So much is happening it is hard to keep it all straight. Rather than posts on multiple social groups, better to lay it out here. To make it into smaller bites, I’ll be writing weekly updates. If you share your email, we’ll figure out a way to send you updates – like a newsletter. Hopefully you will join us in this adventure.
Welcome friends from the Treatment-Free Beekeepers facebook group. Special thanks to Michael Cox, co-founder for an encouraging conversation. He felt the idea of wildspread beehouses to give wild bees places to live (and the idea of a wide ranging study) were a great way for average people to get involved. Also welcome to the Layens Hive Treatment-Free Beekeeping facebook group. Great to have you join in.
Last week I heard back from Dr. Thomas D. Seeley, Cornell University. He has been very encouraging, perhaps in part because, in an interesting coincidence, the Ez-Bees beehouse happens to almost exactly match the insulation, volume and rough interior of wild bee tree hives.
You may have seen the Bee Audacious conference. Had a wonderful chat with Bonnie Morse who organized it. She connected me with Dr. Michael Smith at Auburn. Also had a long conversation with Dr. Marla Spivak, U of Minn. We’re working on a way for average people to put up beehouses, let us know if bees move in, update survival through next year and see if they can harvest some surplus honey. I’m working with Gene Rene’, a professional photographer who hosts a popular video channel and already has a beekeeping course on adapting it to help non-beekeepers know what to do with the beehouses.
Enough for now… feel free to write
John@Ez-Bees.com