Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => Swarms, Cut Outs, Trap Outs and Bee Trees => Topic started by: Bakersdozen on March 10, 2022, 05:07:48 pm
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Did anyone see the new Discovery Channel TV show, Bee Czar, that premiered last night? Located in or near Austin, TX he is part of a non-profit, Honey Bee Rescue, and acquires bees doing cut outs, catching swarms, and collecting colonies that are drawing comb on limbs and such. That is what we know so far. His plans are to open a certified food kitchen and delve into agro-tourism.
It's easy to see why the network chose Walter to be the subject of the show. He looks and acts like an old hippie although he is not old enough to be a "real" hippie. He reminds me more of the Phish generation.
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It was mentioned in yesterdays meeting - mainly "be prepared to have people ask about it" and to stress to people that most normal people wear PPE when handling bees. I haven't seen it yet, so can't personally comment.
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good for a laugh. not much more.
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good for a laugh. not much more.
After watching a few episodes, I agree. It does make me appreciate being in a cooler climate than Texas.
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He is not well liked in the Austin area. I was surprised that the season was so short. I wonder if he got in trouble, legally. They mention in at least one of the episodes that catching bees in unwanted places is an important part of his honey business. It is illegal in Texas to sell honey from a cut-out. This is probably because you don't know what chemicals may have been used before the bee rescuer showed up in an effort to get rid of the bees.
Also, if I had a business, I would be reluctant to rely on someone of his caliber to guarantee a consistent supply of honey.
Oh, and did you catch that he seems to use wax melters, rather than extractors to harvest his honey? If I've been told correctly, the honey loses a lot of its value when heated with a solar wax melter.
Of course, I could have mis-interpreted what they said.
Despite all of the flaws, I like to point my friends to the show because it illustrates the difficulty involved in working bees in the Texas heat. I especially enjoy watching the beekeepers reactions when the bees enter the suit with them.