years of active beekeeping, how Mann Lake has transformed under new family ownership, and why bee nutrition is becoming one of the...