Today’s guest is a beekeeper who’s running bees in the Big Apple. Though he’s a highly experienced beekeeper, he still gains insights from the time he spends working with folks that are new to the hobby. But this is no hobby for him, his beekeeping business, Astor Apiaries is expanding! Please welcome Nick Hoefly, the NYC Beekeeper! Visit Nick online! https://astorapiaries.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/astorapiaries/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHJ080TLMLfaurNjvvS0epQ The...
May 02, 2023•45 min•Ep. 67
Today’s guest got into bees in a big and unusual way. He fell in love with a commercial beekeeper's daughter! Running 3000 colonies and pollinating crops ranging from almonds, fruit, and seeds, this guy knows how to hustle. I drove down to visit him a few weeks ago and got to spend a day following him around asking a million questions. I even got to drive a forklift! Since this episode was recorded, his bees are now on their way back from California and I hope to take him up on that self-invitat...
Mar 24, 2023•52 min•Ep. 66
Today's guest is a beekeeper from San Antonio, Texas who’s journey into beekeeping guided her through the loss of a loved one. Her transformation as a beekeeper is nothing short of amazing and her story reminds us that things do happen for a reason! I am always impressed with her ability to keep a cool head with hot bees, which has become one of her signatures on social media. Meet the ultra cool Heather Wilk! Connect with Heather on Instagram Watch Heather on the Charlie Bee Company show Chec...
Feb 11, 2023•57 min•Ep. 65
Today’s guest is a beekeeper who is on a mission to bring the therapeutic values of beekeeping to veterans and first responders. But her offering doesn’t stop there, she has created an entire curriculum of comprehensive beekeeping education backed by industry influencers and scientific data. She is a powerhouse of generosity, empowerment, and beekeeping know-how. If you’re looking for inspiration, look no further. We’ve got it right here in this episode! Meet the founding director of Mission Bee...
Jan 14, 2023•45 min•Ep. 64
Dr. Erin Zagadailov is the founder and creator of Lady Grantham Apiary, a bees first flower farm in Grantham, NH with a mission to promote pollinator conservation and locally grown flowers. Taking a sabbatical from biotech, she is a pharmacist and health economist with expertise in developing and commercializing treatments for oncology and rare diseases. Her research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and other scientific journals. In her spare time, Dr. Zagad...
Dec 10, 2022•45 min•Ep. 63
Today’s guest has been participating in the greater beekeeping conversation for many years with his comic, Bee-ing Apis. When I asked him to join me on the show I pointed out that “we the beekeepers” didn’t really know much about him and yet his work was, at least for me, a staple in our beekeeping content consumption. Bee-ing Apis, in his own words, is a comic about beekeeping, with a strange sense of humor, bad puns, wordplay, dad jokes, and the occasional cerebral challenge. He is clever, qui...
Nov 19, 2022•39 min•Ep. 62
Join Mandy on an adventure inside of a colony leading up to and during a swarm! Sit back and enjoy this dramatic glimpse into the private lives of virgin queens and swarming bees. Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com ! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram ....
Nov 12, 2022•29 min•Ep. 61
Today’s guest is a beekeeper and artist who’s voice is rooted in ecological and community awareness, and exploring our relationships to resources. In all of this, she finds solace with her bees and has moved into a deeper working relationship with them by harvesting hive materials that are used directly in her art work. Her contributions and accomplishments give her a unique voice in our community and I am so lucky to have spent a morning with her! To learn more about Janelle you can visit her o...
Jun 05, 2022•36 min•Ep. 60
Each year the Bee Informed Partnership conducts a colony management and loss survey and YOU ARE INVITED to participate! The data that is collected each year adds to the longest running pool of honeybee losses and management in the US. I'm joined by BIP affiliate Selena Bruckner, PhD from Auburn University who fills us in on the details from previous years survey results. You can take the survey HERE Bee sure to follow us on social media @beekeeperconfidential...
Apr 23, 2022•36 min•Ep. 59
Today’s episode, which was recorded in early September, is very special to me and one that I feel is a deliciously thought provoking way to end 2021. Our guest is a beekeeper and educator that embodies wisdom, spirituality, religion, symbolism, and incorporates them into her beekeeping practices. She is one of the beacons of light in our community! To learn more about Ali, visit her online at dreamingthebee.com Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com ! You can also find Beekeeper ...
Dec 30, 2021•1 hr
On today's episode we talk about what it means to walk a different path with bees. My friend and natural beekeeping advocate Alasdair Mackenzie of 18 Bees shares how his journey has evolved from traditional backyard beekeeping, to providing swarm habitat and educating land owners about the importance of forage throughout Oregon and Washington. Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com ! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram ....
Nov 06, 2021•43 min•Ep. 58
Today’s guest is a beekeeper with a very unique beekeeping journey. Her hands have touched bees from Hawaii to New Zealand offering hive inspection services and breeding queens. She works for Comvita , one of the world’s leading producers of manuka honey and she’s here to give us the scoop on all things manuka honey, wellness, queen breeding, and how she continues to feel the precious magic of the human bee relationship. I'm pleased welcome Noelani Waters! Check out our website at www.beekeeperc...
Sep 17, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Today’s guest is a beekeeper whose devotion to bees flowed lovingly from her pen and landed in the pages of her new book, the Pandeme of Bees. Together we explore her poetry, her unique initiation into beekeeping and the journey around the world that the bees have taken her on. To connect with SezzaJai or to purchase a copy of her book Pandeme of Bees, click here ! ****To help former guest Ruby Reid rebuild after losing her home and bees to wildfire, click here . Check out our website at www.bee...
Sep 03, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 4
On today’s episode we visit with two seriously radical urban beekeepers who take on bee removals throughout Los Angeles. They’re intuitive, thoughtful, and show us that team work makes the dream work! They work strictly with feral bees and have some unique insights on the subtleties of honey bee behaviors. Meet Marvin Jordana & Jen Power! Here's an amazing article with photos of hive behaviors we often don't get to see! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com ! You can also fi...
Aug 18, 2021•52 min•Season 3Ep. 3
I had the absolute pleasure of spending some time with Dr. Chelsea Cook from the Cook Lab at Marquette University. This conversation took us in so many directions and it begs the question: are you a curious bee or a focused bee? Visit the Cook Lab here ! You can connect with Chelsea on Twitter here ! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram ....
Jul 15, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Where has Beekeeper Confidential been all this time? Mandy Shaw is in the hot seat as guest host Fonta Molyneaux asks her about what has been happening in her life and why the show was put on pause.
Jun 17, 2021•57 min•Season 3Ep. 1
This episode is SUCH a treat. We get to know Sara Carmody, a recent anthropology undergrad who traveled to Cambodia to study the culture surrounding Apis Dorsata. You can also learn more about this topic by subscribing to Dani Jump's channel Bees Unlimited. Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram ....
Sep 30, 2020•49 min•Ep. 57
Our latest episode features a beekeeper based out of Texas who also moonlights as a member of the BIP Technical Transfer Team. We talk about what it takes to earn a living as an urban beekeeper, misconceptions about bees and hornets, invasive species, and finding bodies in walls... Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram ....
Aug 25, 2020•47 min•Ep. 56
Today’s episode is different from previous episodes in that we have not one or two but 4 guests! Each fulfills an important role in local beekeeping and ecological conservation. They share their personal stories and how bees have inspired them to take important steps to provide education to new beekeepers and to make their communities better for not just the bees but for the people, too. In order of interview: Breanna Suarez, David Riera, Megan Long AKA Queenie, and Daniel Calzadilla. How to con...
Jul 23, 2020•55 min•Ep. 55
Our current featured guest is extraordinary for her many talents, her journey with bees, and her generous spirit! She is the owner of Zia Queenbees based out of New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment which is also my home state. But the most recent twist in her journey brought her to the Iberian Peninsula for her Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship. I am so happy to share the first of many visits with Melanie Kirby! To learn more about Melanie and her work, visit her online at zia...
Jun 15, 2020•49 min•Ep. 54
I had the pleasure of spending some more time with Julia Mahood , a Master Beekeeper from Georgia that we visited a few months back. This interview was recorded on March 30th, just at the beginning of the quarantine here in the US before we realized the extent of our social and physical confinement. I only went back and listened to it very recently to get it ready to publish and I just want to say how timely this conversation and topic felt. It made me pause and reflect on what quarantine at hom...
May 21, 2020•40 min•Ep. 53
Today we catch up with Ang Roell, who joined me from Florida where they’re caring for 200 hives. I first interviewed Ang back in late 2018 and we promised a follow up for when their book Radicalize The Hive would become available for all of us to read! That day has come, and you can get a free copy of Radicalize the Hive by visiting They Keep Bees . We also talk about the realities of how the pandemic is affecting our beekeeping operations and seeking out the silver lining. Check out our website...
Apr 29, 2020•31 min•Ep. 52
On today’s show we visit with Noah Wilson-Rich Ph.D, author of The Bee: A Natural History , a TED Speaker , and founder of The Best Bees Company . Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram . To become a patron visit Mandy's Patreon page at www.patreon.com/mandyshaw Cover art by Meggyn Pomerleau...
Apr 15, 2020•43 min•Ep. 51
Today’s guest is a beekeeper who lives in my neighboring state of Washington. He is super active in his local beekeeping community and through his contributions he earned the title of the 2019 WSBA Beekeeper of the year! We had been communicating with each other online for a while and I knew he listened to the show so when he earned that award I asked with fingers crossed that he would come on the show! He did, and I really enjoyed having some shop talk with him! Meet Jeff Hall from Full Frame A...
Apr 01, 2020•46 min•Ep. 50
In this installment of Beekeeper Confidential I visit with Emily Bondor, the founder of Santa Cruz Bee Co . She has a wealth of knowledge gained from a series of unique opportunities. She has followed her passion and built an amazing beekeeping business that serves beekeepers, the community at large, but most importantly - the bees! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram . To become a...
Mar 18, 2020•39 min•Ep. 49
Today we feature 3 incredible bee advocates who took a brave leap of faith and joined forces to build a company that promotes the health of native bees, honey bees, biodiversity, and more. Together they keep a busy schedule of classes and hands on workshops, the host apiary tours, make luscious skincare products, offer stunning photos and stickers, and MORE. They are smart in business, friendship and in beekeeping. I am really proud to call them my friends! Meet the ladies of Bee & Bloom ! C...
Mar 04, 2020•42 min•Ep. 48
Today we are visiting with a fellow podcast host and beekeeper. She promotes and shares tips for sustainable beekeeping practices from her apiary in North Carolina. She has gained an impressive audience in the short time that she has produced her show. Joining us via video call, please welcome Leigh Digs from Beekeeping at Five Apple Farm ! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram . To ...
Feb 18, 2020•52 min•Ep. 47
In this episode we visit with Brad Garmon of Commonwealth Bee Company. He's a beekeeper, nurse, father of twins, husband, and entrepreneur. His focus on serving the community doesn't stop when he's working as a flight medic, he carries that right into his beekeeping. He has built his company around the need for leaders in urban beekeeping who educate and facilitate responsible beekeeping in Virginia. We go deep into what it is to run a small (but growing) beekeeping business, and how to find wor...
Feb 05, 2020•33 min•Ep. 46
What do you get when you mix drones with drones? What do drones do when they disappear into a congregation area, and how do we even FIND these DCA's? You’ll get the answers to these questions and more today as we go deep into the DRONE ZONE with Master Beekeeper Julia Mahood ! Check out our website at www.beekeeperconfidential.com and join our community forum! You can also find Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram . To become a patron visit Mandy's Patreon page at www.patreon.com/man...
Jan 22, 2020•37 min•Ep. 45
Today’s guest is a badass female beekeeper from Miami, Florida. She and her boyfriend first fell in love with bees in 2015 and have since built a successful full service beekeeping company.. Her enthusiasm and joy for bees is contagious! I really admire beekeepers who take their passion to the next level --- I also respect how challenging being a beekeeping entrepreneur can be. Today we’re diving into these issues and MORE. Joining us from her home in Miami, please welcome Tasha Trujillo! Check ...
Jan 08, 2020•44 min•Ep. 44
