Episode-1049- Surving Superstorm Sandy and The Southern Maryland Beekeeper
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Check Out The Backyard Pioneer
We have two interviews for you today, first up Mike Prunty “The Backyard Pioneer” who has a small urban homestead in Long Island New York on his experience with Hurricane Sandy.
Mike is a 39 year old suburban husband and father, he works as a Lineman for Verizon and is an avid hunter and do it yourselfer. He heats with wood and grows a big garden each year. This year he started to get into using a smoker and has his first batch of home brew going right now. Unfortunately like many in the North East his progress was more then slightly impeded by Super Storm Sandy.
Today Mike joins us to discuss Hurricane Sandy and it’s immediate after math for his family and how our basic preps made life easier. Today we discuss the last minute preps he made and how that made a big difference along with what it was like living on generator power for an extended period.
We also talk to mike about how his friends and neighbors reacted to his skills and knowledge during the event. Then we discuss what Mike calls the “indispensable prep” and how it made the biggest difference of all. Finally we finsh up with after now experiencing a big disaster what Mike will do differently and what holes in his preps were exposed.
Check out the Southern Maryland Bee Keeper
Next we move on to Craig Yardon, “The Southern Maryland Bee Keeper” for a discussion that is the end of our series on keeping bees.
Craig discusses the on going threat of CCD, natural bee keeping and the concept of “small cell” bee keeping and how it can drastically improve the bees ability to withstand the virola mights that are currently a huge problem for many keepers.
We also discuss the advantages of the warre hive and how it is sort of a cross roads between top bar and conventional bee keeping including the huge advantage of being able to take honey off the top of the hive.
We also discuss how to improve the virility of your hive, how to raise bees with no chemicals and how owning bees can drastically improve your results on the homestead beyond honey production.
Resources for Today’s Show…
- Members Support Brigade
- Join Our Forum
- 13Skills.com
- TSP Copper – Temporarily Closed, Big announcement coming soon.
- Ready Made Resources – (sponsor of the day)
- Bulk Ammo – (sponsor of the day)
- The Backyard Pioneer
- The Southern Maryland Bee Keeper
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.
I like the idea of having a couple of short interviews.
Hi Jack,
I liked the two-parter, it’s pretty cool having variety (kinda like the sampler platter at a resturant.)
It might keep more pepole listening on a daily basis as well , …basically a 50/50 chance of a topic that might otherwise be skipped by certain people.
Great for shorter topics as well.
The only slight issue may be keepin track of clutter control on search tags – maybe?
I think the two part show is great.
Love the two part episodes… it would also be a great format for people with opposing views as well.
Two part-er is good! If one of the guests is very good, and time seems to short, they can always come back again, right?
Jack,
Like the 2 topic to make a show rather then one short interview and the possibility of a shorter show.
Seems a wiser use of your time and we would receive more information from multiple interviews in a week.
Keep up the great work.
I loved the two topic show! It kept me more interested. I listen to the podcast between jobs. This format was easier for me to follow since I’m in and out of my truck during the day.
Loved the double interview show – the more guests the better!
Thank you for having me on your show, it was a daunting yet awesome experience!
Hey Mike, Thanks for being on.
I am in Nassau county, North Shore. Good to hear other peoples stories. Sounds like we went through similar trials and tribulations. We were out for 2 weeks and the furnace quit so it was Big Buddy heater, electric heater and the fire place. Gas wasn’t an issue. I ran mostly off a 1000 watt inverter on the car. Worked well and used a lot less gas.
Hey jack, I like the 2 parters sometimes. Adds variety and reminds me a little of the old days back in the mobile studio, when the shows were a tad bit shorter.
LI,
Glad to hear you made it through ok. Between Irene and Sandy we surely are getting good at having the power out! I helped my Father in Law get set up at his house with an inverter. He was pretty impressed with it. He ran his fridge, made a pot of coffee, and was able to watch some TV. We took a run at hooking it directly to his oil burner but it didn’t have the juice to fire the 40 year old monster up. We only got some clicking. His main problem was his truck has a 6.0 liter Vortec in it and gas was becoming an issue. I keep joking that having a Geo Metro hidden behind the shed would be a great prep!
Thought these two topics worked out great together. The comments were short and concise which kept me on board with the questions.
Great show! I thoroughly enjoyed this 2 part show, but to me it doesn’t matter how you do it cause i’ll still be listening. Seems like more work on your end if finding decent interviews are a problem that is. It may not be though, thats just my 2 cents. Heck, I honestly don’t know how you keep up now! You run an amazing and informative operation. Keep up the good work.
I do like both setups for the interviews. If you can squeeze in 2 people in, alot of different information can be heard in one episode. But I also love the long interviews with someone who can give tons of info.
Two shorter segments gets my vote. Either two guests, or one guest and a segment by Jack.
Yup, the two part thing worked well. For example, I really liked listening to Mike re: Sandy, but I have no interest in bees, so I could just listen to the first part. But if I were interested in both parts, I could listen to both. And if the audience wanted to get more in depth with one of the parts in a split show, you could always bring that person back for a full episode later.
Doing part of the show as a short YouTube clip is also a great idea I think – will expand the reach of the show & potentially bring in new listeners & community members.
Meta,
I’m glad you enjoyed my .02 cents. Being on the show was a blast.
I love the 2 part shows and the youtube clips. Keep them coming
I guess I may be in the minority, but I generally like more in-depth interviews where one guest comprises a whole show. However, there’s certainly nothing wrong with a 2-parter now and then if there isn’t as much to discuss with two particular guests.
FYI, I had to chuckle about Mike’s neighbor getting nervous when it got down to 55 degrees in the house at night – we set the thermostat at 60 during the day and it backs off to 58 while we sleep. We just dress warm and have ample blankets. But it doesn’t take away from his point – if it was seriously cold the situation could have gotten serious.
I will second RationalHusker. I also like the deeper interviews. Especially where the guest has some time to expound on a key point or a story that helps the listener get to know the guest better. Furthermore the podcast’s on demand nature lends its self to deeper technical subjects (as demonstrated by the Harris interviews). The maker guy, the ax guy, the nature of violence guy, Paul Wheaton, and ANY of the homesteading gusts I could listen to for hours. There is just so much to learn from these people’s experience.
This also dovetails with how the internet, podcasting, and youtube is changing the very nature of teaching and learning buy eliminating proximity as a limiting factor. This can clearly be seen with todays youth and extreme sports. One kid figures it out in LA and the next day kids in New Your are doing it.
With that said nothing wrong with a 2 parter as well.
I’ll keep listening either way.
RH,
My wife and I are pretty stingy with the heat too, so we did think he abandoned ship a little early too. I think growing up during the Oil Crunch of the 70’s made us crazy with the heat.
I too feel that the shorter interviews are an excellent adjustment to the show format. It allows for flexibility based on the density of content. Good stuff!
I only like the two parters if they relate to one another…opposing views. Or perhaps “beekeeping” and “what to do with honey stores”. The random mix of topics isn’t my favorite thing, but it doesn’t keep me from listening.
I also like the Youtube tie in. Someday, maybe a stream of the entire show for MSB members?
I think that’s a great idea. Two closely related or contrary positions on a topic would make great two-part episodes.
+1 for lightning fast shipping from bulkammo.com. Ordered a bunch of shotgun ammo the other night and I was amazed how fast I got the “you order is shipped” email.
I just like the variety so it all works for me. It’s like a bonus when you have a 2 parter. Nice surprise.
Thank you so very very much for mentioning buying things that others are not. Like the shot gun shells I have been saying this for weeks now. But you know how hubbys just hear wa wa wa like charlie brown sometimes. lol
I like either two or one guest, depending on how much they have to say. If they have an hours worth of information then i like an hour. If they can say what they have to say in an half hour then i like two parters. I think whatever you and guest decide is best.
Craig is awesome and largely responsible for my becoming a bee keeper. Hope you have him again soon!
Nbb
Thanks Norma, I appreciate that! I’m certainly passionate about the subject if nothing else, right? 😉
Cheers, -=Craig
I like the mix. Some two part for more shows, and definitely the detailed and in depth shows to really make me think of stuff.
I just enjoy the show so much.
Thanks for all you do.
Get show Jack, definitely like the two show ideal.
I love the two show idea. I would also love to see longer shows. I really hate when I get to the end of an episode, I always wish for more!! haha. The long shows are real nice and this may be a good way to accommodate that.
Love the Fallout pic.
I enjoyed being on the Podcast. I had a lot more to say so hopefully at some point Jack will have me back on if there is interest. Beekeeping is a blast and like I said during the interview, for a prepper it’s a medicine chest, as well as many other things for barter, trade and consumption. Most importantly, the bees need our help right now! Cheers, -=Craig
Craig – I would have a hive right now if my neighbors wouldn’t have my hide for doing so (I currently reside in a typical suburban subdivision – hopefully this changes soon enough). Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion! I always enjoy the beekeeping segments.
GP
Hi GP,
My pleasure! Contact your county extention office and see if there is any public land you can tuck a hive or two on. Also, Nature Gardens and Nature Reserves are usually open to the possibility of hosting a spot for a hive. (dont forget about farms! often farmers will pay YOU) It doesn’t take much land. Heck, I know people that have them almost right up to a fence (the entrance side) and the bees come out and fly straight up and out. They adapt to most any situation and don’t take much. Best of luck to you with getting some bees!
Cheers,
-=Craig
Jack,
I think it depends on the guests. Some seem to struggle to have enough info to fill an hour. (Perhaps they are simply nervous) So they would be great candidates for 2 guests on one show. Others like Steven Harris is a wealt of informatio and the hour seems like a half hour. I hope you continue to do what you have been doing – it keeps the show fresh to change it up a little. Thanks for all you do.
Jack:
My opinion on the two part segmented shows versus a single and more in-depth show is simple – and I believe may provide a compromise to all.
Simply mix the format up over time, and let the nature of the topic(s) being covered drive the decision. For instance, the recent topic of building backup battery banks (**excellent** material, by the way – I actually purchased the full material from Mr. Harris just to support his time and effort on your show) naturally demanded a very deep-dive into the material for any meaningful result. Whereas, in contrast, some of the other topics covered over the past year, of which I’m failing at the moment to recall a specific episode to cite as an example, sometimes felt as if the interviewee was almost searching for anything more to add in order to fill the dead air after about the first 20-30 minutes had elapsed. The nature of material was just simplistic enough to adequately cover in about that time frame. It may just be my personal perception, but every now and again these type of shows have a bit of an uncomfortable “forced” feeling to them, and condensing the time frame would definitely alleviate the cause. Again, I wish I had committed to memory the exact episodes to cite, but when this occurs, I tend to not find the content as appealing and therefore am less likely to remember specifics.
The other suggestion I would like to put out there for consideration would be to try out a format of a mixed topic and Listener Feedback shows. Maybe even just toss in a few calls before and/or after the main topic is over to break up the show a bit. Also, this would be a nice way of clearing the call backlog. Anyway, this is just an idea that I would appreciate you trying, and thank you for any consideration.
Thanks for the great show, and for everything you and the community at large continuously does on a daily basis to further this great cause. As sad as it may be, the awakening and re-education of America is our only hope for a peaceful and sustainable future.
GP
Craig,
I have the standard Langstroth hive, 2 deeps and 2 mediums. How would you recommend converting to natural/small cell? I have some foundation-less frames that I plan to move into my hive over time but I’m not sure on the timing.
I built my own top bar hive 3 years ago but after two packages of bees absconded I went with a Langstroth nuc.
Hi Jerry,
That is a tricky question because your “big” bees are not physically able to draw 4.9mm foundation.(small-cell) They can, however, draw out 5.1mm foundation. What you have probably used to get your current comb is what they are calling “normal” or standard foundation which is 5.4mm. So therefore the generally accepted process would be to rotate out old comb and replace with 5.1mm foundation. After that you would rotate to 4.9mm to complete the cycle. (5.4 -> 5.1-> 4.9) There are some other options as well like something called “Honey Super Cell” which is fully drawn plastic comb that is 4.9mm. You can force your bees onto that right now and do it in one step. The queen won’t like it but she will lay in it and the offspring will then be able to draw natural 4.9mm comb.
You should visit pragmaticbeekeeping.com and engage our community with your questions. There are some very sharp Natural Beekeepers over there. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
-=Craig
I L-O-V-E the two show format! Most people have a hard time filling anything more than 40 minutes and I still get a long show. You don’t have to do it all the time, especially when you have on guests like Paul Wheaton, Steven Harris, etc. but it’s quick, to the point and gives me more info than I would otherwise get with guests that tend to hem and haw. Good job, Jack!
Hey Jack;
2 short segments are way more valuable than trying to stretch a short subject to fill the hour. NOt that you do that, but just for illustration. Love the show! Keep it up!
Been listening like crazy sine I was introduced to this podcast six months ago. I personally like both formats. You’ve had some guests that it just felt a bit stretched in order to fill up some production time. Other guests have been so intriguing, so engrossing, that I’m disappointed when the interview concludes and start frantically hunting around for more.
Either way, I’ll keep listening. Thanks for all you do!
I’m running way behind on my podcast listening and just got around to this one.
My primary reason for listening to the podcast is to learn new things, or at least a different perspective on old things; therefore, the subject and the quantity of knowledge needs to fit the format, whether or not it’s 30, 60 or 120 minutes, doubling up or splitting into two shows. So far I think you’ve done a good job with the mix, and I for one would change nothing, since you’re doing a great job already.
For a generator to run on Natural gas (or in my case Propane) conversion, this place seems to have products that can be adapted to most gensets: http://uscarb.com.
Although I don’t really want to be a grammar nazi, the correct spelling is: “Varroa mite”
Having Craig as your cleanup hitter was great. A combination of all of the shows gave me lots of information and a lot to think about. I currently keep Langstroth hives with no chemicals, and knew about top bar hives, but I will definitely look into the warre hive, which to this point I had never heard of..