In today’s episode, we talk with Bridget Mendel and Becky Masterman of the University of Minnesota Bee Lab’s “Bee Squad”.  Dr. Marla Spivak created Bee Squad as an outreach group 10 years ago in the Twin Cities area to help local beekeepers and other people just wanting bees in the backyard, with just a couple of volunteers. It has blossomed into a dynamic, nationally known UMN Extension Program that is helping hundreds, even thousands of people – beekeepers and non-beekeepers alike.

The Bee Squad was originally headed by Becky who recently 'passed the hive tool' of leadership to Bridget. Together, they have paired up with a host of other programs including the BIP Sentinel Program, the American Honey Producers Association and their habitat program, the University of Michigan’s Veteran’s programs, and thousands of beekeepers across the US.

The Bee Squad’s list of programs is extensive – and they are not just for Minnesotan’s. Funded by sales from their store, payment for managing other’s bees, grants and donations and community partners, they have nearly a dozen talented people managing all of these programs.

Listen today and bookmark their website as a knowledgeable and trustworthy site to gain current beekeeping information!

Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:

• The Bee Squad - https://www.beelab.umn.edu/bee-squad
• Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com
• WAS Mini Conference -"Bee Gut Microbiome" - https://www.westernapiculturalsociety.org/events-1
• American Honey Producers, Chinese Tallow & APHIS - https://www.ahpanet.com/tallowinfo

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Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about heir line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com

This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global Patties is a family business that manufactures protein supplement patties for honey bees. Feeding your hives protein supplement patties will help ensure that they produce strong and health colonies by increasing brood production and overall honey flow. Global offers a variety of standard patties, as well as custom patties to meet your specific needs. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode! 

We want to also thank 2 Million Blossoms as a sponsor of the podcast. 2 Million Blossoms is a quarterly magazine destined for your coffee table. Each page of the magazine is dedicated to the stories and photos of all pollinators and written by leading researchers, photographers and our very own, Kim Flottum.

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

Thank you for listening! 

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong", Musicalman, "Epilogue"

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC