Mind Your Hives Beekeeping

Greg and Kara Jo are hanging with Evan Watson - co-owner / farmer / brewer / beekeeper of Plan Bee Farm Brewery. Evan is one of the sweetest and most unique people we've ever met. His stories about getting into the music industry out of college (cough cough touring with Meatloaf) and eventually making some of the best beer in the country are fascinating (all while bringing us back to beekeeping!) We hope you feel like you're hanging out with us too. Enjoy!

It is SUMMER and the farm is crankin'! Bee wise we're talking: honey, pulling honey frames, crowded hives, requeening, angry bees, excluders, rearranging bee boxes and more! Farm wise we're talking: meat bird success with fermented feed, mushroom log cultivation, making seasonal liqueurs and finishing up with a Herb Corner about calendula. Enjoy! This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com, shipping all your skin care needs all over the US! Check us out on instagram: @mindyourhives @karajoskincare @karajobeefarm @karajowellness

Happy spring beekeepers! We're talking all things spring on the farm - splitting hives, stopping swarming, some heartbreak, tricky situations, bee math...we're all over the place. We also get to some listener questions, hope you enjoy! This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com, we ship all over the US. Soaps, scrubs, serums, wound care, acne fighting, anti-aging...using the power of the honey bee!

We’re back and we’re planning for the year ahead - spring is so close!! We discuss goals and how we work backwards to accomplish them; new plans around the farm; how farming is in our DNA…and more! Wrapping things up with Herb Corner where Kara Jo discusses the protocol she put together for Greg’s shoulder surgery recovery. Enjoy! Check out KaraJoSkinCare.com and help your winter skin! We ship all over the U.S. and appreciate the support.

The Bee Farm is headed into winter. In the midst of a drought and record high temps for October and November, we're doing our best to get these bees ready for whenever winter decides to show up. Lots of farm talk, puppy talk, a ridiculous story (that comes with a @KaraJoSkinCare listener giveaway!) and a "special" Herb Corner about Wild Geranium.

In this episode we're all over the place. Current apiary updates. Successful and unsuccessful mite treatments. What's up with all these people calling honey bees invasive?! Learning from our mistakes and more! Herb Corner is about one of our favorites - Goldenrod! This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com, check out their natural skin care line and more!

Summer is on its way out which means we've been harvesting honey and we need to make sure our bees are on the right track to survive winter. Kara and Greg talk about the current state of their apiaries and some ideal hive timelines that get big honey yields while allowing the bees to go through their natural cycles. Kara Jo finishes up with Herb Corner about Clover! Shout-out to Troubles End Brewing for the beautiful lagers we enjoyed. This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com Try Kara Jo's First Aid Wound Salve and harness the power of herbs while NOT putting petroleum products onto your skin!

What up! We're talking about chicken life on the farm, selling bees, following up about splits, queen introductions and some crazy hive situations we've experienced. Kara Jo's Herb Corner dives into the beautiful and powerful - Passion Flower! Hope you dig it. This episode is brought to you by @KaraJoSkinCare and @KaraJoBeeFarm. Checkout their whole line of Bee-Powered Skin Care at www.KaraJoSkinCare.com.

We're talking about the best time to be a beekeeper - the spring! Spring time is swarm time and swarm time is splittin' time. Amongst other things, we dive into bee math aka the bee life cycle and how it allows us to make decisions and prevent swarms. Herb corner is all about dandelion and we crack open a beautiful saison from our friends at The Seed: A Living Beer Project. Cheers! This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com. Check out our Bug Repellent and Natural Deodorant, they really do work!!

Kara and I hop over to the mics straight out of the apiary after the 2024 seasons first inspections. Our spring has been cold and rainy so far and we're definitely a few weeks behind previous seasons but we're feeling great! This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com. Check out our newly upgraded Bug Repellent! Proven to work in even the harshest environments and actually good for your skin.

First we talk how understanding bee biology can help in decision making with a deep dive on the effects of pollen feeding followed by whether we think you can stop your bees from swarming. Finishing up with an 'Herb Corner' about medicinal mushrooms for both bees and humans! All while sipping a lovely witbier from Referend Bier Blendery in Kutztown, PA. This episode is brought to you by Kara Jo Skin Care & Bee Farm. Check us out online at KaraJoSkinCare.com - your support means the world to us.

It is almost spring!! And for many that means starting their first year keeping bees. We're answering some common beginner questions including equipment, buying bees and bad teachers (luckily we know some good ones!), how we handle spring mites, and more. We finish up with Kara Jo's Herb Corner segment on Propolis! This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com. Check out all our skin care and honey bee products - we ship! Instagram: @MindYourHives, @KaraJoBeeFarm and @KaraJoSkinCare.

Bee Side Episode! We're hanging out with Chris Stoudt of Stout Lawn and Pest and host of The Root Zone Podcast. We talk winter lawn practices, spring prep and that middle ground where your lawn can be more than just a green desert! This episode is brought to you by @KaraJoSkinCare (karajoskincare.com). Check out our winter skin care products!

We're talking about beekeeping with a purpose and how it can help in your decision making, why hive deaths aren't necessarily bad and how we developed our style of hive management...and of course all the tangents those topics took us on before ending with an 'herb corner' about Thyme! This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com, check out our line of skin care products utilizing the power of the bees!!

We're talking off-season prep, building our forest apiary, revisiting Bee Venom Therapy and answering your questions! This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com. New winter skin care is out now and available for shipping!

We're talking our current November beekeeping including adding some robbing screens to help against Yellow Jackets and taking a trip down memory lane about our start working Farmers' Markets. Also a message to vegans...honey is a by-product of plants, not animals...listen to find out why. This episode is brought to you by KaraJoSkinCare.com, gift packages available for the holidays. Use coupon code "mindyourhives" to get 10% off!

There are lots of ways to beekeep but some styles (people?) really bother us...we're talking pet peeves, how we determine our top queen lines, mite follow-ups, overwintering our garden and more. This episode is brought to you by Kara Jo Skin Care & Bee Farm. For online orders (listen for a promo code!) go to www.KaraJoSkinCare.com. @KaraJoSkinCare @KaraJoBeeFarm @MindYourHives

Kara Jo and Greg are talking about their apiary after the late summer mite treatments. The varroa debacle in Australia. A surprise swarm catch. What to expect in the coming fall. And another great Herb Corner with Kara Jo discussing the medicine of garlic. Cheers y'all! This episode is brought to you by Kara Jo Skin Care & Bee Farm. You can find their bee-inspired skin care, shampoo, soaps, and HONEY online at KaraJoSkinCare.com. Follow @KaraJoSkincare and @KaraJoBeeFarm for more info. MindYourHives@gmail.com for questions. Educational Videos on Mind Your Hives Beekeeping Youtube Page.

The battle against mites hits its peak this time of year. We're talking testing for varroa and how we keep our bees healthy NOW before going into winter while being fueled by beautiful wild ales from Plan Bee Farm Brewery in Poughkeepsie, NY. Cheers!

In this episode we're talking about building our new farm, moving bees unexpectedly and how crazy life has been the past few months. We're drinking a Little Did you Know (our collab with Threes Brewing and Forest & Main) and when you listen to the episode you'll understand why that beer name really hits home! Hope you enjoy!