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 spring.

But the real fun is in Bob's beekeeping business side hustles. Not content to just sell jars of honey at farmers markets, he designed a centrifugal honey straw filler (which once redecorated his entire open-concept kitchen in a fine mist of honey), built a food trailer selling honey lemonade and honey kettle corn, and 3D printed custom honey dippers with his logo on top.

Oh, and during nine months of post-surgery bed rest, he wrote 25–30 children's books starring a little bee named Sticky. Because apparently when Bob can't work, he still can't stop working.

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Bob Ford/Sticky Bee Honey Farms: https://sites.google.com/ibinc.us/sticky-bee-honey-farms/home http://amazon.com/author/stickybeehoneyfarms

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 Pacific Northwest's most brutal beekeeping challenges — a pest so aggressive it can take down even a thriving, booming colony.

From hardware cloth entrance reducers to decoy wasp nests to the wildly effective "raw chicken over soapy water" trap, Brian shares every trick in his arsenal. He also opens up about beekeeping ethics, responsible swarm management, and why working his hives brings him the same calm focus he relies on as a professional ship's navigator.

This one's a great listen.

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Brian: IslandBeeSupply@gmail.com

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: the looming threat of Tropilaelaps mites, the true mechanics of Varroa damage, and the great sugar roll vs. alcohol wash debate — with Dr. Ramsey offering a nuanced, research-backed take on why the sugar roll still has a legitimate place in a beekeeper's toolkit.

The episode closes with Dr. Ramsey's top advice for new and experienced beekeepers alike — including a reminder that beekeeping is a team sport — and a hilarious (and instructive) wild beekeeping story involving a bee, an ear canal, and an emergency room visit that ends with a bee named Beyoncé.

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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 actually communicate more precisely when a larger audience is watching — they literally dance better when they know someone is paying attention.

The heart of the episode centers on Tristen's extraordinary effort at saving bees after a semi-truck jackknifed in Oregon in March 2026, dumping over 400 hives down a steep 30-degree ravine.

Rather than stand by, beekeeper Tristan jumped into action, filmed the scene, and began physically moving broken hives and scattered frames to give the bees a fighting chance against the cold.

After posting a raw video that reached 1.8 million Facebook views overnight, over 50 volunteers showed up to help with the rescue — daisy-chaining equipment up the hillside in a powerful display of beekeeping community spirit. Thanks to their tireless work, millions of individual bees were saved.

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Tristen's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-tristens-mission-to-save-the-bees?attribution_id=sl:8b4451bf-e9c5-4031-86f3-104cbd967cc1&lang=en_US&ts=1774745656&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp17_ta-amp20_t2&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook

"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 that impact bees’ survival.

The episode underscores that there is no single solution to keeping healthy bees—beekeepers must continually learn, rotate treatments, and stay attentive to hive conditions. Ultimately, the discussion reveals that while beekeeping can be demanding, it is deeply rewarding, especially when colonies survive winter and thrive in the spring.

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American Beekeeping Federation: ABFnet.org

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 wisdom about balancing a growing honey business with life as a mom of two young kids.

Plus of course, her TWO wild & crazy beekeeping stories that you won't want to miss!

Missed Part 1? Check out Episode 312. https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/pro-secrets-how-to-make-money-selling-honey/

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Danielle: https://www.honeytruck.com/

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 a generic jar simply can't.

Her advice applies whether you have two hives or twenty — start with your audience, build a brand that speaks to them, price your product honestly from the start, and treat every sales interaction as a chance to educate.

Video Version of This Episode

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Danielle: https://www.honeytruck.com/

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 heat through evaporative cooling, collecting water and fanning it across the comb in a system that predates human air conditioning by millions of years.

Whether you're new to beekeeping or a seasoned pro, this episode is packed with practical wisdom. Stuart and Eric discuss the importance of staying open-minded when it comes to varroa management — testing before and after any treatment, combining mechanical tools like the Bee Gym with other IPM practices, and knowing when a chemical miticide may still be the right call.

Stuart also shares a memorable story about performing a massive bee cutout from a Bristol rooftop, where bees had built rafter after rafter of comb over several years — a humbling experience that gave him an even deeper appreciation for the bees themselves and the dedicated beekeeping community that works tirelessly to protect them.

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Bee Gym