The Buzz about Bees with Amelia Mraz & Natasha Pham from Half Mad Honey
This episode of Gritty and Green, it’s a deep dive into bees both the wild and the domesticated varieties! Host Meredith Nutting is joined by Amelia Mraz and Natasha Pham from Half Mad Honey to learn about mindfulness and honeybees. They do a deep dive on what it is like inside a honeybee hive and then talk about how to save our native wild bees.
To learn more about Half Mad Honey go to: https://www.halfmadhoney.com/
More information about wild bees:
https://extension.psu.edu/conserving-wild-bees-in-pennsylvania
https://www.phillyorchards.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/UF023-Conserve-WIld-Bees.pdf
For information about what native plants to grow for our wild bees head to: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/
And here’s a cheat sheet of what to grow in your container garden”
https://hgnp.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/HNP-CONTAINER-GDN-L.2_8.5s.pdf
More information about growing, harvesting, and preserving herbs: https://extension.psu.edu/growing-harvesting-and-preserving-herbs
If you want more information about local sustainability go to https://www.greenphl.org
EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION
Nat Sound: Buzzing beehive
MEREDITH: THIS SOUND IS CREATED BY 80,000 EUROPEAN HONEYBEES EACH FLAPPING THEIR WINGS 230 TIMES PER SECOND.
IT CAN BE QUITE INTENSE WHEN YOU’RE OPENING UP A BEEHIVE ON YOUR ROOF AS I DID MANY TIMES WHEN I KEPT BEES.
THE ANXIETY AND FEAR OF DISTURBING A COLONY OF BEES WAS SOMETHING I NEVER TRULY GOT OVER
BUT THE COMPLETE AWE I FELT AS I LEARNED MORE AND MORE ABOUT THESE LITTLE CREATURES WAS SIMPLY BEWITCHING.
Gritty and Green Theme Music
MEREDITH: THIS IS GRITTY AND GREEN AND I’M YOUR HOST MEREDITH NUTTING. TODAY WE’RE GETTING BUSY LEARNING ABOUT BEES. WE’RE GOING TO EXPLORE THE WORLD OF OUR NATIVE FLOWER VISITING FRIENDS BUT FIRST WE’RE GETTING INTO THE STICKY BUSINESS OF BEES THAT MAKE LIQUID GOLD WITH THE FOLKS AT HALF MAD HONEY. AND OF COURSE I’LL ANSWER SOME OF YOUR GARDEN QUESTIONS BUT FIRST A LITTLE PRIMER ON THE ONLY DOMESTICATED INSECT THAT FEEDS US – THE EUROPEAN HONEYBEE! SO LET’S GET GROWING!
WHEN YOU HEAR THE PLEA ABOUT SAVING THE BEES YOU THINK OF THE HONEYBEE. BUT OUT OF THE 20,000 SPECIES OF BEES WORLDWIDE, LESS THAN 800 PRODUCE HONEY.
MOST BEES ARE ACTUALLY SOLITARY. THEY EAT NECTAR BUT DON’T STORE THE DELICIOUS SWEET LIQUID GOLD THAT WE DRIZZLE WITH EASE INTO OUR TEA. BUT THE WESTERN HONEY BEE – APIS MELLIFERA – NATIVE TO AFRICA, EUROPE AND ASIA CREATE COLONIES THAT WORK TOGETHER AS A SUPERORGANISM.
SUPERORGANISMS ARE A COMMUNITY OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ACT AS A WHOLE. MUCH LIKE THE CELLS OF OUR BODIES WORK TO KEEP US ALIVE. ANTS, CORAL AND INDEED HONEYBEES WORK TOGETHER TO KEEP THEIR COLONY ALIVE. EACH INDIVIDUAL IN A SUPERORGANISM TAKES ON A DIFFERENT ROLE. A HONEYBEE HIVE IS COMPRISED OF WORKERS, DRONES AND THE QUEEN BEE.
THE MAJORITY OF THE COLONY – ABOUT 80,000 BEES – IS MADE UP OF WORKER BEES. THEY ARE THE HONEYBEES YOU WILL SEE FLYING FROM FLOWER TO FLOWER.
THEY ARE ALL FEMALE THOUGH THEY AREN’T RESPONSIBLE FOR REPRODUCTION. THEY’RE ALSO THE SMALLEST BEES IN THE HIVE MAKING THEM THE MOST EFFECTIVE AT FLYING. THAT COMES IN HANDY WHEN GATHERING POLLEN WHICH THEY COLLECT IN LITTLE STRUCTURES CALLED POLLEN BASKETS ON THEIR LEGS. IN FACT THEY CAN CARRY ABOUT 35% OF THEIR BODY WEIGHT IN POLLEN!
THE WORKER BEES ARE AMAZING COMMUNICATORS USING INTRICATE MOVEMENTS CALLED WAGGLE DANCES TO TELL HER SISTERS WHERE THE BEST FORAGING CAN BE FOUND. AND IF ANYONE GETS IN HER WAY, SHE USES HER STINGER TO DEFEND HERSELF – UNFORTUNATELY THAT STINGER IS BARBED SO WHEN IT PIERCES SKIN OF HER ENEMY IT STAYS IN AND RIPS OUT OF HER BODY KILLING HER IN THE PROCESS.
FORTUNATELY FOR US GARDENERS, FORAGING BEES RARELY STING. BUT FORAGING IS JUST ONE OF THEIR JOBS IN THE HIVE. OVER COURSE OF THEIR SIX WEEK LONG LIFE THEY ARE ALSO RESPONISIBLE FOR CARING FOR THE BABY BEES, REMOVING THE DEAD BEES, BUIDLING THE COMB, CLEANING, CONTROLING THE TEMPERATURE, GUARDING THE HIVE AND ATTENDING TO THE QUEEN. THEY KEEP THE HIVE ALIVE.
THEN THERE ARE THE MALES – THE DRONES. THEY ARE BIGGER AND STOCKIER THAN THE WORKER BEES WITH NO STINGER. A HEALTHY HIVE ONLY HAS ABOUT 200 DRONES IN PEAK SEASON. THEY DON’T FORAGE OR DEFEND THE HIVE -- IN FACT THEY ARE EVEN FED BY THE WORKER BEES. THEIR ONLY JOB IS FLY OUT OF THE HIVE AND HOPE TO MATE WITH THE QUEEN BEE. EVERY HONEY BEE COLONY HAS A SINGLE QUEEN BEE. WITHOUT HER THE HIVE WILL DIE FOR SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXISTANCE OF EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF BEES IN THE COLONY.
SHE CAN LAY UP TO 2,000 EGGS A DAY AND IN HER LIFE TIME, WHICH IS TYPICALLY 2-3 YEARS, SHE WILL HAVE MILLIONS OF DESCENDENTS. THE QUEEN IS NOTICIBLE BECAUSE OF HER LARGER SIZE AND LONG NARROW ABDOMEN. SHE ALSO HAS A LONG SMOOTH STINGER TO DEFEND HERSELF OVER AND OVER AGAIN. WITHOUT ANY OF THESE – THE QUEEN, THE WORKER, AND I GUESS THE DRONES – A COLONY WILL FAIL. TOGETHER THESE BEES FORM A COLONY AROUND ROWS AND ROWS OF WAX COMB. THEY USE THIS COMB AS NURSERY FOR BABY BEES AND TO STORE NECTAR AND POLLEN IN THE WINTER WHEN THEY FLOWERS THEY FEED FROM ARE SCARCE.
THEIR WAX COMBS FILL WITH NECTAR THAT STARTS TO BREAK DOWN WITH HELP FROM THE BEE’S DIGESTIVE ENZYMES. OVER WEEKS THE BEES FAN THE NECTAR TO EVAPORATE THE WATER TURNING IT INTO HONEY.AND THIS IS WHAT HAS TURNED THEM FROM A WILD BEES INTO A DOMESTICATED ONE.
SOMEWHERE AROUND 10,000 YEARS AGO PEOPLE STARTED THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH BEES BY KEEPING THEM IN OLD LOGS AND CERAMIC VESSLES AND EVENTUALLY IN THE WOODEN HIVES WE HAVE TODAY.
TYPICALLY, THESE ARE STACKABLE WOODEN BOXES WITH WOODEN FRAMES WITHIN WHICH THE BEES MAKE THEIR WAX COMB. THIS STRUCTURE ALLOWS BEEKEEPERS TO MONITOR THE POPULATION AND HEALTH OF THE COLONY AS WELL AS HARVEST THE HONEY WITH MINIMAL DISTURBANCE TO THE BEES THEMSELVES.
OVER TIME SELECTING FOR DESIRED TRAITS SUCH AS A CALM TEMPERMENT AND HEAVY HONEY PRODUCTION LED TO RACES OF BEES – MUCH LIKE BREEDS OF DOGS. THE MOST POPULAR IN THE US IS THE ITALIAN.
THERE ARE OVER 200,000 BEEKEEPERS IN THE US AND THOUGH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEM ARE SMALL HOBBY APIARIES, BEEKEEPING IS A 4.74 BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS. THE INDUSTRY COMES NOT ONLY FROM HONEY BUT FROM POLLINATION SERVICES.
THE NUMBER OF HIVES WAXES AND WANES WITH DEMAND OF THE INDUSTRY. DURING WWII THE NUMBERS WENT UP WHEN HONEY BECAME THE SUBSTITUTE FOR IMPORTED SUGAR. AND NOW THE BUISNESS OF KEEPING BEES IS DRIVEN BY THE POLLINATION SERVICES FOR THE CALIFONIA ALMOND INDUSTRY.
HIVES ARE TRUCKED IN FROM ORCHARD TO ORCHARD TO POLLINATE THE CROPS IN SEASON. WHILE THIS INCREASES THE PRODUCTION OF THE ORCHARS IT’S HARD ON THE BEES. THEIR SEASONAL CYCLES ARE DISRUPTED AS THEY FORAGE CONTINUOUSLY. MOVING HIVES IS STRESSFUL ON THE BEES AND INCREASES THEIR SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASE AND PARASITES.
OF COURSE THEN THERE ARE THE SMALL APIARIES, THOSE WITH LESS THAN 500 COLONIES MANY OF WHICH HAVE FEWER THAN 25 HIVES. IN FACT FOLKS WITH SMALL SCALE APIARIES MAKE UP 90% OF THE BEEKEEPERS IN THE UNITED STATES. THEIR BEES STAY PUT AND RELY ON THE LOCAL FLOWERS IN BLOOM TO FORAGE FROM AND DEPENDING ON THE CLIMATE THEY HAVE CYCLES OF NECTAR FLOWS AND DEARTHS. URBAN BEEKEEPINGS IS GROWING IN POPULARITY WITH ALMOST 500 HIVES IN PHILADELHPIA. MY TWO HIVES WERE PART OF THAT GROWING NUMBER UNTIL PREGNANCY KEPT ME FROM SCALING MY ROOF TO REGULARLY PERFORM HIVE CHECKS. I STILL MISS THEM SO I WAS ESPECIALLY EXCITED TO “BEE” NERDY WITH SOME CURRENT BEEKEEPERS. I GOT SIT DOWN WITH AMELIA MRAZ AND NATASHA PHAN FROM HALF MAD HONEY TO HEAR HOW THEY GOT STARTED AND GREW A BUSINESS AROUND BUSY BEES.
Amelia: I'm a master of public health and social behavioral sciences and health communication.
I was taking psychology classes, trying to complete my undergrad at Temple University. And I was honestly just really bored of lectures. So I spontaneously signed up for a beekeeping course there. And I was really scared of bees, actually,
MEREDITH: BEING SCARED OF BEES IS NOT UNUSUAL. EVEN FOR FOLKS THAT DON’T HAVE FULL ON APIOPHOBIA – A DEBILITATING FEAR OF BEES – THE BUZZING SOUND OF A YELLOW AND BLACK FLYING INSECT IS SOMETHING THAT MAKES MOST PEOPLE PERK UP. IT'S NOT AN INATE FEAR THOUGH. IT’S A LEARNED BEHAVOIR – EITHER PASSED DOWN FROM OTHERS OR BECAUSE OF AN EXPERIENCE LIKE GETTING STUNG. OR MAYBE WATCHING THE 1991 CLASSIC FILM “MY GIRL” TOO MUCH AS A CHILD. IN REALITY HONEYBEES RARELY STING PEOPLE WHO AREN’T DIGGING AROUND IN THEIR HIVES AND OUT OF THOSE STINGS ONLY 1% CAUSE ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK.
Amelia: I originally was not comfortable with it, but I was I was at a really low point in my mental health and I was looking for something different, something that would at the same time push my comfort zone. And also I was really just the thought of being in nature and not being in the classroom really spoke to me.
The first time I opened the hive with my beekeeping mentor, Ben Solorio, and I was like, always remember, I was a little bit out of distance and I didn't actually hold the frames that much. I was still a little bit nervous. It wasn't until I got my own hive and I opened it up, um, that there the buzzing just really takes over.
Nat sound - buzzing
It's a very like sensory experience, but, um, yeah, I was terrified. It was really scary.
Nat sound - buzzing
Natasha: The first time I was with her, and I have no idea what a beehive is. I've never seen one. And then they were just square boxes because I imagine them to be the little poop emoji basket
MEREDITH: THAT’S NATASHA PHAN THE OTHER HALF OF HALF MAD HONEY BUT AT THE TIME SHE WAS A CHEF ON A DATING SITE. AND HER DESCRIPTION OF THE BEEHIVE AS A POOP EMOJI ISN’T A BAD ONE. STARTING AROUND 2,400 YEARS AGO PEOPLE USED UPSIDEDOWN BASKETS CALLED SKEPS TO KEEP BEES UNTIL THE MODERN DAY BOX HIVES WERE INVENTED. THE BEES WOULD MAKE THEIR COMBS IN THE BASKET AND AT THE END OF THE SEASON THE KEEPERS WOULD USUALLY SUFFOCATE THEM TO DEATH TO COLLECT THE HONEY. THE MODERN DAY HIVES, ALTHOUGH NOT SO BESPOKENLY CUTE, ALLOW BEEKEEPERS TO REMOVE THE COMB TO CHECK ON THE HEALTH OF THE HIVE AND COLLECT HONEY WITHOUT A MASSACRE. BUT BACK TO NATASHA --
Natasha: She said that she was a beekeeper and online dating site, so I was very curious. I've never met a beekeeper before and she never met a chef before, so we were both enthralled with each other's careers
MEREDITH: PRETTY SOON AMELIA WAS INTRODUCING NATASHA TO HER HIVES.
Natasha: I think that was like our third date. And she lent me the suit and I told her that if I like it after three times, then I will buy my own suit.
Amelia: Yeah, that was the deal
Natasha: because I was terrified.
Nat sound
Natasha: I was just overwhelmed with the information that she was telling me and seeing that many bees and hearing the buzzing and then having to find one bee in the frame in a whole box of bees. But we have to find her. She's the queen and she's the biggest and constantly and finding drones. So it took many, many time to finally actually see a queen. And then from now on, from then on, I can spot a queen like a mile away. It's my thing now. I find queens everywhere.
Amelia: She's really good at it. She is.
Natasha: and I ended up buying a bee suit later and getting involved with it.
MEREDITH: IT’S A CLASSIC LOVE STORY. GIRL MEETS GIRL. GIRL FALLS IN LOVE WITH GIRL. GIRL BECOMES A BEEKEEPER. AND SOON CAME HALF MAD HONEY
Amelia: So Half Mad Honey, was born out of that personal experience for myself that I wanted to share the connection and with nature, um, and the calming effects of being around bees with others. So Half Mad Half were not fully mad, were just a little crazy. All the girls are a little bit right, But it's actually a nod to something called the Mad Pride Movement,
MEREDITH: THE MAD PRIDE MOVEMENT STARTED IN TORONTO CANADA IN 1993 AND QUICKLY SPREAD. THE MOVEMENT AIMED TO DESTIGMATIZE MENTAL ILLNESS AND TAKE BACK THE WORD “MAD”.
Amelia: And it was really just folks with mental health experiences coming together and saying we need better quality care. Um, and this is something that should not be stigmatized, right? Like, this is a naturally human experience. So half Mad Honey is a nod to just creating safe spaces for folks with mental health experiences just be themselves. So that's where the name came from and partially our mission call.
Natasha: During COVID, we purchased a couple more hives and bees split naturally in the spring. So our hives grew from 2 to 10.
MEREDITH: HONEYBEES ARE CLASSIFIED AS LIVESTOCK AND HAVE BEEN LEGAL TO KEEP IN PHILADELPHIA SINCE 1994. BEEKEEPERS HAVE TO REGISTER THEIR HIVES WITH THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. INSPECTORS VISIT APIARIES TO MONITOR DISEASES AND EDUCATE BEEKEEPERS ON HOW TO PREVENT ILLNESS AND TREAT INFECTED HIVES. IT'S WILD TO SEE HONEYBEES BUZZING AROUND MY LAVENDER AND THINKING OF THEM AS FREE ROAMING LIVESTOCK IN THE CITY.
Natasha: We are an urban farmer. And urban farming to us is, Not necessarily making money off of honey or pollination is more about education.
Amelia: Mhm. Yeah, I like we want people to know that you don't have to, like, drive out hours to a farm in the country to get the experience of beekeeping. we have different workshops and activities. We do Mindful Hive tours, we're going to do meditations with the bees, we do yoga and bees with our acts that we really love collaborating with other community members. So we’re all just about doing different activities with the bees.
MEREDITH: IT’S INTERESTING THAT SOMETHING THAT CAN CREATE SO MUCH ANXIETY IS ALSO THE INSPIRATION FOR SO MANY MEDITATIONS AND MINDFULNESS TECHNIQUES. TAKE BHRAMARI PRANAYAM OR BEE BREATH IN SOME YOGA PRACTICES. IT INVOLVES SITTING COMFORTABLY WHILE BREATHING SLOWLY AND DEEPLY THROUGH THE NOSE WHILE CLOSING YOUR EARS WITH YOUR FINGERS. ON IN EXHALE YOU PRODUCE A HUMING SOUND STRICTLY THROUGH THE NASAL AIRWAYS. IT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO LOWER HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE, IMPROVE COGNITION AND REDUCE STRESS AMONG OTHER BENEFITS. THAT’S THE POWER OF BREATH AND VIBRATION. THE POWER FOUND IN THE VIBRATION OF BEES HAS ALSO CREATED OTHER RELAXATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS APITHERAPY IN SLOVANIA WHERE PATIENTS LIE IN BEDS ON TOP OF BEEHIVES AND BREATH BEEHIVE AIR.
Amelia: So we bring mindfulness into this. part of beekeeping and part of mindfulness is really being aware on purpose without judgment. So we see beekeeping is also a vehicle for, um, reducing stress, but also for like social emotional learning as well. just being aware of your body where the bees are observing what's happening in the hive. Um, and when you're in the apiary and there's a lot of like anecdotal evidence through other beekeepers, but it's really hard to just focus on anything else when you're in that theory, right?
So it just like, really gives you that safe space to just be in the present and practice mindfulness. And we know that in itself has positive mental health benefits like stress reduction, reducing anxiety, as well as other physical benefits too.
MEREDITH: ANY VISITORS TO THE HIVES GO THROUGH A GROUNDING EXERCISE AT THE BEGINNING TO CALM ANY NERVES. EVEN IF YOU DON’T FEEL OUTWARDLY ANXIOUS OUR BODY HAS A WAY OF TELLING ON US BY RELEASING CHEMICALS CALLED PHEREMONES. BEES CAN DETECT THESE AND REACT – ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PHEROMONES ARE LINKED TO STRESSORS LIKE HUNGER OR AGGRESSION – AND THIS PUTS GUARD BEES ON HIGH ALERT.
Amelia: when you're stressed out or a sympathetic nervous system is activated. We're ready to fight the bear in the forest, even if it's like just like we're annoyed about the person in traffic in front of us or thinking about like all the grocery shopping we have to do.
Like it can still activate or sympathetic nervous system, right? Similar to fight or flight or stress. and bees picking up on that allows us to take the time to ground ourselves to regulate that breath, which helps regulate our blood flow, which helps activate or calming response, which is the parasympathetic nervous system. So we see these as an opportunity for us to practice, to stress tolerance, getting to that stress point and then calming ourselves down so which we can use anywhere in life.
Meredith: What kind of response have you had from folks for you? We talked a little bit about people being, you know, afraid, but
Amelia: yeah, that's one of my favorites. We would have like girls bring their boyfriend's super like buff, really big dudes. I'm five time. We were like six five did not tell them where they were going. Total surprise. And they come and they're just like, freaked out. I'm like, Can you live, froze or can you, like, lift the bees? Really? No, no, no, no, no. By the end, holding a frame, smiling, so excited. So there's fear, but there's always like a fear added to a transition. Um, people love it. Like, it's so much fun. Even if they come in, they're scary. Most people end up having a great time.
Natasha: We're only a few people in this area and it allows you to put on a suit and we know a few beekeepers, but that's about it for, you know, for all the millions of people who are curious, we only do ten people a tour, you know, like twice a weekend. you know, people have never had this experience. So there's a great opportunity for the city. You don't have to drive out to Lancaster. And we're trying to overcome fear with the bees. And more than just, you know, the stress tolerance, but just acceptance and familiar race,
Amelia: you know, shifting perspective. And, you know, when you learn something more about something, the appreciation, it's not as scary as you thought it was.
Natasha: Yeah, it's always a educational experience and they learn so much and then they get to eat the honey and, you know, then they understand how it's made and why it's crucial. And, you know, we only have a certain quantity. So they see like, you know, one B makes one drop throughout her life of six weeks. So they appreciate what raw local honey is
MEREDITH: LET’S JUST BREAK THIS DOWN A LITTLE BIT. LET’S SAY A HIVE IS AT ITS PEAK POPULATION FOR THE SEASON AND HAS ABOUT 80,000 BEES. ABOUT A THIRD OF THOSE ARE FORAGERS. SOME OF THOSE BEES GET WATER, SOME GET POLLEN, SOME GET PLANT RESIN AND SOME GET NECTAR. NECTAR IS THE KEY TO HONEY. A SINGLE NECTAR FORAGER WILL LEAVE HER HIVE, FLYING UP TO 3 MILES LOOKING FOR FLOWERS. SHE’LL VISIT 50-100 FLOWERS ON A SINGLE TRIP COLLECTING NECTAR AND DEPOSITING IT BACK IN THE HIVE. SHE’LL DO THIS AROUND 12 TIMES DURING THE DAY. IN HER LIFETIME – ABOUT 6 WEEKS – SHE’LL HAVE CREATED 1/12 OF A TEASPOON OF HONEY. IT TAKES OVER 500 BEES TO MAKE 1 POUND OF HONEY. SO THINK OF THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU DRIZZLE SOME OF THE LIQUID GOLD SWEETNESS ON YOUR OATMEAL. BEES ARE THE ONLY INSECT THAT PRODUCE FOOD FOR PEOPLE AND GETTING IT LOCAL JUST INHANCES THAT CONNECTION WITH NATURE THROUGH ONE MORE SENSE – TASTE.
Natasha: when you go straight out of the hive, the wax is at a perfect melting point, and the honey is flows right through your tongue.
Amelia: So I was just going to say, if you've ever wondered what sunshine and rainbows and spring and time tasted like, that's exactly what honey straight from the hive is like. And I feel like you can taste some of that vibration, that vibrational energy from it as well.
Natasha: and every season it's different depending on the blue. So every time we have a honey tasting, it's different for us. And we take it from different hives. You go with different locations and then whatever is available that year is last year. So the honey tasting is very interesting to see the variety of honey around that we are we are shocked at the flavor every time to
MEREDITH: THE FLAVOR OF THE HONEY IS VERY DEPENDANT ON WHAT IS IN BLOOM. THE EARLY SPRING CLOVER HONEY IS A GOLDEN YELLOW WITH A LIGHT SWEET TASTE. LATER IN THE SUMMER WHEN ENGLISH IVY IS IN BLOOM THE HONEY IS A DEEP ALMOST BROWN AND CARAMEL IN FLAVOR. IF YOU’RE TASTING LOCAL HONEY YOU’RE TASTING THE NATURAL SEASONAL CHANGES IN YOUR AREA. AND IT’S NOT JUST THE HONEY.
Natasha: And then the other, the color of the pollens and we get like vibrant blue neon yellows, you get orange is green reds. So whatever is around and you'll see if it's more orange or more red depending on the season.
MEREDITH: OBVIOUSLY THE BEES AREN’T GATHERING ALL THIS FOR OUR CONSUMPTION IT’S FOR REALLY FOR THEM.
Amelia: Nectar sugar source. Comes from the flower. Pollen also if you want to be more specific -
Natasha: is a cheeseburger. Nectar is your milkshake. And who doesn't love cheeseburger and milkshake?
MEREDITH: BEES NEED BOTH CARBOHYDRATES AND PROTEIN TO SURVIVE. THE NECTAR THEY DRINK AND THE HONEY THEY STORE PROVIDE THE CARBOHYDRATES. THE POLLEN GIVES THEM PROTEIN AS WELL AS VITAL NUTRIENTS. BEES ALSO PRODUCE SOMETHING CALLED ROYAL JELLY WHICH IS A MILKY SUBSTANCE RICH IN CARBOHYDRATES, PROTEIN, AMINO AND FATTY ACIDS, VITAMINS AND MINERALS. IT’S WHAT WORKER BEES FEED TO THE LARVA AND – THIS IS WILD – IT WILL TURN THEM INTO QUEEN BEES. ROYAL JELLY HAS BECOME POPULAR AS AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTI-OXIDENT.
OF COURSE, BEES ALSO PRODUCE WAX. THAT’S WHAT THEY MAKE THEIR COMBS OUT OF. IT’S OBVIOUSLY USED FOR CANDLES AND OTHER HOME GOODS BUT DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN EAT IT? YOU DON’T’WANT OT EAT ENOUGH TO PLUG UP YOUR INTESTINES BUT IT MAY BE BENEFICIAL TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL, PREVENT INFECTION AND PREVENT ULCERS CAUSED BY NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS. AND THEN THERE’S THE PROPOLIS.
Amelia: And the propolis is mostly resin. It's collected from sap, from needle trees, and it's bee glue. They basically like antibacterial caulking. So any little crack in the hive, they're going to seal it up and it's super strong like any fungal antibacterial. So propolis is really used to keep the hive healthy, so and we can use it for many things as well as humans. So it's it's personally my favorite product. I love it. Egyptians used to use it to embalm mummies, so it's like it's been used for a while.
MEREDITH: KEEPING BEES, AN INSECT THAT SPENDS ITS LIFE GATHERING FOOD FROM FLOWERS IN A CITY FILLED WITH MORE PAVEMENT THAN PLANTS MAY SEEM A BIT CRUEL.
Amelia: And I think there are a lot of misconceptions about urban beekeeping and like the life and health of the honeybee in the urban areas. Right? So one thing actually. So we're at the Navy Yard, which is actually an accredited arboretum. So a lot of people don't know, but there is a lot of biodiversity in Philadelphia with plants, right? So if you go out to a very rural area, you might have not a lot of biodiversity. We call that like monoculture. You might have like one or two types of plant sources. So in terms of flowers being what bees eat, a lot of their food pollen nectar comes from that. The city provides a lot of like diverse food for them. And you think about it like, is that human? You're like, Hmm, eating like a carrot is good for you, but eating like carrots every day, only eating carrots probably not the best thing. So like humans, we need you also need a diverse amount of flowers, different food. So that's one benefit. And a big misconception about the city is that there are a lot of like plant sources for the bees.
MEREDITH: STRANGELY STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT CITY BEES ARE ALSO MORE PROTECTED FROM PESTICIDES THAN THE COUNTRY BEES.
Amelia: agricultural practices do use a lot of like pesticides and herbicides if you're a farmer.
Natasha: Yeah, right. A neighbor is not going to spray her rose bushes or, you know, or cherry trees. So it's actually a lot safer for the bees in the city. Mm. No one use pesticide.
MEREDITH: OF COURSE THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT KEEPING BEES IN THE CITY IS EASY AND THAT BEES – EVEN HONEY BEES DON’T NEED OUR HELP. THE MORE BEEHIVES THERE ARE THE GREATER THE CHANCE OF DISEASES SPREADING FROM HIVE TO HIVE. MANY DISEASES CAN WIPE OUT AN ENTIRE COLONY IN A SINGLE SEASON.
Amelia: If you're like in a rural area with bees, it's less likely that you have somebody closer to you with bees. But in the city in Philly, we actually do have a lot of beekeepers, so it's kind of like coop it. If anybody gets sick, you do have to watch out like that could spread to other beekeeper's hives. Um, so just being aware of that in more populated area. But other barriers for beekeeping in the city is
Natasha: Uber and Lyft. Who's going to drive? Who's going to drive this back and forth?
MEREDITH: THEY LAUGH BUT IT’S A FAIR POINT. AS A BEEKEEPER YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU’RE GOING TO MOVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BEES FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
Natasha: transportation is one of the thing in the city where you need to have a reliable source that can transport beehives. Like we went to get a high above somebodys roof, you know, like, that was crazy. Going down a spiral staircase carrying a £100 frame. I was like, I wanted to kill myself. Never again. But we get freebies off a roof. It's never off. And she was like, It's it's free. And they're very active. We're like, That's wonderful. That's we're all going to die. And we wanted that house to stay in the rooms for like 30 minutes and waited for us to weep as we probably heard, like yelling down the street.
So that that was really fun in the city to have a hive. Right. And you wouldn't be able to get anybody else to do that. You know, they have to have the be sue, They have to have experience. So maybe if you were a farming company, you're like heart, like harvest bees, you know, moving a hive for them. They have all the equipment and the guys and the staff for it. But we're just two little women driving an SUV carrying hundreds of pounds of bees.
MEREDITH: RESCUING SWARMING BEES FROM NOT SO IDEAL PLACES IS A WIN FOR THE HOMEOWNERS, THE BEES AND THE BEEKEEPERS. IT’S A PRETTY TOUGH JOB BUT WORKING WITH A SWARM OF BEES IS SURPRISING NOT AS SCARY AS YOU’D THINK.
Amelia: It is kind of scary to see like a crazy amount of like maybe 80,000 bees all going around in the sky. And they're usually pretty loud when they're getting ready to swarm. So it can be pretty scary. And people think they're going to sting you, but that is like a major misconception. But that's actually the most docile state. So it's really just bees looking for a new home. It's just a very natural like birds and the bees in the spring looking for a new home.
Meredith: What should people do if they do see a swarm of bees?
Amelia: Just let them do their thing. I mean, they might be active left on land. Call local beekeeper to have them. Don't spray them, don't exterminate them again. They're very docile. So actually before before they leave the gorge on a bunch of honey. So it's kind of like picturing a whole group of people being really fat and really tired. They just, like, use a bunch of energy, so they're the least likely to sting you and they actually starve their queen before they leave. So she loses weight. So she's a better flier, which is like very rare. They can eat all they want. But she but the point is, a lot goes into them finding a new home. And that is what they're focused on and they are not focused on us. So swarms are very, very gentle. It's nothing to be scared of. Let them land, take a picture, enjoy it. Call your local beekeeper to have them removed. Don't exterminate, relocate.
MEREDITH: A BOX OF BEES TO START A HIVE CAN RUN ABOUT $300 AND TAKE AWHILE TO GET UP AND RUNNING. MANY BEEKEEPERS ARE HAPPY TO TAKE THE FREE BEES. OF COURSE YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE SWARMING BEES IN YOUR ATTIC TO HELP OUT YOUR LOCAL BEEKEEPER.
Amelia: Supporting our local apiary beekeepers, you're supporting your local bees. So people often go to a grocery store, go to Whole Foods, you see a label, USDA, grade-A Organic honey, and you think like, this is the good honey. Honey is one of the most faked foods in the world, one of the most faked foods. So oftentimes not even grade-A honey, you could look at it and it might be from a different country. And even if it's that, it might be like grade-A, honey, it might not be actually truly real raw honey.
MEREDITH: HONEY IS THE THIRD MOST FAKED FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES AFTER OLIVE OIL AND MILK. 70% OF THAT HONEY COMES FROM OVERSEAS AND LONG SUPPLY CHAINS. EACH OF THOSE LINKS IN THE CHAIN ALLOW OPPOUTUNITIES FOR THE HONEY TO BE FILTERED OR HEATED OR MIXED WITH OTHER SWEETENERS LIKE HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS LITTLE REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT. NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW MUCH HONEY ON GROCERY STORE SHELVES IS FAKE. SOME SAY 15% SOME SAY 70%. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S NOT GOING TO BE FAKE? HONEY FROM YOUR LOCAL APIARY. IT’S GOING TO BE PURE HONEY AND OFTEN RAW.
Amelia: honey also is a prebiotic when it's raw as well. Which foods are natural gut bacteria. So a lot of like store bought honey is just not going to give you those same like nutritional values It’s often heated. Honey is often large corporations that have a lot of beehives. When they harvest honey, they might heat it to make it easier to harvest. And that's going to do it and take out a lot of the beneficial in the oxidants, polyphenols, all that good stuff. Um, also the other thing I was gonna say yeah,
Natasha: Also - Allergies!
Amelia: that's what I forgot! Thank you!
MEREDITH: 81 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE SEASONAL ALLERGIES CAUSED BY POLLEN. THAT NUMBER HAS SEEMINGLY BEEN INCREASING DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. IN PEOPLE ALLERGIC TO POLLEN THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS MISTAKENLY IDENTIFY POLLEN AS A HARMFUL SUBSTANCE AND TRIGGERS A REACTION TO RELEASE A CHEMICAL CALLED HISTAMINE TO FIGHT IT OFF.
Amelia: 50 - five zero is local. If you talk about local, honey, it's local to a 50 mile radius of where you live. So local honey really does help with your allergies.
MEREDITH: THOUGH ANECDOTALLY EATING LOCAL HONEY HAS A POSITIVE AFFECT ON ALLERGIES AND A FEW STUDIES HAVE SUPPORTED ITS USE, NOT ENOUGH RESEARCH HAVE BEEN DONE TO SCIENTIFICALLY PROVE THAT LOCAL HONEY CAN ACTUALLY HELP ALLERGIES. BUT I CAN THINK OF MUCH WORSE HOME REMEDIES TO TEST OUT THAN EATING HONEY!
Amelia: And it’s like an allergy shot. When seasonal allergies, we’re allergic to the flowers, the pollen, in the spring, fall right? If you get honey within a 50 mile radius spoonful a day, two weeks is going to build up your immune system to what you're allergic to, which is the pollen. So local honey can also help with allergies. That is one of the benefits.
MEREDITH: WITH ALL THE BENEFITS OF BEEKEEPING – FROM ALL THE PRODUCTS THEY PRODUCE, TO HELPING TO POLLINATE OUR GARDEN VEGETABLES, TO PROVIDING THERAPY BOTH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL – IT’S NO WONDER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KEEPING THEM FOR 10,000 YEARS.
Amelia: It's not just one insect, but it's an entire society, a community of an insect. Um, so we're connecting with nature, but we're also connecting with the community of nature. Um, if that makes sense. And there's, uh, there's, there's so many pieces to that. But for me, beekeeping is really a sensory practice. So we're connecting and really immersing ourselves in the present, in the sensory aspects of the hive, like the textures of the frame, the sounds of the buzzing, the smell of the honey, um, the feeling you can feel the air.
It's like a little thing. And all of the bees with their wings, you can feel the air on your skin. Um, so I think that's, it's just such a visceral sensory connection to nature, um, as well as this, like, intricate e community. Like they found out that bees respond to stimuli and make decisions like a human brain does, but it's just being able, like connecting our humanness to nature and just, you know, really reflecting as humans, like how connected we really are, how part of nature we really are everyday.
MEREDITH: THAT WAS AMELIA MRAZ AND NATASHA PHAN WITH HALF MAD HONEY. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEIR TOURS, COLLABORATIONS GO TO HALF MAD HONEY. COM
AND IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN POSSIBLY BECOMING A BEEKEEPER YOURSELF THEY HAVE AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM TO GIVE YOU SOME VERY IMPORTANT HANDS ON LEARNING ON WHAT IT TAKES TO CARE FOR A HIVE OF YOUR OWN THROUGHOUT THE SEASONS. I’LL PUT SOME ADDITIONAL LINKS IN THE SHOW NOTES.
SO AS MUCH AS I’VE ADORED OBSERVING THESE AMAZING CREATURES – HONEYBEES AREN’T ACTUALLY THE BEES THAT ARE AT RISK. IN FACT, THEY’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM. IN AREAS WITH HIGH DOMESTIC BEE POPULATIONS, WILD BEE POPULATIONS ARE LOW.
IN THE UNITED STATES THERE ARE 4000 SPEICES OF NATIVE BEES AND AT LEAST 437 IN PENNSYLVANIA. UNFORUTNATELY, A STUDY FROM THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ESTIMATES THAT 1 IN FOUR OF THESE NATIVE BEES ARE AT RISK OF EXTINCTION.
THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE THE EUROPEAN HONEYBEE BUT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR POLLINATING 1/3 OF THE FOOD THAT WE EAT HAS SHIFTED FOCUS AWAY FROM THE PLIGHT OF WILD BEES. WHILE THE BEES SHARE SOME THREATS – LIKE PESTICIDES AND ILLNESS – IN THE COMPETITION FOR FOOD, DOMESTIC BEES BEAT OUT WILDBEES. SO LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THESE AMAZING WILD BEES.
ONE OF THE MOST COMMON YOU’LL SEE IN PHILADELPHIA IS THE COMMON EASTERN BUMBLEBEE – BOMBUS IMPATIENS. THEY ARE FUZZY ALL OVER WITH BLACK HEAD AT ABDOMEN (THAT’S A BEE BUTT) AND A YELLOW THORAX – THAT’S THE PART BETWEEN THE HEAD AT THE ABDOMEN. THEY CAN STING BUT THEY RARELY DO.
THEY ARE INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE POLLIATORS WITH FUR ALL OVER THEIR BODIES THAT TRAP POLLEN AND SPREAD IT FROM FLOWER TO FLOWER. IN FACT THEY’RE SO EFFECTIVE THEY’VE ACTUALLY BEEN INTRODUCED TO FARMLANDS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY AND WORLD TO AID IN POLLINATION.
EACH AUTUMN A QUEEN BEE MATES AND THEN OVERWINTERS UNDERGROUND UNTIL THE SPRING WHEN SHE FINDS A NEST SITE – ALSO UNDERGROUND AND LAYS EGGS. SHE THEN SITS ON THEM UNTIL THEY HATCH. THE QUEEN FEEDS THEM POLLEN UNTIL THEY FORM COCOONS AND DEVELOP INTO ADULTS WHEN THEY WILL TAKE OVER THE CARE OF NEW LARVA.
BECAUSE OF THEIR IMPORTANCE TO AGRICULTURE THEIR GENERAL POPULATION ISN’T THREATENED BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF BUMBLE BEES THAT ARE LIKE THE RUSTY PATCHED BUMBLE BEE WITH A BEAUTIFUL REDISH PATCH ON ITS ABDOMEN. IT’S THE ONLY NATIVE BEE PROTECTED UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT IN THE US.
ANOTHER COMMONLY SEEN BEE IN THE PHILADELPHIA AREA IS THE EASTERN CARPENTER BEE – XYLOCOPA VERGINICA. THEY’RE BIGGER THAN BUMBLE BEES WITH A SHINY ABDOMEN.
THEY FEED ON NECTAR FROM A VARIETY OF FLOWERS. THEY ALSO HAVE A UNIQUE TECHNIQUE OF GATHERING POLLEN BY VIBRATING THEIR HEAVY BODIES TO SHAKE THE POLLEN OUT OF FLOWERS. AND BECAUSE THEIR SOMETIMES TOO BIG TO FIT INTO TUBED SHAPED FLOWERS, THEY’LL CUT THE FLOWERS OPEN TO GET THE NECTAR OUT AT THE BASE.
EASTERN CARPENTER BEES CAN BE SOLITARY OR FORM COLONIES IN WOOD. THIS IS PROBALBY WHAT THEY’RE BEST KNOWN FOR -- DESTROYING DECK POSTS AND WOODEN STRUCTURAL PIECES ON HOUSES. WHILE THEY’RE A NUISANCE TO HOMEOWNERS, THEY’RE AN IMPORTANT FOOD SOURCE TO BIRDS AND SMALL MAMMALS. THEN THERE ARE BEES LIKE THE PURE GREEN-SWEAT BEE AUGOCHLORA PURA. THEY’RE TINY AND SHINY AND WHILE THEY EAT NECTAR AND POLLEN THEY ALSO LOVE A GOOD SALT LICK LIKE THAT FOUND IN OUR SWEAT.
THERE ARE ALSO MINING BEES – ANTHOPHORA ABRUPTA -- THAT NEST IN THE GROUND LIKE BUMBLE BEES BUT ARE SMALLER THAN HONEYBEES. THEY ARE SOLITARY, MAKING NESTS IN THE GROUND, BUT THEY TEND TO CONGREGATE TOGETHER.
THEN THERE’S MY FAVORITE – THE LEAF CUTTER BEES. I’VE ACTUALLY NEVER SEEN THEM. IF YOU SEE LEAVES THAT LOOK LIKE SOMEONE TOOK A HOLE PUNCH AROUND THE EDGE OF THEM, YOU HAVE LEAF CUTTER BEES NEARBY. THEY CUT CIRCLES OUT OF LEAVES TO CONSTRUCT THEIR NESTS.
ONCE YOU REALLY START LOOKING AT THE BEES IN YOUR GARDEN YOU START TO REALIZE HOW MUCH DIVERSITY EVEN URBAN PLACES CAN HAVE. BUT THEY CAN HAVE EVEN MORE.
TO GIVE THEM A FIGHTING CHANCE WE HAVE TO INCREASE THE NATIVE PLANTS AROUND. THESE WILDBEES EVOLVED WITH NATIVE PLANTS AND THEY RELY ON THEM FOR FOOD. IN TURN THE NATIVE PLANTS RELY ON NATIVE BEES. WHILE HONEYBEES CAN POLLINATE THEM, NATIVE BEES DO SO MORE EFFECTIVELY.
SO PLANT NATIVE PLANTS AND PROVIDE WATERING STATIONS. THESE ARE SHALLOW DISHES OF WATER WITH ROCKS ACTING LIKE LITTLE LANDING PADS SO THAT BEES CAN GRAB A DRINK ON OUR INCREASINGLY HOT DAYS.
THEY ALSO NEED PLACES TO NEST. OPEN GROUND, LEAF LITTER, DEAD TREES, FALLING LOGS THESE ARE ALL IMPORTANT NESTING SITES FOR OUR WILD BEES THAT EITHER GET PAVED OVER, RAKED UP OR CLEARED.
REDUCING PESTICIDE USE IS ALSO IMPORTANT. THAT CAN BE THROUGH BUYING ORGANIC PRODUCE – LIMITING THE PESTICIDES USED TO PRODUCE OUR FOOD. BUT ALSO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU’RE DOING AROUND YOUR OWN GARDEN – PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE PLANTS POLLINATORS VISIT. DON’T ASSUME THAT “SAFE” INSECTICIDES LIKE NEEM OIL DON’T HARM BEES.
FINALLY, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT THE POCKETS OF WILDLANDS WE HAVE IN AND AROUND THE CITY. I’LL PUT SOME MORE LINKS IN THE SHOW NOTES TO INFORMATION ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT WILD BEES YOU CAN FIND IN THE AREA AS WELL AS WAYS TO SAVE THEM. LET ME KNOW WHAT BEES YOU SEE MOST IN YOUR GARDEN!
NOW, LET’S ANSWER A GARDEN QUESTION!
Caller: Hi there. I have a question about garden herbs. We love fresh herbs in salads and throughout the summer but I’m curious about harvesting those herbs and how to store them so we have them throughout the wintertime.
MEREDITH: HERBS ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO GROW IN SMALL CITY GARDENS. THEY’RE FAIRLY EASY – MOST OF THE AROMATIC HERBS WE GROW LIKE ROSEMARY AND THYME LOVE FULL SUN AND HOT DAYS.
TO HARVEST HERBS YOU WANT TO WAIT UNTIL THE PLANT IS GROWING WELL AND PUTTING OUT NEW STEMS AND LEAVES CONTINUOUSLY.
FOR MOST HERBS YOU WANT TO CUT THE STEM JUST ABOVE A CLUSTER OF LEAVES. YOU CAN TAKE SPRIGS A FEW INCHES LONG. CUTTING THEM ABOVE THE LEAVES LIKE THAT STIMULATES THE PLANT TO PRODUCE MORE STEMS.
FOR HERBS LIKE PARSLEY OR CILANTRO YOU WANT TO CUT THE WHOLE STEM FROM THE BOTTOM.
REGULARLY HARVESTING STIMULATES THE PLANT TO GROW MORE.
NOW, IF YOU WANT TO HARVEST HERBS TO DRY AND USE OVER THE WINTER YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO HARVEST THEM WHEN THEY’VE STARTED TO DEVELOP FLOWERS BUT BEFORE THEY BLOOM. THAT WAY THE LEAVES WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF AROMATIC VOLATILE OILS THAT GIVE HERBS THEIR FLAVOR.
WHETHER YOU ARE HARVESTING FOR FRESH SUMMER HERBS OR DRIED WINTER HERBS, AFTER YOU CUT THEM YOU WANT TO GIVE THEM A RINSE AND PAT DRY.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO DRY THEM TO STORE YOU’LL WANT TO BUNDLE THEM IN SMALL BUNCHES AND SECURE THEM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEM WITH A STRING OR RUBBER BAND. THEY’RE GOING TO SHRINK SO TIE THEM TIGHT. THEN HANG THEM IN A WELL VENTILATED, DUST FREE, DARK PLACE. GIVE THEM PLENTY OF SPACE AND LITTLE TUSSLE EVERY FEW DAYS TO KEEP THE AIR FLOWING, THE MOLD AT BAY AND SPEED THE DRYING PROCESS.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DUST FREE SPOT YOU CAN LAY THEM FLAT ON A COOKIE SHEET AND PUT THEM IN THE OVEN ON THE LOWEST HEAT – 110 F TYPICALLY WITH DOOR OPEN. THAT SOUNDS AWFUL IN OUR 100 DEGREE SUMMER DAYS SO I PERSONALLY RECOMMEND A DEHYDRATOR. IF YOU HAVE A FANCY ONE YOU CAN SET THE TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 95-115 DEGREES AND SPREAD THE HERBS IN A SINGLE LAYER ON THE TRAYS. IF YOU, LIKE ME, DON’T HAVE. FANCY ONE JUST PUT IT ON AND CHECK IT OFTEN TO SEE IF THE HERBS ARE DRY. YOU DON’T WANT TO DRY THEM OUT TOO MJUCH.
WHICHEVER METHOD YOU USE AFTER THE LEAVES ARE TRY YOU PLUCK THEM FROM THE STEM AND CRUSH OR GRIND THEM AND STORE THEM IN AIR TIGHT CONTAINERS AWAY FROM SUNLIGHT WHERE THE FLAVORS WILL BE STRONG FOR UP TO A YEAR.
I HOPE THAT HELPS! IF YOU HAVE A GARDEN QUESTION PLEASE EMAIL ME AT GRITTY AND GREEN AT COOLGOONPRODUCTIONS.COM
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME TO LEARN ALL ABOUT BEES AND A REALLY SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLKS AT HALF MAD HONEY!
AND AS ALWAYS – IF YOU ARE ENJOYING THIS PODCAST PLEASE LIKE, REVIEW AND SHARE IT!
UNTIL NEXT TIME GET OUT THERE AND SAY THANK YOU TO SOME BEES.
GRITTY AND GREEN IS PRESENTED BY GREEN PHILLY.
IN COLLABORATION WITH COOL GOON PRODUCTIONS.
IT WAS WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND EDITED BY ME, MEREDITH NUTTING.
THEME MUSIC BY KAZUYA
IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY GO TO GREENPHL.COM