Ep. 34 - Summertime and the Beekeepin' Ain't Always Easy!

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.