Notes from the Beeyard Archives - Notes from the Beeyard

I AM the Boss

Tom Theobald takes break from extracting honey.

Tom describes a near-perfect day in the beeyard. Laura asks, “Will there be a Season 2?”

Bear Stew

Tom Theobald remembers his guiding days in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Tom and Laura chat about Lulu, miller moths and “bear” stew.

Feeding All the Animals

Tom tells an entertaining story. Tom and Laura chat about Notes from the Beeyard.

Working the Nightshift

Tom Theobald addresses pesticides. Tom and Laura chat about the challenges of keeping bees near agriculture.

Nobody’s Down on the Farm Anymore

Old agricultural building (background), City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, South Boulder Road. Boulder, Colorado

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.

Queens in the Bank

Honeybee castes: workers, queen and drone, wood engraving, artist unknown

Tom Theobald extolls an elegant solution. Tom and Laura chat about banking queens.

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.

Promises…Promises

Tom acknowledges the promise of spring and makes a dire prediction.

Mr Mom Chicken Dog

Tom Theobald tells a story about a chicken tending dog named Pye. Tom and Laura chat about parental feelings.

The Birds and the Bees

Nesting box, Walker Ranch, Boulder, Colorado

Tom and Laura chat about nesting birds, wrens, bluebirds, and native bee boxes.

The Bluebirds Are Back

Spring snow, March 17th, 2022, South Boulder Creek West, Boulder County, Colorado

Tom recalls a shimmer of bluebirds in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Tom and Laura chat about a well lived life.

Peaceful Coexistence

Gearshift, Tom’s old Ford, photographed by Tracy Briggs

Tom and Laura chat about the pain of losing old friends and the beauty of working with bees.

Of Stings and Things

Viele-Van Vleet Ranch at Cherryvale and South Boulder Road, Boulder, Colorado

Tom Theobald hatches an eccentric idea. Tom and Laura chat about the oldest beeyard in Boulder County.

Loam Lust

Tom Theobald itches to get his hands dirty. Tom and Laura chat about Front Range soil.

Get Stung Much

A hollyhock flower in Tom Theobald’s garden, Niwot, Colorado 2015

Tom and Laura chat about pain and bee stings.

Signs of Spring

Tom Theobald observes a shift. Tom and Laura chat about what it feels like watch the seasons turn.

Motherhood

Barbara helping Tracy fish in the Flattops circa 1974, photographed by Rick Geesaman

Tom Theobald comments on the special bond between mothers and children.

Cluck Gable and Chicken George

Tom and Laura chat about what you can learn about life from watching roosters.

Chickens I Have Known

Tom Theobald remembers working with chickens as a young boy.

Memory Wood

Tom and Laura chat about wood heat and how to be a good friend.

New Subscribers

Out the south window of the Honey House an aging cottonwood reaches toward the winter sky, Boulder County, Colorado

Tom and Laura chat about readers and feeling vulnerable as a writer.

Down Left Hand Creek

Niwot people, Jerome Gould, Mrs. Nancy Hinman, and Platt Hinman, photo courtesy of the Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado

Tom Theobald tracks a bear. Tom and Laura chat about pungent smells, cottonwood trees, and Colorado people.

The Trap is Set

Wood engraving of a black bear, Thomas Bewick

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about the bear problem that emerged for Boulder County beekeepers in 1989.

The Niwot Light Company

Tom Theobald elaborates on beeswax. Tom and Laura chat about the little things in life that feel most important.

The Summer of the Bear

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about the nature of bears. Tom relays a story about a particularly skilled bear who raided numerous Boulder County beeyards.

My Nemesis Returns

Tom and Laura standing outside the Honey House, Boulder County, Colorado, August 2021

Laura Tyler remembers Tom Theobald. Tom and Laura laugh about beeyards and bears.

Closing Down

A yellow maple leaf glows near the Honey House, Boulder County, Colorado

Tom Theobald describes the bittersweet nature of fall.

A Special Friend Moves On

Two sweet miniature burros belonging to Tom’s friends Doyen and Jim Mitchell in Longmont, Colorado

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about losing a beloved animal friend.

September in the Honey House

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about the old fashioned machinery of the honey house. Tom reveals the heart of his business as a beekeeper.

Back Roads to Meeker

Tom Theobald remembers a road trip. Tom and Laura chat about the Meeker Classic and Australian Shepherds.

Extracting

Honey strainer in use at Tom Theobald’s honey house in Boulder County, Colorado

Tom Theobald describes the overwhelming aroma of honey. Tom and Laura chat about honey extracting tools.

Running on Empty

Tom Theobald takes stock of his annual honey harvest. Tom and Laura chat about a polite but tough question people ask about bees.

Nobody Motors Anymore

White Rocks Trail near Teller Farm South, Boulder County, Colorado

Tom Theobald paints a picture of small town life gleaned from The Niwot Tribune. Tom and Laura chat about pace and the perspective shift that happens when you work with bees.

Supering Up

Tom Theobald standing on a stepladder next to one of his two-queen colonies in Boulder County, Colorado, September 2002.

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about honey production. Tom describes two-queen beekeeping. Laura asks if two-queen beekeeping is practical with today’s bees.

The Beekeeper Is in Heat

Cottonwood tree, South Boulder Creek, Boulder, Colorado

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about Western Kingbirds and the beauty of beekeeping. Tom explains “air conditioning at a price I can afford.”

Millions and Millions of Bees

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about swarm season. Tom remembers the first swarm he ever saw as a boy in Arvada, Colorado.

Tom Theobald talks about maximizing honey production in Boulder County, Colorado. Tom and Laura chat about how beekeeping has changed since “Working Toward the Honey Flow” was first published in 1990.

First Stirrings of Spring

A bee foraging for dandelion pollen, Boulder, Colorado photographed by Laura Tyler.

Tom Theobald outlines the basics of spring survival for honeybees. Tom and Laura chat about dandelions, and about “what beekeeping does to you.”

Notes from the Beeyard

Tom Theobald standing next to one of his two-queen colonies in Boulder County, Colorado.

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler introduce themselves and welcome you to Notes from the Beeyard.

Categories: Notes from the Beeyard

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