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 onli…

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 t…

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 he…

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 beeke…

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 dis…

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 word…

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.…

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 accomp…

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 previou…

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!…

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. Chec…

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 ho…

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 B…

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…

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…

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.By Mandy Shaw

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 c…

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…

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 no…

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 Storytel…

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 …

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.…

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.…

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 as…

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 we…

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,…

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 ou…

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 educa…

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 commu…

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 b…

Over the last year I participated in the Bee Informed Partnership’s Sentinel Apiary Program. You’ve heard me share tales of pulling samples and the tiny funnel that was included in the sampling kit. I was curious to learn more about what goes on at the lab at the University of Maryland where the Bee Informed Partnership is stationed. After I comple…

Today’s interview was weeks… perhaps months in the making. This is the first time I’ve interviewed someone overseas and it took some extra effort to make it happen and I am so glad that it did! I think you will bee as charmed as I was to meet today’s guest. He is one of the early producers of New York City Honey Week, he was a key organizer for the…

Joining us from her 13 acre farm in West Michigan, here is part 2 of our visit with Roda Shope of Indigo Acres Apiary! Check out our new 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…

I am so excited for today’s show. I invited our guest on sometime last year but she was a busy bee and she politely declined my request, but I let her know that the invitation was open because I really wanted to visit with her and learn about her farm and her beekeeping and her incredible photography! But life gets busy, so I completely understood.…

Today’s guest is a beekeeper, a cinematographer, and director of The Pollinators. His work on this film has earned numerous film festival awards including the Rob Stewart Eco Warrior Award, the Gaia Prize for Environmental Film-making, the Best Cinematography Feature Documentary, and more. I was fortunate to be connected with him through Meredith M…

Today’s guest is an author, a journalist, a teacher, and a 5th generation beekeeper. Her most recent work, The Honey Bus, tells the story of a girl growing up in a dysfunctional family who finds solace in learning about bees and beekeeping from her grandfather. For someone who works with bees, the rich details knitted into this memoir are both comf…

On today’s show we visit with a biologist who is an applied researcher of honey bee husbandry at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. His work is dedicated to solving problems that large commercial beekeeping operations are faced with. He spends time in the field and in the lab trying to make things better for the beekeep…

Beekeeper Confidential is a year old! How exciting to reflect on an entire year of connecting with and interviewing amazing people. It has been a treat producing this show, and the anniversary episode is all about behind the scenes stories, listener questions and answers, and tips for getting into podcasting. Check out our new website at www.beekee…

Mandy met today’s guest last October at the Oregon State Beekeepers Association conference. They had recently connected on social media so they weren't complete strangers, but they had never met her in person. Fonta greeted Mandy with the most generous hug and genuine enthusiasm for this show (even though it was still in its infancy). Their paths c…

This week's guest is a creative powerhouse who has harnessed her talents to build a successful beekeeping business and has established herself as a leader in the industry. Mandy got to spend time with her while she was in Portland promoting her new book, Queenspotting. She attended her book reading and signing at Powell’s bookstore and afterwards t…

Today’s guest has dedicated his life to rewilding the honeybee population. He touches on aspects of our lives with bees that are too frequently overlooked by the industry: heart & soul, birth-rights, ethical and moral standards that place the needs of bees above the commodity of honey. Because of his efforts, there is now a movement to reintroduce …

Today’s guest is a beekeeper who caught Mandy's eye on social media because of her delight in swarm catching, queen rearing, and sharing educational bee info with a sense of humor. She is just as funny and smart on the phone as she is online! They talk about Mandy's favorite obsession - drumming bees - swarms and bait hives, skep hives, the 24/7 hu…

Today’s guest is a passionate educator, bee removal expert, and bee priestess. Since 2012, Beelieve Hawaii’s founder Jasmine Joy has been sharing her love and compassion for bees and pollinators through saving bee colonies from extermination, developing habitat restoration, and creating a sacred space for children to come and learn and explore the …

Mandy has been sitting on this recording since September 2018. She was worried about the quality of the audio, so she locked it away in the vault… Until now. This was the 3rd interview that she ever recorded for the show and needless to say it was (and still is) a very very big deal. Mandy had the opportunity to spend some time with our guest in he…

Mandy met today’s guest last September at a seminar taught by Tom Seeley. He had built a bee catching box, much like the one described in Dr. Seeley’s book, Following the Wild Bees. They got to talking and she ended up inviting him to come and speak to Portland Urban Beekeepers about his experience using Seeley’s methods for finding wild (and kept …

This episode is a 30 minute recording taken from inside of one of Mandy's hives. It can be used during meditation, as white noise, or to listen to as you fall asleep... Or to scare your friends who aren't so keen on bees. Your choice! Become a patron! Visit Mandy's patron page! Follow Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube Cov…

This interview was months in the making. Mandy made her first request for an interview via Instagram while at a cocktail party… let’s just say she was feeling courageous. She officially booked it in February and then recorded it from her apiary on May 6th. On the day of the interview, she was minutes away from receiving the guests phone call when a…

In this mini episode, Mandy shares the latest stories of her beekeeping adventures. Become a patron! Visit Mandy's patron page! Follow Beekeeper Confidential on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube Cover Art by Meggyn PomerleauBy Mandy Shaw

This interview was recorded just a couple weeks ago, right before swarm season kicked off. Mandy was sitting in her studio anxiously staring out the window at her beehives while she waited for Sam's phone call. Once the phone rang, Mandy completely forgot about feeling sorry for her swarmless self and fell deep into a conversation about drumming hi…