254. Adam Martin on Reviving Sustainable Beekeeping

Can going back to more sustainable ways be the key to modern beekeeping success? On this episode of the Thriving Farmer Podcast, Michael is joined by Adam Martin of Bee Kept Farm in middle Tennessee. Along with his wife, Leslie, Adam got into beekeeping using commonly taught methods. After an unsuccessful first year, they decided to think “outside the bee box” and shifted their beekeeping to more natural and sustainable methods.  Tune in to hear how Adam has gone back to more traditional methods to allow the bees to be bees.  In this episode, you’ll hear… About how Adam got started in beekeeping 1:33 How feral swarms tend to behave 7:35 What Adam does to ensure that his bees thrive 10:38 How Adam harvests honey in a horizontal hive 14:36 What they do to handle pests 18:51 How Adam makes money with his Bee Kept Farm 23:25 What other animals Adam has on his farm 30:52 About the biggest question people have during Bee Kept classes 41:17 What bee species Adam recommends for late crops 44:17 About the Guest: Adam and Leslie Martin are the proud owners of Bee Kept which is located on their homestead in Southern Middle Tennessee. Starting their homestead in January 2019, bees were one of the first things on the to-do list because they love honey! Their bee adventure, like most others, started out using all of the common methods taught and promoted by beekeepers and bee clubs all over America and the Western world. After failing miserably in their first season of beekeeping, they used these failures as opportunities to learn outside-of-the-bee-box thinking with their beekeeping methods. Adam also teaches how to trap feral bees, keep them in a low to no maintenance method, and manage the colonies in horizontal hives that are better for the bees and the beekeeper! Resources: Website - www.beekept.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/beeingkept/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Beekept2019   The Thriving Farmer Podcast Team would like to thank our amazing sponsor! MyDigitalFarmer.com was created by CSA farmer and marketing specialist Corinna Bench to help farmers learn the marketing fundamentals — so you can stop feeling uncertain, frustrated, guilty, or inadequate when it comes to selling your products.  In the My Digital Farmer podcast, you'll be exposed to the fundamentals of marketing theory and practice so you can apply them to your own farm and business. She'll cover marketing funnels, copywriting, website messaging, CSA marketing, lead generation, brand building, social media, customer retention, Facebook ads, sales pages, Facebook groups, YouTube, Instagram, email marketing, and stellar customer service. She also interviews other farmers to find out what’s working (and not working) in farm marketing so you can feel more confident in your ability to convert leads, increase sales, and build a strong brand for your farm. Subscribe to her show at https://bit.ly/mydigitalfarmer.