Organic Beekeeping
Jakob Warner is a beekeeper and permaculture consultant based in Missoula, Montana. He grew up working with bees and started his own side business, Sapphire Apiaries, which focuses on organic, natural and traditional beekeeping practices. He also offers consulting services for permaculture design and earthworks.
Warner emphasizes the importance of using a smoker when working with bees, even if it may not always be necessary. He suggests using burlap as a smoker fuel since it is natural, easily accessible and easy to light. When working with bees, Warner advises standing to the side of the hive to avoid blocking their entrance and minimizing the time spent in front of the hive.
Warner discusses the issues related to harvesting honey from hives and stresses that beekeepers need to be careful not to take too much honey away from the hive, especially in the first year of a new hive's life. He also talks about the importance of understanding the blooms of the flowers in the area and the brood cycles of honeybees. Warner believes that without certain plants, such as leafy spurge, honeybees would not survive in western Montana.
Video Summary:
- Jakob Warner is a beekeeper and permaculture consultant based in Missoula, Montana
- He started Sapphire Apiaries, which focuses on organic, natural and traditional beekeeping practices
- Warner emphasizes the importance of using a smoker when working with bees, even if it may not always be necessary
- He suggests using burlap as a smoker fuel since it is natural, easily accessible and easy to light
- Warner advises standing to the side of the hive to avoid blocking the entrance and minimizing the time spent in front of the hive
- Beekeepers need to be careful not to take too much honey away from the hive, especially in the first year of a new hive's life
- Understanding the blooms of the flowers in the area and the brood cycles of honeybees is important
- Certain plants, such as leafy spurge, are essential for honeybees to survive in western Montana.