Beekeeping Made Simple Interview with Laryssa Kwoczak

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When you’re new to beekeeping there’s so much to learn, it can be intimidating knowing where to start. And, even when you get some experience behind you and you think you know something, you realize that the new swarm you just got doesn’t plan on following any of the rules in any of the books you’ve read.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Laryssa Kwoczak of Beekeeping Made Simple who has created a whole beekeeping course especially to help people get started keeping bees. She has distilled her 10 years of experience into a video course that walks you through (and lets you re-watch) what you need to know along with her own tips and tricks. We talked about how she got into beekeeping, how she almost gave up, and her advice for getting started.

I grew up in Philadelphia, but now I live in Hawaii.

Yeah it is! I happened to go on a trip to Hawaii to help deal with some burn-out from my job as a graphic designer, and I really loved it. It was just the complete opposite of Philadelphia. Here on the big island it’s very rural and it was the first time I felt surrounded by nature that was not suffering. Everything was just alive and thriving. When I got back home, I heard about these opportunities to go stay on a farm and do a work trade. So I found a bee farm in Hawaii that had a 6 month internship and after an interview in December they asked if I could come in February. So I said ‘ok’, packed up my stuff, and went back to Hawaii.

I’ve been a beekeeper for about 10 years. I worked for an organic bee farm for seven years. They had given me a swarm that moved into a hive and from there I just started doing things like recovering swarms and doing cutouts, and I started building my apiary that way.

I would say the queen. I read the book ‘Honeybee Democracy’ by Thomas Seeley and I was just impressed by how they communicate and what the queen’s role is and how she gets thrown out when she’s not doing her job. Also the dynamic of how everything works together. There are no egos, everyone has a job and they all just switch when it’s time and I just love how their system works so well. They pass information down from one generation to the next, and I think that’s really fascinating.

I went to an aquaponics farm in Philly with my friend and she pointed out that they had beehives, that they were always sold out of honey, and suggested that we should have bees. And I actually didn’t think you were legally allowed to keep bees without some kind of training. I didn’t think you could just go buy some bees and do it, but apparently you could. So we started doing some research. I was fascinated by it and just kept reading more and more and spent a lot of time in the library reading stacks of books about bees. And a few months later I had made a beehive with my dad, ordered some bees, and we just tried it.

Our first year we put one hive in and they absconded after one week. The next summer we had 2 hives and got 2 packages of bees and they both stayed. And then they both died over the winter.

After my second year I was going to give up because I just didn’t really know how to do it properly. I almost gave up, but I found somebody to help me and I’m glad I did. One thing that I hope will help is telling people about how I failed at the beginning. I ended up having to do a lot of research to figure out what was going wrong.

Everyone’s gonna fail at some point, but I hope people don’t get discouraged by the failures if they really love it. That’s really the purpose of this class. I really want to help those people who feel like they’re failing.

It’s important to keep trying and find a community that will help you figure out the technical stuff especially if beekeeping is something that you’re interested in and you’re fascinated by bees or nature. Classes are there to help you. I want my students to be able to feel comfortable about asking whatever questions they need to.

At the moment, I’m working on filming more videos for the YouTube channel and adding to my line of beekeeping apparel. However, I’d like to start filming a more advanced beekeeping class that teaches people about queen breeding as well as ways you can generate an income from keeping bees.

I like helping people get started doing something they don’t know how to do. But personally, my grandfather was a veteran and my brother-in-law was a first responder after 9/11. And I’m just having fun keeping bees, so if I can do something that helps people who risk their lives and are suffering because of it, then I’m happy to help.

Well, I think it’s necessary to tell people that you’re gonna kill some bees. You’re gonna get stung. I also warn people that there’s no one way to do things. Even after 10 years I still see things that make me say “I have no idea! I don’t know what’s going on.”

You have to accept that sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing. It’s nature, there are so many variables, you can’t control it, and not every hive is the same. So if you want everything to be perfect, then this isn’t the hobby for you. Beekeeping is a little wacky and you have to be prepared.

I start every chapter in the course with a quote and in the first chapter I have,

“My first year I thought I knew everything and every single year since, I’ve realized that I know less and less and less.”

Anyone who thinks that they know everything about beekeeping is someone that you should not be talking to about beekeeping. So those are the big warnings that I try to give people.

I feel like they just really keep me in check to be present in what I’m doing. Sometimes I get a little too caught up in all the other stuff I’m ‘supposed’ to be doing. When you’re out with the bees it forces you to zone in to what you’re doing and not think about everything else. Having something that helps you forget about everything else in the world is helpful and when you open a beehive you don’t have the option to not be focused. Well, you do, but if you’re not focused you should just close up the hive and walk away!

If I’m not focusing on what I’m doing and not present, they remind me pretty quickly to pay attention. Being in the present is not only what the bees taught me but they force me to continue with, which is the best part. It’s a constant exercise.

The more I talk to other beekeepers, the more I hear stories of these odd series of events that at some point led us all to think “Yeah, I’m gonna get some bees and try this thing out. I think it’ll be fun.” And that’s where the journey begins. As Laryssa mentioned during our conversation, “sometimes it seems like things just happen and it’s not really in your control. You can go against it if you want to but I’ve always thought the best thing to do is let the universe lead you to certain things that you should be doing.”

We’ve all been led to beekeeping by one way or another, and we’re all spellbound by these fascinating little creatures that seem to be able to create way more than just honey, propolis and wax. It seems they’re capable of creating opportunities, relationships, and experiences for us that we never even knew existed.

Laura Markus

Writer

Laura Markus is a blogger and beekeeper based in Italy, but originally from the U.S. She is fascinated by all things bees, but mostly by how they communicate. When she’s not hanging out at the hives she is also an English Teacher and Fluency Coach for non-native English speakers.

Bee Sounds

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Have you ever walked under a flowering tree in the springtime right when the flowers are full of bees and it seems like the whole tree is alive and buzzing? How does it make you feel?

Have you ever just watched bees buzzing around on a sunflower as it gently sways in the breeze? What are you thinking about in those moments?

Or how about when you pop the cover of a hive or puff a bit of smoke, have you noticed that sound the bees make; that rush of buzzing? What effect does it have on you?

 

As beekeepers we learn to listen for the various changes in pitch of the hive to give us clues about their state or behavior. Like when they start to get agitated and their volume increases, or that unusual, slightly frenzied, nervous pitch when they’re missing a queen.

But did you know that sounds that we hear from bees and the hive are actually relaxing for our brains? The rapid movement and vibration of the wing muscles creates a vibration which emits a frequency. Reports show that a hive emits a frequency of between 280-350Hz depending on the activity level of the bees. And, it’s this frequency that has a calming and healing effect for humans. It’s one of the sounds of nature, like the sound of water or rustling leaves, that are soothing to our overloaded ears.

 

A study published in Scientific Reports March 2017  used brain imaging and heart rate monitoring to help understand the connection between brain, body and nature sounds. Researchers found that when we listen to artificial sounds the activity in the brain is associated with patterns of inward-focused attention; things like worry and rumination. These patterns are commonly linked to conditions like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, when we listen to nature sounds our brain patterns change to more external-focused attention. They saw that listening to nature sounds increased brain activity associated with the rest reaction as opposed to the fight-or-flight reaction. Plus, study participants who registered high levels of stress at the beginning of the study showed the biggest relaxation benefits from listening to nature sounds.

People in Slovenia have a tradition of using the sound of bees for relaxation. How Slovenians Use Bees to Relax Recently firefighters have been encouraged to use beekeeping to help cope with the stress they encounter daily. Bee houses were originally built as small workshops with the beehives built into the outside of the structure and a working space inside for the beekeeper. Now they are often outfitted with a small bed so that you can take time to relax, calm down, and feel the energy of thousands of bees around you.

We are all faced with so much noise all around us, all the time that we owe it to ourselves to take the time to relax. Even if we don’t each have our own bee houses (yet 😉), we can still take steps to use the relaxing sounds of the hive and nature to help manage anxiety and stress.

If you’re interested in trying to relax to the sound of bees, I found and their recording of a beehive in the forest. Give it a try, you deserve to take some time to take care of your mental health.

Laura Markus

Writer

Laura Markus is a blogger and beekeeper based in Italy, but originally from the U.S. She is fascinated by all things bees, but mostly by how they communicate. When she’s not hanging out at the hives she is also an English Teacher and Fluency Coach for non-native English speakers.

An Interview with Matis Stebben, Founder of Beekeeping for Veterans

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It might not seem that beekeeping could possibly be a calming, centering or soothing activity. I mean, after all, you’re putting your hands inside a box filled with tens of thousands of bees; each equipped with a stinger which it most definitely knows how to use.

But mention the idea to any beekeeper and they’ll confirm that beekeeping is actually calming. Because when you’re out there with the bees you can’t be thinking about anything else, you have to be present in what you’re doing at the moment.

So to learn more about how beekeeping can help people heal from trauma and PTSD I had a chat with Matis Stebben to get to know more about him and how Beekeeping for Veterans came about.

I was born in California and I grew up in San Diego.

I have been a beekeeper for seven years now. I got started because I heard that the bee population was in decline and I wanted to figure out if I could do something. I did some research on it, and figured, “yes, I can” and that’s how I started beekeeping.

There are so many aspects of beekeeping that fascinate me. One thing about me is that I love to be in nature and I love to connect to nature. And beekeeping brings me both aspects – being in nature and connecting to nature through the bees. I love just watching the bees go in and out of the hive, seeing the various colors of pollen. I love doing inspections to see how the bees are acting inside of their hive. I also love just the great rush of adrenaline that happens to me when I beekeep and I open up the hive. And it’s amazing just to connect to an insect. I never thought that would be possible, but once I started beekeeping, you really connect to your hive.

The idea for Beekeeping for Veterans happened approximately three years ago when I started a beekeeping program at a drug rehabilitation facility in Toronto, Canada. Once a week I would go and beekeep with recovering addicts. We put a beehive on their property at the drug rehabilitation center, and people loved it. People reported back to us that they felt calm when they beekeeped.

I had a veteran who did three tours, and for the first time since he got back, he didn’t hear ringing in his ears when he was beekeeping and he could hear his thoughts as he beekeeped. He had a total breakthrough.

So, based on that I thought maybe I could do something with this on a much grander and greater scale to help the betterment of society. After a long contemplation I figured this is something I want to do to help veterans, and not just veterans but anyone suffering from trauma – that through beekeeping, using beekeeping as a tool to bring inner calmness and hopefully help with healing from trauma.

So veterans that have begun beekeeping – they all say that they calm down. As a calming tool, they use the hive. It also helps with clarity. When they’re by the hive they have to be mentally clear in what they’re doing. And not only when they’re beekeeping. I’ve also had veterans tell me that just sitting next to their hive and watching the bees come in and out is highly soothing and calming as well.

Not only does it help the vet himself or herself, it also has a ripple effect on the whole family. Some veterans have told me that they now beekeep with their children or their spouse and that is a moment of bonding and family gathering around the hive. Also just with the emotional component, the mental health component, it also helps veterans with their personal lives and it helps better their lives and the loved ones around them as well.

Being a beekeeper and being close to the bees is a really humbling experience. There’s a lot of life lessons one can learn from the hive. Such as, the hive operates as a community. And sometimes I have to sit back and think “Am I serving my community? My nuclear community, meaning my family? And of course the general good and how do I give back?”

Also bees go through different stages in their life and in the last stage they’re independent and they go out there and fly around collecting nectar for the hive. And so sometimes I think, “How am I independent?” And, again my independence is there for the greater good.

I see this also in a soldier and a veteran who’s served their country. They’ve gone out there and now they’re coming back to the hive. And now it’s up to the hive, meaning the community, the country, to give back and help the veterans for their service

 

A Healthy and Relaxing Experience

 

Whether it’s the actual practice of working with the bees, or just watching the flow of their movements, beekeeping can be a very centering and calming activity. You don’t even have to put the suit on or risk being stung to enjoy the relaxing benefits.

We know that bees are important for the ecosystem, the food we eat, and the health of our planet, but the impact goes even further. Beekeeping actually allows us to improve our personal well-being while at the same time being part of something that is much bigger and greater than ourselves. What appears on the surface to be a dangerous and intimidating activity is actually inspiring, encouraging, and gives us a chance to find peace and purpose.

 

Laura Markus

Writer

Laura Markus is a blogger and beekeeper based in Italy, but originally from the U.S. She is fascinated by all things bees, but mostly by how they communicate. When she’s not hanging out at the hives she is also an English Teacher and Fluency Coach for non-native English speakers.

 

First Rule of Beekeeping

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There is so much advice out there for beekeepers. One of the great things I’ve found so far is that people who are into bees and beekeeping are usually pretty nice folks, and they’re always more than willing to talk about bees for pretty much as long as you are willing to listen.

And it’s fun to talk with other beekeepers and compare notes. Seasoned beekeepers always seem pleased to see newcomers. It’s so important to have someone to ask for help figuring out why your bees are doing something strange, and to help you not panic when things don’t go according to the book.

In fact, some advice that I got after learning about the science of bees, was to find a mentor and join a beekeeping club. But right after that advice, there was another that has actually turned out to be more important than I thought at first. It was this:

Be careful about who you ask for advice and whose advice you listen to.

What they meant was basically this: When you ask someone for help or advice and they tell you, without asking you for any information first, that there is only one way to do beekeeping and it is without a doubt their way – it’s ok to think twice about taking their advice.

After all, the practice of beekeeping is local and very variable. It all depends on where you are. It depends on what your goals are, what’s in the physical environment around you, when plants bloom in your area, how much rain you get, if there’s a drought, nearby agriculture, predators and pests – we all know the list of variables is long and the list of questions is long too.

So, this one piece of advice that has stuck with me is constantly reminding me to be present with my beekeeping experience. It’s a reminder that I’m responsible for getting to know my bees, knowing what’s going on out in the bee yard, and exploring the options that are right for me as I go forward.

This little piece of advice wasn’t just a warning to avoid a certain type of know-it-all-beekeeper. But it has actually helped me make this experience absolutely and wholeheartedly my own.
I’m more aware and more present in my own backyard. I take the time to stop and observe. I question things more. I’m proud of knowing what I know and of how much I still don’t know. And, I listen very carefully when I ask for advice.
When something doesn’t make sense, doesn’t have sound reasoning behind it, and doesn’t consider my unique situation – I always remember that it’s ok to move on.

Laura Markus

Writer

Laura Markus is a blogger and beekeeper based in Italy, but originally from the U.S. She is fascinated by all things bees, but mostly by how they communicate. When she’s not hanging out at the hives she is also an English Teacher and Fluency Coach for non-native English speakers.