Challenges of Beekeeping In Wildf...

Challenges of Beekeeping In Wildfire Area

Bee Love Beekeeping... presented by Mann Lake by Eric Bennett
S3 · E340
Oct 2, 2026
34:07

Episode notes

What happens when a surfer, a swarm of honey bees, and a wildfire-prone corner of Southern California collide? You get one heck of a beekeeping story!

Eric Bennett sits down with Eli Lichter-Mark, a small commercial beekeeper managing hundreds of hives around Topanga and Malibu. Eli shares how he went from catching swarms and repeatedly killing off his colonies to building a real bee business—complete with forklifts, flatbeds, almond pollination, a honey kitchen, and plenty of opportunities to get stung.

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Oh, and there’s Buckwheat, the bee-yard dog who apparently considers anything that buzzes—including motorcycles—a personal emergency.

But this episode gets seriously interesting when the conversation turns to keeping honey bees in a place where the weather can swing wildly and wildfires can turn an apiary into a pile of staples.

It’s a story about risk, resilience, sticky equipment, epic failures, and why anyone would voluntarily spend their days surrounded by thousands of flying insects. In other words… classic beekeeping.

VIDEO VERSION Now Available on Apple Podcasts and YouTube

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Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Mann Lake! https://www.mannlakeltd.com/

Mann Lake discount code: MLBEELOVE10 for $10 off your next order.

Follow Us: https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/follow/

https://www.beelovebeekeeping.com/

Eric@BeeLoveBeekeeping.com

Eli: https://www.elisbees.com/

Keywords

Beekeeping
Bees
Bee Love
Mann Lake
Bee Sting
Beehives
Varroa Mites
Africanized Bees
Commercial Beekeeping
Bee Sting Allergy

Where this episode is made