Lisa Grezzi has taken a very intentional and intellectual approach to beekeeping. She's now an EAS Certified Master Beekeeper and currently serves on the board of the American Beekeeping Federation ("ABF"). She is also the Maryland State Delegate for ABF, represents Talbot County in the Maryland Beekeepers Association, and is an all-around lovely person with a lot of knowledge to share.

Lisa's sensible approach to beekeeping includes the advice to learn all you can from books, classes, and hands-on experience with a beekeeping mentor before investing in your own hives. As a Master Gardener, she's also keenly aware of the need to create and nurture pollinator plants as a way to support both honeybees and native bees, among other pollinators who depend on healthy forage.

A few of the resources that are mentioned in this episode are books by Dr. Dewey Caron, the Eastern Apicultural Society annual conference, books by Diana Sammataro, Wye River Beekeepers club, American Beekeeping Federation, Maryland State Beekeepers Association, American Bee Journal, and Bee Culture magazine.

Thanks for tuning into this episode of the Attic Bee Podcast!

Imagine having a honey bee "Venus fly-trapped" in your eyelashes, or stepping on a large nail while carrying a hive box (that you thought was empty!) full of agitated bees. Lauren Pascarella of BayBees Honey shares these tales and more!

During my interview with Lauren, we cover a lot of ground, including her ongoing challenges with Metabolic Myopathy, the meditative qualities of beekeeping - even for people with ADHD, the importance of joining a bee club and finding a mentor, record keeping for your business, and creating safe habitats for native pollinators.

The following resources were mentioned in this episode...

Books by Tammy Horn:

Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation

Beeconomy: What Women and Bees Can Teach Us about Local Trade and the Global Market

Organizations and events to explore, support, or donate to:

UMES Small Farm Conference

UMD Extension's Women in Agriculture

Lower Eastern Shore Beekeeping Association

Xerces Society

Welcome back to the Attic Bee Podcast! In this episode, Debbie Seib of Seib's Hoosier Honey in Mooresville, Indiana talks to me about her role as the Vice President of the American Beekeeping Federation. We discuss the importance of the legislative bill H.R. 4764, a.k.a., the "HIVE Act," introduced by North Dakota Congressman Kelly Armstrong, other women of importance in the world of beekeeping, and a slew of other topics related to responsible beekeeping.

Here are links to some of the resources and organizations mentioned in this episode:

Project Apism

National Honey Board

American Honey Producers Association

The Foundation For the Preservation of Honey Bees

Tammy Horn Potter's "Beeconomy"

I hope you enjoy our conversation and your bee colonies are thriving!

J.

For this inaugural interview on the Attic Bee Podcast, we're talking to Sarah Red-Laird, otherwise known as the Bee Girl. She started Bee Girl Organization, a nonprofit based in Oregon, that supports meaningful and impactful research in a variety of conservation arenas, including habitat for honey bees and other pollinators. We talk about everything from art, wineries and cattle ranches to education, women supporting women and, of course, bees.

Sarah led the Kids and Bees program for the American Beekeeping Federation for over 10 years and helped create a plethora of learning materials in the process. You can follow her on social media and support her amazing work by donating to the Bee Girl Organization.

Other names we mentioned that might be worth exploring include Dr. Marla Spivak, the Savannah Bee Company, and the Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS) Conference.

Please excuse the lack of editing ability on my part (especially at the end)!

This first episode of the Attic Bee Podcast is the beginning of what will become a fun, interactive and educational platform about women in beekeeping. We'll interview ladies who have embarked on a beekeeping journey, whether as a hobby or a full-time career, and were happy to share their experiences with our audience.

Listeners will learn beekeeping theories and practices from our guests, but also a little something about the lives of women who have found personal value and fulfillment in managing colonies of honeybees. We'll cover a variety of topics that range from environmental conservation and government regulations to family life and personal challenges. We'll laugh, cry, and learn while embracing and supporting a community of strong, capable, and interesting women.