Bee Love Beekeeping... presented by Mann Lake

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 bees to running nearly 950 colonies. Talk about catching the bug.
The meat of the episode dove deep into the art of splitting beehives, and Seth delivered the goods. He also walked through the classic five-frame nuc split, preaching the gospel of capped brood, nurse bees, and for the love of all things honeyed, keeping a calendar.
Seth wrapped up with his wild beekeeping story: toppling three pallets of hives off a skid steer in the middle of the night, armed with nothing but a jacket and jeans. He got stung senseless, but — miraculously — didn't lose a single queen. A true beekeeper's baptism by fire.
Video Version of This Episode
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10% Discount on Color Collection hive kits. https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
• Discount Code: SHOWMETHECOLOR
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Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Mann Lake! https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
Mann Lake discount code: MLBEELOVE10 for $10 off your first $100 order.
Follow Us: https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/follow/
https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/
[email protected]
Seth Homer: https://homershoneybee.com/ instagram.com/homershoneybee

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.
Video Version of This Episode
________________
10% Discount on Color Collection hive kits. https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
• Discount Code: SHOWMETHECOLOR
_________________
10% Discount Primal Bee Hives: PrimalBee.com/BEELOVE
Discount Code: BEELOVE
________________
Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Mann Lake! https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
Mann Lake discount code: MLBEELOVE10 for $10 off your first $100 order.
Follow Us: https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/follow/
https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/
[email protected]
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.
Video Version of This Episode
________________
10% Discount on Color Collection hive kits. https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
• Discount Code: SHOWMETHECOLOR
_________________
10% Discount Primal Bee Hives: PrimalBee.com/BEELOVE
Discount Code: BEELOVE
________________
Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Mann Lake! https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
Mann Lake discount code: MLBEELOVE10 for $10 off your first $100 order.
Follow Us: https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/follow/
https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/
[email protected]
Brian: [email protected]

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.
Video Version of This Episode
________________
10% Discount on Color Collection hive kits. https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
• Discount Code: SHOWMETHECOLOR
_________________
10% Discount Primal Bee Hives: PrimalBee.com/BEELOVE
Discount Code: BEELOVE
________________
Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Mann Lake! https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
Mann Lake discount code: MLBEELOVE10 for $10 off your first $100 order.

Secrets of the Bees: https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-059dc4ee-f790-476d-82b3-e418c1f96780
Follow Us: https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/follow/
https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/
[email protected]

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.
Video Version of This Episode
________________
10% Discount on Color Collection hive kits. https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
• Discount Code: SHOWMETHECOLOR
_________________
10% Discount Primal Bee Hives: PrimalBee.com/BEELOVE
Discount Code: BEELOVE
________________
Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Mann Lake! https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
Mann Lake discount code: MLBEELOVE10 for $10 off your first $100 order.

Follow Us: https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/follow/
https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/
[email protected]
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