Beekeeping For Newbees® – Details, episodes &amp; analysis

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💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🐝 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

About the Podcast: Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 700,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

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Episode 207 – Listener's Choice: Bear Fences, Box Reversals, and Choosing Frames for a Split 🐝

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 • Duration 32:05

Last week wrapped up Varroa Week, and two listeners took us up on the offer to submit topics for further elaboration. This episode honors both of them. We also have a hive report on Colony 61, a packed four-frame nuc that needed immediate expansion, plus a quick tip about prepping your gear before you actually need it. The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What's Inside This Episode:

Colony 61 hive inspection and emergency expansion from a four-frame to a five-frame nuc
What happens when bees draw comb on your frame feeder and why you leave it alone
A hard lesson on prepping equipment before you get to the bee yard
Using masking tape as a temporary fix for misaligned hive body gaps
How bear fences work and what components you actually need
Why one joule or higher is the target for a food-motivated bear
Grounding rods, wire types, poly wire vs. solid wire, and jumping your strands
Fence charger mile ratings and how to account for multiple strands
Why reversing boxes every spring is not a biological requirement
How bees actually move through a hive from top to bottom and back again
Encouraging comb drawing with a nectar flow and proper foundation placement
The checkerboarding technique for honey supers and when not to use it

Why Listen to This Episode? If you are heading into swarm season and have questions about space management, protecting your apiary from bears, or which frames to grab when making a split, this episode covers all of it with real examples from the bee yard. Practical guidance, not theory.

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Episode 206 – Varroa Week Wrap-Up: Norroa Explained and Is It Worth It? 🐝🛡️

Friday, April 24, 2026 • Duration 28:04

In this final episode of Varroa Week, we cover Norroa, a newer treatment approach designed to disrupt mite reproduction rather than kill mites directly. We also recap the week, talk through real-world cost and use considerations, and look ahead to the next round of spring episodes.

The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Colony 69 inspection report and removing the feeder for added brood space

• How to locate queens by reading eggs, larvae, and brood patterns

• Why queens shrink before swarming and enlarge during peak laying

• What Norroa is and how RNA interference targets mite reproduction

• Why Norroa is more preventive than curative

• Honey supers, application timing, and brood box dosage needs

• Real-world treatment costs and where Norroa may fit strategically

• Full Varroa Week recap and what topics are coming next

Why Listen to This Episode?

If you have heard the buzz around Norroa and want a practical explanation, this episode breaks it down clearly. It also helps tie together everything covered during Varroa Week.

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Episode 205 – Varroa Week: Treatment Options Every Beekeeper Should Know 🐝🛡️

Thursday, April 23, 2026 • Duration 32:36

In this episode we continue Varroa Week by breaking down the most common mite treatment options on the market. We cover how they work, when they are used, key limitations, and how to think through building a treatment strategy that fits your own apiary.

The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Colony 63 inspection report and a delayed queen now laying strong

• Why population growth can surge once a package queen gets released

• Oxalic acid treatments, timing, and why brood cycles matter

• Formic Pro, temperature limits, and why it can be highly effective

• Apivar, resistance concerns, and where it still may fit

• Apiguard and HopGuard as additional treatment options

• Why many beekeepers keep both a gentle and aggressive tool available

• How colony size and hive configuration affect treatment costs

Why Listen to This Episode?

Choosing the wrong treatment at the wrong time can cost you a colony. This episode gives you a practical overview so you can start building a smarter Varroa plan.

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Episode 204 – Varroa Week Continues: How to Test Mite Levels 🐝🛡️

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 • Duration 28:41

In this episode we continue Varroa Week by getting practical with mite testing. We cover alcohol washes, dish soap washes, sticky boards, sugar shakes, and how to build a monthly testing routine that helps you stay ahead of trouble before colonies begin to fail.

The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Colony 67 inspection report and giving a crowded four-frame nuc more space

• Why expanding too early can risk brood chilling during cold nights

• The real question is not if you have mites, but how many

• How to do a proper alcohol wash using nurse bees for the best sample

• Why dish soap washes can be a lower-cost alternative to alcohol

• Sticky boards, what they can tell you, and where they fall short

• Why sugar shakes are less accurate and no longer preferred

• Building a monthly mite testing schedule and reacting to the numbers

Why Listen to This Episode?

Testing is where many beekeepers fall behind. This episode helps you choose a method, use it correctly, and turn numbers into better management decisions.

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Episode 203 – Varroa Week Continues: How Mites Reproduce and Spread 🐝🛡️

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 • Duration 26:28

In this episode we continue Varroa Week with a closer look at how mites reproduce inside capped brood cells and why drone brood can accelerate mite growth. We also kick things off with a real hive inspection report from Colony 61 and talk through expansion decisions happening in the apiary right now.

The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Colony 61 inspection report from a three-week-old four-frame nuc

• Why package colonies often seem to stall before new brood emerges

• Aggressive behavior during inspections and what may be causing it

• Why package bee workers may not reflect the queen’s long-term genetics

• How Varroa mites reproduce inside capped brood cells

• Why drone brood is preferred and how populations grow faster there

• Using drone brood trapping and VSH queens as management tools

• How mites spread through robbing, drifting drones, flowers, and water sources

Why Listen to This Episode?

Understanding how mites reproduce and move between colonies helps you make smarter treatment and timing decisions. This episode also gives you a real-time look at spring colony management in a growing apiary.

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Episode 202 – Varroa Week Begins: Your Spring Mite Plan Starts Now 🐝🛡️

Monday, April 20, 2026 • Duration 20:36

In this episode we kick off Varroa Week and a new run of shorter spring episodes focused on helping you make better decisions in real time. We talk about why mite management needs to be part of every beekeeper’s plan, what is coming over the next five episodes, and how listeners can help shape what comes next.

The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Launching a new week of shorter spring beekeeping episodes

• Why Varroa mites must be part of every beekeeper’s plan

• How many new beekeepers buy gear but skip mite strategy

• This week’s roadmap: biology, testing, treatments, and Noroa

• Why colonies can look healthy while mite damage is already spreading

• Lessons learned from colonies lost before understanding Varroa

• How listeners can help choose future episode topics

Why Listen to This Episode?

If you do not have a mite plan, this episode helps you start one now. It also sets up a full week of practical Varroa content timed for spring beekeeping decisions.

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Episode 201 – Catching a Swarm and What Drives the Urge 🐝

Thursday, April 16, 2026 • Duration 34:39

In this episode: the swarm trap finally paid off. I also discuss what I saw at the trap when the feral colony moved in, including a trophylaxis moment at the entrance that most people would miss. Then we dig into swarming itself, what's driving it, what to look for, and how to get ahead of it.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Catching the feral swarm and what trophylaxis looks like at the trap entrance

• Reframing swarming as colony success rather than beekeeper failure

• What drives the swarm impulse: queen pheromone dilution, backfilling, nectar pressure, and no room to lay

• Queen cups vs. queen cells, and how to tell them apart without panicking

• Bee space vs. people space, and why a honey super on top often does nothing

• The "synthetic swarm," my favorite preventive split, step by step

• The mistake that wrecks colonies every year: tearing out every queen cell before checking whether the colony has already swarmed

• A quick goodbye to Trader Moe

Why Listen to This Episode?

Swarming catches a lot of beekeepers off guard in the spring, and the wrong response can cost you the colony. This episode gives you a clear read on what's driving the behavior, what to look for during inspections, and how to get ahead of it before you lose half your bees.

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Episode 200 - The 5 Questions Every Hive Inspection Should Answer (Part 2 of 2) 🐝

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 • Duration 28:36

In this episode we continue breaking down your first 30 to 60 days of hive inspections and what you should be looking for. We walk through warning signs, growth expectations, and how to track what’s happening inside your hive without overcomplicating the process. This wraps up the inspection framework so you can go into every hive check with a clear plan.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• What it means if you do not see eggs early on and when it becomes a concern

• Spotty brood patterns and what they can indicate about queen health or disease

• What normal population growth should look like in the first 30 to 60 days

• Signs of potential issues including lack of growth, poor food stores, or visible disease

• How to track queen cups and queen cells during inspections

• Simple ways to record inspection data without overcomplicating your workflow

• What to capture in your notes including date, weather, brood, feeding, and hive condition

Why Listen to This Episode?

Knowing what to look for during inspections helps you catch problems early and stay ahead of issues. This episode gives you a clear and practical way to evaluate your hive every time you open it.

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