Notes from the Beeyard
Notes from the Beeyard is a weekly podcast about the joys and disappointments of beekeeping.
From 1990 to 2016 Colorado beekeeper Tom Theobald wrote a weekly column, Notes from the Beeyard, for a regional farm and ranch magazine.
Tom's initial plan for Notes from the Beeyard was to document a single year in his life as a beekeeper - swarm management, working toward the honey flow, bears - and so on. Over time, the column grew to hold much more. Notes from the Beeyard is about the joys and disappointments of beekeeping. It’s about the Colorado landscape, friendship, the fabric of Western life, and the passage of time.
Listen to Notes from the Beeyard to hear Tom read stories about beekeeping. Enjoy the conversation that follows as Tom and Notes from the Beeyard podcast host, Laura Tyler, chat about Tom's stories.

Tom Theobold standing next to one of his two-queen colonies in Boulder County, Colorado.
Tom Theobald is an author and beekeeper who has lived and kept bees in Niwot, Colorado for over 40 years.
Laura Tyler is a media producer and visual artist with over 20 years experience keeping bees in Boulder, Colorado.
https://notesfromthebeeyard.buzz
From 1990 to 2016 Colorado beekeeper Tom Theobald wrote a weekly column, Notes from the Beeyard, for a regional farm and ranch magazine.
Tom's initial plan for Notes from the Beeyard was to document a single year in his life as a beekeeper - swarm management, working toward the honey flow, bears - and so on. Over time, the column grew to hold much more. Notes from the Beeyard is about the joys and disappointments of beekeeping. It’s about the Colorado landscape, friendship, the fabric of Western life, and the passage of time.
Listen to Notes from the Beeyard to hear Tom read stories about beekeeping. Enjoy the conversation that follows as Tom and Notes from the Beeyard podcast host, Laura Tyler, chat about Tom's stories.

Tom Theobold standing next to one of his two-queen colonies in Boulder County, Colorado.
Tom Theobald
"There are few crafts which draw one as intimately into the natural order of things as the bees do, and even after years of beekeeping I often found myself standing in awe at some event I witnessed in my work."Tom Theobald is an author and beekeeper who has lived and kept bees in Niwot, Colorado for over 40 years.
Laura Tyler
"I love talking with beekeepers and listening to stories about their lives because working with bees is fascinating and can feel adventuresome."Laura Tyler is a media producer and visual artist with over 20 years experience keeping bees in Boulder, Colorado.
https://notesfromthebeeyard.buzz
Episodes
41 episodes
I AM the Boss
Tom describes a near-perfect day in the beeyard. Laura asks, “Will there be a Season 2?” “This beeyard has long been one of my favorites under any conditions, but on this particular day, it was absolutely mesmerizing. It's great to ...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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12:51
Bear Stew
Tom Theobald remembers his guiding days in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Tom and Laura chat about Lulu, miller moths and "bear" stew. "Among the guests that evening, there were visions of steaming dishes filled with claws and hair and k...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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16:19
Feeding All the Animals
Tom tells an entertaining story. Tom and Laura chat about Notes from the Beeyard.Like some reptiles, this critter feeds infrequently and Sunday is the day. A favorite of many of my friends, it holds a strange appeal for me as well, ...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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18:38
Working the Nightshift
Tom Theobald addresses pesticides. Tom and Laura chat about the challenges of keeping bees near agriculture.“Our day is neither ending nor beginning, merely pausing as we enter the warm cafe for breakfast. We have been up since 2:00 A.M...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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21:09
Nobody's Down on the Farm Anymore
Tom Theobald explains why it’s important to educate people about agriculture. Tom and Laura chat about the city mouse/country mouse situation in Boulder County, Colorado. “It’s easy to talk about the philosophy of farming. It’s mor...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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16:17
Queens in the Bank
Tom Theobald extolls an elegant solution. Tom and Laura chat about banking queens."I had a significant financial investment in these queens and I didn’t want any of those queens to fail because I didn’t get them into the colonies as qui...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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18:21
Here Come the Credits
Tom Theobald considers his place in the world. Tom and Laura chat about the Left Hand Grange and being part of a community. "Beekeeping is more than a profession. It was a profession for me, but it was more than that. It was a...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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16:21
Promises…Promises
Tom acknowledges the promise of spring and makes a dire prediction."The promises aren’t always realized, but that’s what we build our lives on. The promise that when we plant things, they’re going to come up, and we’ll have enough w...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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15:59
Mr Mom Chicken Dog
Tom Theobald tells a story about a chicken tending dog named Pye. Tom and Laura chat about parental feelings."I wasn’t sure what was going to happen when we opened in the incubator. But clearly Pye’s interest in these chicks was as ...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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14:35
The Birds and the Bees
Tom and Laura chat about nesting birds, wrens, bluebirds, and native bee boxes."Anyone who is familiar with wrens knows that in the hot afternoons, when the rest of the birds are sulking in the shade, the house wrens are singing the...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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15:13
Episode 30 Coming Soon!
Tom speaks from the heart. Laura invites you to share your favorite episodes with your friends. "It’s my life. These stories are the essence of my life.“CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: T...
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5:47
The Bluebirds Are Back
Tom recalls a shimmer of bluebirds in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Tom and Laura chat about a well lived life. "In the distance, through a driving snow, a haze of blue appeared against a snowfield, then faded out of sight. Light sheet ...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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15:59
Peaceful Coexistence
Tom and Laura chat about the pain of losing old friends and the beauty of working with bees. "About halfway through the morning I took a break on the tailgate of the old Ford. As I sat there one of the many foragers in the air lande...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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22:33
Of Stings and Things
Tom Theobald hatches an eccentric idea. Tom and Laura chat about the oldest beeyard in Boulder County."I thought back to an ad I had seen for a golf chair. It was a one legged affair, like a giant golf tee, and it strapped to your wa...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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19:42
Loam Lust
Tom Theobald itches to get his hands dirty. Tom and Laura chat about Front Range soil. "I want soil so rich and friable that I can dip my hand in up to the elbow, soil that crumbles at the touch . . ."C...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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16:40
Get Stung Much
Tom and Laura chat about pain and bee stings. “I’ve had situations where I’ve had thousands of bees trying to drive me out of the beeyard and took between 750 and 1000 stings in about 15 minutes. I should have been horrified b...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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18:34
Signs of Spring
Tom Theobald observes a shift. Tom and Laura chat about what it feels like watch the seasons turn. "On the 29th of January I went out to do the morning chores. I looked into the chicken coop for the first time in several days ...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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17:10
Motherhood
Tom Theobald comments on the special bond between mothers and children."My behavior as a parent is not nearly as ferocious as what I saw in Barbara. I mean, ultimately I might have been just as ferocious, but there’s a special bond ...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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17:05
Cluck Gable and Chicken George
Tom and Laura chat about what you can learn about life from watching roosters. “He was no longer was willing to settle with being second fiddle. He had determined that he was going to be in charge, or he was going to be dead."<...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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21:47
Chickens I Have Known
Tom Theobald remembers working with chickens as a young boy. “We didn't invite them in for dinner or anything like that, but we learned their individual personalities, saw their social interactions, and discovered their quirks and f...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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17:20
Memory Wood
Tom and Laura chat about wood heat and how to be a good friend.“We developed a friendship that transcended the bees. I was drawn to him because he was a man of character and I could see that. He had strong convictions and strong bel...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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21:17
Episode 20 Coming Soon!
Hello. This is Laura Tyler, producer and host of Notes from the Beeyard. I’m checking in to let you know we’re extending our holiday break for one more week and will be back with Episode 20, Memory Wood, on January 14th.It’s been an ext...
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1:13
New Subscribers
Tom and Laura chat about readers and feeling vulnerable as a writer. "Like beekeeping, writing is a solitary craft, and it is only in the final product that the value of my efforts can be judged. It passes from my hands to places un...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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13:56