PODCAST EPISODE 32: Summer Catch Up with Ben Moore (Me!), Ben’s Bees, Australia

PODCAST EPISODE 32: Summer Catch Up with Ben Moore (Me!), Ben’s Bees, Australia The hangover of months of isolation and curfews and mask wearing and zooming still hasn’t subsided for me. Like any decent hangover, it’s lingering – part headache, part fuzzy recollection, part low mood. Like many extroverts with a need for other people and chats and yarning and faces and real interaction, I am STILL feeling a bit odd, unsettled, and even de-socialised from all that alone time! Has anyone else had similar thoughts? Anyway, I have been missing talking to all my favourite bee lovers and thought, why not drop in for a catch up with my beautiful bee community for episode 32 of the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast! So here we are, it’s just you and me. As many of you know, I do love summer. If the bees are happy, Ben is happy, and when the sun is out, our dear friends buzz about! Some poetry for you all on this sparkly day! So, in this episode I want to chat about how this year’s weather cycle has affected beekeeping in Australia; the oddness and humidity and relative coolness of the La Niña weather pattern has been a blessing after the tragedy of last summer’s fires, but it looks that some heat is on the way. It’s important that we all know how to look after the bees when those rays hit – I recommend keeping them protected from radiant direct sun with a piece of shade cloth or umbrella. And like all animals, bees NEED water, so make sure you set up a beaut like oasis with fresh cool water and something to land on, like bark or rocks, in your bee-friendly garden. I also chat about how European wasps are starting to become active again. It’s so vital that we know how to distinguish these pests from other wasps, as these little suckers are dangerous to both humans and bees. Scarily, European wasp nests can grow to be mammoth here in Australia – the Launceston museum has a preserved nest that weighs 96 kilos and is almost half the size of a small car! I also yarn about the fantastic launch of my book that happened before Christmas, and “recommend” a disastrous but marvellous horror movie directed by Irwin Allen, made in 1978 (the year I was born! How serendipitous!), called The Swarm. Check it out when you need a break from the heat! Also, make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast, and why not leave me a lovely REVIEW! With almost 20,000 plays so far, I know that these bee tales are reaching you and I would love more than anything to hear what you are loving about the podcast so far. I am always open to feedback from my community, so if you would like to get in touch, shoot me a text on +61437077792. https://www.bensbees.com.au/ Much love, Ben x