The Boys and the Bees with Nehemiah Ray (394)

 

The Boys and the Bees with Nehemiah Ray (394)

 

Joe Long

Good morning, it's Joe Long with Michigana Honey Buzz from Northern Indiana here at the Midwest Honey Bee Expo, and welcome to the Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Jeff Ott

Welcome to Beekeeping Today Podcast presented by Betterbee, your source for beekeeping news, information, and entertainment. I'm Jeff Ott.

Becky Masterman

And I'm Becky Masterman.

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Jeff Ott

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Thank you, Joe, from northern Indiana, for that wonderful opening from the Midwest Honey Bee Expo.

Jeff Ott

That was fun times.

Becky Masterman

You know, it's just right around the corner.

Jeff Ott

Seems like it now, doesn't it? We have these openings every week from either the North American Honey Bee Expo or now the Midwest Honey Bee Expo. And I encourage our listeners, any show, whether it be a state conference, regional shows such as EAS or the NAHBE or the Midwest or WAS, any of those. Attend 'em. I mean you have to attend them, visit the sponsors and the vendors, take the classes. It is a great educational opportunity.

Becky Masterman

It really is. It's just I was excited. I was just a speaker at Siouxland Beekeepers Field Day and oh my gosh, I learned so much by attending some of the other sessions that I wasn't speaking at. It's just there's something for everybody at these meetings.

Jeff Ott

And you can be a first year beekeeper or twenty years into beekeeping. You can go to these and learn something from another beekeeper or from researchers or the person who's giving the course. I strongly encourage you to do that.

Becky Masterman

I agree.

Jeff Ott

Especially these days.

Becky Masterman

Wise words, Jeff. Wise words.

Jeff Ott

Oh. Better note that because that doesn't happen very often. Oh, come on. Well, speaking of conferences, I just got back recently from the COLOSS meeting in Pullman, Washington.

Becky Masterman

Ooh, lots of smart people there.

Jeff Ott

Oh man. There were so many smart people. It was humbling, it really was, but very enlightening. And fortunately for all of us, I did take my recorder. And I did talk to many of these smart people and recorded it. I'm working now to pull it all together.

Jeff Ott

Nice. And we'll have a special episode from COLOSS. And when I was doing it, because there was so much going on, my mind was swirling with where do you start with this? And so then I just took the approach, I'm making a quilt. So I was just collecting my pieces of material. My patches. And I'm going to get 'em back. You'll be surprised to know I have a spreadsheet of all of everybody I've talked to, the length of each clip, the topic, and so I'm going to piece it all together from that. Anyways. I'm excited. I hope our listeners are too.

Becky Masterman

That sounds like a lot of work that you're going to be doing.

Jeff Ott

It's like a puzzle and you have to go at it with the right frame of mind. You can't go in it with an attitude.

Becky Masterman

I'm sure the listeners are going to be excited to hear those updates.

Jeff Ott

At the conference there were representatives from all around the world. There was of course United States researchers. Many of them have been on our podcast. There were representatives from Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France. We also had a Zoom link online. There were people from the UK and also again Croatia, Slovenia. The researchers were excited about the meeting. That made me excited about the meeting.

Becky Masterman

Well, it sounds hopeful and that's the nice thing about scientists that I've found is that boy are they generous and collaborative and that really makes a difference. It's everybody wanting good outcomes.

Jeff Ott

I'm excited about today's guest. He and his family are the subject of a Sundance Award-winning short film.

Becky Masterman

That's pretty cool. We're like This is the closest we've gotten to Hollywood, right?

Jeff Ott

We’ve rubbed shoulders a couple times with folks from Hollywood, but this is great. Nehemiah and his family are the subject of a film. called The Boys and the Bees. I'm looking forward to talking to Nehemiah and hearing more about what went on behind the scenes in developing this film

Becky Masterman

Right, this is going to be very interesting and I'm I'm really looking forward to it too.

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Jeff Ott

Hey everybody, welcome back. Sitting around this great big virtual beekeeping today podcast table sitting in Georgia is Nehemiah Ray our guest, Becky, where are you this week?

Becky Masterman

I’m where I always am: St. Paul, Minnesota.

Jeff Ott

I'm in Olympia, Washington. Nehemiah, welcome to the podcast.

Nehemiah Ray

Thank you all for having me. I'm very excited.

Becky Masterman

Well, we are honored to have you. So it's it's pretty cool to interview somebody that we've seen in a movie. So pretty cool. We're going to have fun.

Jeff Ott

It is fun. Nehemiah, we've invited you on the show to talk about your award-winning movie that you're in, The Boys and the Bees. But before we get into that, let's talk a little bit, find out a little bit more about you and your background with bees and then we'll get into the movie.

Nehemiah Ray

I tell people I accidentally got into beekeeping, which was a very wonderful accident. But I used to work for a pest and wildlife removal company. Now I own my own pest and wildlife removal company, but when I was working with the other company they sent me out to exterminate some bees. And I'm looking and I'm like, wait, these look like honey bees. I saw honey dripping from the ceiling and I was like, wow, I wonder if I could keep these somehow.

Becky Masterman

Oh my gosh.

Nehemiah Ray

I wasn't able to keep that hive. I actually which is quite illegal now in Georgia, but I had to exterminate them. And I promised myself that moving forward I would try to Figure out how to keep these from these customers’ homes that I was going to. So I made a homemade bee vacuum that I learned off of YouTube which failed miserably. It failed miserably. The bees were sucking into the vacuum, but they were flying right out the other side. For the customer, it was a nightmare. However, I eventually figured out how to do it properly. I bought me a proper bee vacuum.

And then all of the bees that I removed, I just started keeping for myself I was putting them at a farm. We lived at that time we were living in a townhome. And so there's a farm that's called Doghead Farm which is part of a nonprofit called Concrete Jungle. Shout out Concrete Jungle. They grow food and give it away to people for free. And they told me that I could keep my bees there. It was a good win-win situation. And so I started keeping my bees there. I did not know anything, I had never met another beekeeper before.

I learned everything from YouTube and reading Thomas Seeley's books, which I thoroughly enjoy his scientific take on beekeeping. So that is how I learned. And then eventually I went into Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association. So I found out, oh, there's groups that people meet and talk about bees. This was a whole new world for me. I was so shocked and surprised that people would come together and just talk about beeskeeping and invite people in. But I was so excited. I joined it and met some great people. Yeah, that's how I got into beekeeping.

Becky Masterman

Nehemiah, how long ago was this, this first encounter?

Nehemiah Ray

That was oh great question. That was about twelve years ago.

Becky Masterman

Okay.

Nehemiah Ray

Yeah. Wow, I feel old. That was about twelve years ago. Yeah. When I had that first experience and I started actually keeping the bees at Doghead Farm about eight years ago. Yes, because it was actually a long time before I got the chance to do another bee job. Because that actually wasn't my natural position. They just had me go out and do it with no training or anything.

Jeff Ott

But it can’t go wrong. You drew the short straw is what you're saying. Yes. Yes. Go on out there. We need somebody.

Becky Masterman

Don't worry, they can only sting once each, so Yes, yes, yes. That can't go wrong.

Jeff Ott

It's quite the introduction into beekeeping to suddenly get into it at one of the most difficult and challenging parts about keeping bees is doing cutouts. not only do you have to know about bees and the biology of bees, but you also have to know about construction and tool use. I mean, I'd be afraid of taking a Sawzall and having the whole side of the house fall off. And that would be just horrible

Nehemiah Ray

I'm quite the expert when it comes to live removals. Here in Georgia, you have to have a Honey Bee Removal license. And that just started a couple years ago And so I was one of the first people that got my Honey Bee Removal license and we do cutouts. We've done them for like Tyler Perry Studios. we've done You know, regular homes we, you know, we do commercial properties and brick structures and I've made lots of mistakes, but I've learned a lot. It's been it's been very fun.

Becky Masterman

Is HBR honey bee removal license?

Jeff Ott

Yes.

Becky Masterman

It is. It's interesting. Okay. That's that's really cool.

Jeff Ott

That's great to have a certification program for that. It helps the bees, helps the beekeeper, and helps everyone ultimately. So you're in the Metro Atlanta area, is that roughly?

Nehemiah Ray

Yes. It is Douglasville, Georgia. It's roughly about twenty-five minutes outside of Atlanta. Close to Six Flags is probably our closest landmark that people would know us by.

Becky Masterman

About how many colonies do you manage now, Nehemiah?

Nehemiah Ray

So I had a rough winter, to be honest with you. I had a very rough winter. Actually the worst winter that I've ever had. over all my years of beekeeping and so I lost several colonies, but we are at about eight colonies right now. We still keep some at Doghead Farm, which is in Atlanta, but now we have our own farm in Douglasville and so we keep four colonies there. Yeah.

Jeff Ott

What's the most challenging aspect of keeping the bees in Georgia?

Nehemiah Ray

The most challenging part for me personally is just The time to manage my bees properly. I think time is for me is the most difficult But controversial topic here for a lot of people. But I think the most difficult part is I have chosen to try to build Varroa-resistant bees. Which has worked out pretty well for me since a lot of my cutouts, these bees have been living in some of these places for years with no treatment. And so I try to keep those genes and split those to have those good genetics.

But since I don't treat my hives Which I know some people just don't like me now at all because I'm saying that. But since I don't treat my hives and I try to build Varroa-resistant bees, I think that's the biggest challenge. To be honest with you

Jeff Ott

Well, it's an honest answer and I like the time answer especially is really important because a lot of people will not answer that as the real answer. many of us, most of us are time crunched and trying to keep bees and bees these days take a lot more time than they did when say, when Becky and I got started, before Varroa—the B. V. days, it just takes a lot of time.

Nehemiah Ray

B. V. days. That's funny.

Jeff Ott

I've never heard that before.

Nehemiah Ray

I like that.

Jeff Ott

Well and you also have probably have to deal with small hive beetles, too.

Nehemiah Ray

Yes, we deal with a lot of small hive beetles. And I've tried numerous different traps for the small hive beetles. That is a challenge. But I think last year the biggest challenge was we got so much rain and it's like it just was washing all the nectar out of the flowers. So it was the lowest honey yield. I don't really keep my bees for honey necessarily. I really just like I like bees and just keeping them and getting good genetics. Honestly, it's kind of weird. But we did have a very low it was the wettest season we ever had and so not a lot of honey.

And now this year, Georgia is having its longest drought in a hundred years. And so it's like we're we're really going through some interesting seasons here.

Becky Masterman

You're going to have to add the weather to your list of challenges.

Nehemiah Ray

Hey, that's probably what we would.

Becky Masterman

When you do make a honey crop, what kind of honey do you know what your bees are foraging on? Do you know what the primary flower is?

Nehemiah Ray

We have a lot of tulip poplar trees around us. And so my belief is that they're tulip poplars. because there's a lot of 'em in my area, which I'm very happy about because they make a good honey and they you know trees produce a lot more nectar than just regular flowers so I believe that's the majority. Now my neighbors I have a neighbor across the street from me and he you all may want to talk to him, honestly. He's a phenomenal beekeeper. Honestly, he really is He's like way better than me. His name is Mr. Bob and Mr. Bob would grow buckwheat at times.

So I think he gets buckwheat honey. I mean my bees can go over there too. They don't stay in the yard.

Jeff Ott

Yeah, but Mr. Bob doesn't have a movie, so we'll we'll get to that in a little bit. He doesn't.

Nehemiah Ray

He doesn't.

Jeff Ott

I love that. Do you have to worry about Africanized honey bees?

Nehemiah Ray

They are here in Georgia according to the research that I’ve seen, but I've never run into any. I have run into some hot bees before though, but I don't think they were Africanized. Slight side story:. Okay. About the first hot bees that I ran into. which was really my fault. As I told you, I didn't have any proper training. I just kind of DIY my beekeeping experience and the first hive that I removed with the proper, you know, bee vac What you're supposed to do is dump the bees into the box, right? Well, that's what I thought you were supposed to do.

And at that time I did not know that bees don't fly at night. They crawl at night. It was close to dark, but I really wanted to get these bees in the hive, so I got to the farm. By that time it is really dark. I am so nervous because this is my first time ever doing it. I did have my whole bee suit on, but my pants legs were not zipped up at the bottom And as I was pouring the bees into the box, I got scared and dropped them all on my legs and poured all the bees onto my legs.

And they started crawling up my bee suit and started stinging me profusely over and over and over again. I did get the rest of the bees in the box, close the lid And I started to run because I didn't know what else to do. I am in the middle of the street taking my bee suit off while people are staring at me like I'm a crazy man. And Yeah, that was pretty bad. I think I had over thirty stings on my body and I found out I'm allergic.

Becky Masterman

Oh, on top of that. So basically the universe is telling you do not keep bees and you keep saying I am going to keep bees.

Nehemiah Ray

I love bees.

Becky Masterman

Yes I love I love that. It doesn't matter what the universe is telling you, are just adamant. That's a true beekeeper.

Nehemiah Ray

Yes, yes. As stupid as it sounds to so many other people who are not beekeepers, it is part of it.

Becky Masterman

Anybody listening to this podcast will just be shaking their head saying we totally understand. We've been there. It's great.

Becky Masterman

It's all good. Yes. You're among friends.

Nehemiah Ray

Yes. Good.

Jeff Ott

Well, let's take this opportunity to take a quick break and we'll come back and we'll find out about your movie, The Boys and the Bees.

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Becky Masterman

Welcome back everybody. Okay, I'm going to ask a question that Jeff wants to know the answer to. What was the most difficult cutout that you have actually performed?

Nehemiah Ray

I think that's a very good question, Jeff. I mean Becky. At Tyler Perry Studios There was a they have the Tyler Perry turned a fort into the movie studio and so they have very old homes there and one of them is like a mansion, very big mansion. And within one of those homes there were four no, I'm sorry, three different hives. in one home. And they were like sixty feet in this soffit. And so we had to get a boom lift Which I didn't know what I was doing. And I don't like heights either. This is more about all the things why I shouldn't be beekeeping.

But the boom lift and then getting so high up, I'm I just don't like heights. And so being that high up while doing the removal was a little challenging and then how deep how that home was built. It was built very well, but we thought it was in the chimney. And then we thought it we cut somewhere else and they weren't in there And then we and so then we went in the home to try to find the colony with the thermal imaging gun. I still couldn’t find it. And eventually I found where they were. They were in such a weird location.

within that home and we cut it out and we came to find out that it wasn't actually a hive, it was an abandoned hive. that still had honey in it. And so the bees from because there were two other hives they were still robbing it. Oh yeah, so they were robbing it because there were there was no brood There was pollen in there, but there was no brood and there was just some honey left over, so that was that was probably the most difficult one.

Becky Masterman

Isn't that interesting?

Jeff Ott

Being on the studio lot, like it sounds like it was, at least you didn't have to rent a boom. Correct. That worked out well.

Nehemiah Ray

They did have one yeah, they had one for me, which was It was a very nice one too. It just was very high.

Becky Masterman

Did you get it full of honey and bees? Was it did you return it in the same condition in which they gave it to you?

Nehemiah Ray

Oh, the boom lift?

Becky Masterman

The boom lift, yeah.

Nehemiah Ray

Oh no, it was very sticky. it was it was it was it was quite a mess.

Becky Masterman

Let's move on to this documentary. How did it come about?

Nehemiah Ray

Yes, so really I have to give credit to my wife. My wife, her name is Eliza. She’s a beautiful and amazing woman who puts up with all my weird quirks and all those things, but When I started my own wildlife removal company, a lot of times I would bring home a lot of my animals and things just to show my boys I've always been into nature. I've always loved it. And so I always told myself, like, I'm going to ensure that my sons loved this as well.

My wife just started filming and putting stuff on her on Instagram and we would go out on weekends and just travel and you know go to the creeks and I would show 'em, you know, flipping rocks and stuff like that And somebody mentioned on her Instagram, like, man, we want to see more of this. So she decided, oh, well, we'll just make our own Instagram and this would be great for us to look back at as a family. And we can document all this stuff that we're doing.

And so my wife was a little hesitant though, because She said that she knew that some of our videos might go viral, and she wasn’t sure she wanted that. And so it was lots of talking and just working it out and we believe that, hey, if God wants to open up the door so that more people can be exposed to what we're doing and glorify his name, then so be it, you know And eventually, our second video we posted, it was me and my son Carver working bees, and he saw a dead bee inside of the box. And I was telling him, he was like, Oh my goodness, it’s dead.

I'm like, well sir, that's a part of life, you know? Everything dies. And he was like, What? I’m going to die. You know, like he said he was like, so everything, I said, everything died. I’m going to die one day You are, Mommy is—eventually everybody will. Well which turned into this real deep conversation, you know. But he’s very mature. He's been mature since he was born. And so my wife comes outside and she just happened to be recording and he said, Mommy, one day I'ma die. You know? And I'm like, whoa, whoa. But He learned about death that time and that video just went really viral.

It went like almost ten million people viewed it. Well and it was really like put a lot of eyes on our page and we're like, oh snap, maybe we should start posting more consistently then and come up with a plan. And long story short, as we continued posting there was a young woman who is a director, producer, and independent filmmaker, she reached out to us and She said, Hey, I make films. I would love to potentially do something. Let's just hang out and see how it works. So we talked for months. You know, just to see if it was a good fit because my wife is very protective of us.

As she should be. She should be. And we talked, we felt really good about her. And then she said that she needed funding. And I said I'll pray about it. And the Lord opened up a door where she got funded to do the film. And one thing led to another. And we won a Sundance Award, which was just crazy. That's wonderful.

Becky Masterman

The name of the documentary is The Boys and the Bees, correct. Now, I don't want to jump to it too quickly, but it's is there a way for listeners to watch this movie?

Nehemiah Ray

It will be. So right now it's still on its festival run. And then after the tour run, it will be on well, prayerfully, it will be on PBS, and PBS will be airing that. And, you know, if anybody wants to stay in the loop, if you go to our Instagram or sign up for our newsletter, we'll let everybody know. when that comes out.

Jeff Ott

You have a website and Instagram. We'll provide that information on our website in the show notes for this episode.

Becky Masterman

When was the documentary released? Was it the end of 2025?

Nehemiah Ray

or 2025? 2025. Yes. Yes. The first it premiered in 2025.

Becky Masterman

Did you go to Sundance?

Nehemiah Ray

Yes, so it actually premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival first and then we went there. We took a train ride there and the boys really loved that. They had a fun time doing that. And then it got into Sundance and we did go to Sundance for that as well

Jeff Ott

Sundance in Utah or was it had they moved already? Yes, it was in Utah.

Nehemiah Ray

Correct.

Jeff Ott

The last one in Utah. That's a very pretty area of Utah, so I'm glad your boys got to see that. It's really spectacular. When people hear about the boys and the bees, they expect to be a film about perhaps beekeeping. But it's a lot more than that. It's really about family and childhood and connection to the land. What story were you hoping to tell? I mean, or did you just say, well, we'll just be our family and you film it? Just curious how that worked.

Nehemiah Ray

You want the real answer?

Jeff Ott

Or the well tell me tell me what your PR person wants you to say, and then tell me the truth.

Nehemiah Ray

No, no, no. There's I'm just teasing. I mean to be honest with you, how we decided to go through it. Ariel said, Hey I'm not sure what the storyline's going to be here. What we’ll do is come over every season for about a week. So spring, summer, fall, winter, and we'll film and do things, and we'll see what storyline comes from it. And so we knew that it was going to be something around bees and something around us. It was just like perfect timing because we were looking for our land for four years we were searching for a property and it always fell through.

It just we would be so close and it just would fall through. And as soon as we started filming, As soon as we started filming, the door opened where we were able to purchase the land. And so it shifted from like trying to find land to oh they got land and oh we have to move the bees to our property. And so it shifted to that. And that was very unexpected. I mean, there was no way we could have planned that. So it was a lot of footage that she collected for 18 minutes. Right.

Jeff Ott

I'm sure there's a lot of stories there. As a father, one of the most touching parts of the film was the scene where your son hadn’t been stung and wanted to be stung and he wanted to be stung. It's a very touching and loving part of the film. Talk that through for us.

Nehemiah Ray

My youngest son, Arrow, is his name. He’s been stung several times.

Becky Masterman

just like his dad.

Nehemiah Ray

Yes, yes. He is like me. he would just walk outside and step on a bee, you know, with his bare feet and it's he's been stung several times. But he's not allergic. Right? Literally the day before I've been stung several times and the day before my wife was getting the bee suits for us And somehow there was a bee in the bee suit still. And it got out and stung her on the arm. And when it stung her, she had an allergic reaction. Because supposedly Beekeepers' families have a high potential to be allergic to bee stings, I guess, because of exposure from putting the bee suits in the washing machine.

I'm not sure how that works

Becky Masterman

The proteins in the venom. Yeah, it's the proteins of the venom. The exposure to it. Beekeepers and beekeepers' families are more likely to become allergic because of the contact, but also the irregular contact because if you get if you get introduced to it for, for example, this the spring, summer, fall season, and then you go all winter and then you don’t get a sting until spring, your immune system it's more likely to have the immunoglobulins shift in their balance and then that could cause an allergic reaction. It's unfortunate, but it's beekeepers

Nehemiah Ray

their families in the spring season, so Wow, that's very interesting. Yeah. Yeah, thank you for that. But she got stung, had an allergic reaction. And the next day, I'm doing some bee work and I get stung again. And he literally came up with this on his own that he was like, hey, Everybody in my family's been stung and I haven’t. He was feeling you know they have yeah, like well almost a sense of left out but a compassion or empathy—“I want to know” how it feels for you know them to go through this and so And it just so happened that my wife wasn't there that night.

And I looked up at the director like Should I? And I was like well son if you want to I can get the bee for you just to see how you’ll respond honestly I didn't think he would say yes but he said yes yeah let's let's do it

Jeff Ott

I did notice in the film that little bit of hesitation where you thought it wasn't so much about your son getting stung, it's about whether you would survive telling the story to your wife. How much danger am I putting myself into?

Nehemiah Ray

I did. It was a very quick thought: She would not like this at all. I got that. It was funny. And so he decided that he wanted to do it. So he still was a little hesitant, but I knew that I know my son. And when he makes up his mind—“I want to do it”, the fear, just like anybody, you know, the fear can still be there, but I knew he really wanted to because he brought it up and he said that he was going to go through it himself. And so then as a father, I try to lean into those situations. and push him past his fears.

Cause he was hesitant, right? I had to still talk him through and almost like, no son, you wanted to do it? Let's do it, you know? Because you wanted to. He did it and he was very proud of himself afterwards. He was he was very, very proud. Even my youngest son, Arrow said Carver, that was an award-winning bee sting. That was an award-winning bee sting. That's awesome. Which it really was. Yeah. It's what really made the whole movie.

Jeff Ott

as a father to a father, your compassion and your willingness to I don’t want to say share it, but experience it with your son. and guide him through that. I guess what I mean is, guide your son through that experience was very touching. Well done.

Nehemiah Ray

Well thank you. I'm always very humbled by the fact that when we show the film, there's a lot of men, a lot of fathers, or just a lot of young men, or even older men, they come up to me and I've had people crying. I have had people just very much moved and touched by that scene and really I think it's multiple reasons why. Like I'm somebody I really take fatherhood very seriously. I think it's the most important thing that I can do with my life is to raise up good strong men.

And anytime I watch a scene on Fathers doing anything with their children, like I just start bawling and I can't even help myself. Like it could be a silly scene and I'm just crying. Because I think a lot of a lot of men and my dad was in my life. I have a great father. Great father. But I think it's just Something that all men think it's a longing, a desire that we all just have deep inside of us to connect with our fathers and then the same with our sons, and it's just such an emotional deep touching situation and so it's very humbling. So thank you, Mr. Jeff.

That means a lot.

Jeff Ott

Sure, and it's not shared often. That was what really stood out as It’s an emotional experience that is desired by many, but not often shared. And here it was being shared in this format between a man and his son. And it was just like, that is so rewarding and a rare capture. So kudos to you and your family and to the director for being there at that moment. And the cameraman. I don't know if that producer and the camera person were the same person, but being there and capturing it the way they did was phenomenal. Fernando was the cameraman, and he was great. Ariel was great, too.

Jeff Ott

Shout out to Fernando.

Nehemiah Ray

Yes, Fernando, Ariel. They were all it was a dream team.

Becky Masterman

After watching the film I felt like It was such an intimate look into your family and it showed such a lovely family. And I felt like we were watching childhood memories develop. And then there was also the nostalgia for some even personal childhood memories. You captured that so well it was just and I just immediately thought it was so generous of you to share that with everybody. So that's it's it's a lot to put yourself out there. It is definitely a film that does make you emotional when you watch it. And then it helps that they're

Nehemiah Ray

bees there that you know it's icy I can't bees make it better the bees always make it sweeter. Yeah they're sweeter. Better bees. Better bees make it better.

Jeff Ott

Better bees—hey We'll go with that. This film just really kind of weaves beekeeping into family life and more than just a hobby. It is really kind of woven into the fabric of your family, at least in the way the film is presented. Has raising the children changed anything about the way you work with your bees, and has anything working with the bees changed the way you work with your children?

Nehemiah Ray

I think any beekeeper that You know, really pays attention. You learn a lot from the bees. You can learn a lot from the bees. And The bees have changed our life, not just for the film, but actually I actually do talks with the people and I have like seven I do a lot of work with youth. And so, you know, we have youth come over to our Nature Education Center for programs, or I go to schools or you know, just present and I have more than thirty-five different lessons and principles that I've learned for success through beekeeping.

But there's seven of them that I really try to stick with just because, you know, 30 something, that's a lot to go through. That's a lot to go through But it's like seven core ones that have really fundamentally changed how I look at life from what I’ve learned from the bees. And so It has changed how I parent. Even in how you work with the bees, you have to be more Careful, you have to be more conscious. You have to be cognizant. You can't just have quick movements, you know, and each hive is totally different. And I think it's the same way with each child. Each child is totally different.

The temperament of each child is different, just like the temperament of each queen is different. And so they have taught me a lot as well with my children. I teach them the principles that we learn that I've learned from the bees and so it it's it's quite phenomenal.

Jeff Ott

Well Nehemiah this has been a wonderful, sitting and chatting with you. The film The Boys and the Bees is a wonderful film and I really strongly encourage our listeners to watch for it to be available on PBS or anywhere else. And good luck on your journey. This is wonderful. I look forward to hearing more

Nehemiah Ray

Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Jeff. I appreciate that.

Becky Masterman

It’s been such a pleasure. Thank you for being so open and honest with us. I think you've really brightened our day, so thank you.

Nehemiah Ray

Well you all have brightened my day. It's been a real privilege to be here today. Thank you to you both and your audience, Ms. Becky. And thank you all. I really appreciate it.

Jeff Ott

I am going to go back and re-watch that movie. It's it's really fun. Nehemiah just has a great family.

Becky Masterman

It was so much fun. It's kind of I guess that's what we should have expected based upon being able to see the film and just how sweet, gentle, and kind. He was in the film and that certainly is him as a beekeeper. It was great. It was great to meet him.

Jeff Ott

I encourage our listeners, as I said earlier. If you get a chance to see this, it's not a long film, what is it, 18 minutes or something. 18 minutes. It's just a very enjoyable 18 minutes of sharing time with another beekeeper and their lovely family And that about wraps it up for this episode of Beekeeping Today. Before we go, be sure to follow us and leave us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts or wherever you stream the show. Even better, write a quick review to help other beekeepers discover the show. You can get there directly from our website by clicking on the reviews tab on the top of any page.

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