Manitoba Beekeeping on YouTube

YouTube can be a double-edged sword. Why?

Context matters. Local environment, regulations, pests and diseases, forage, climate, resources, and beekeeper goals all shape management decisions. Beekeepers operating in the exact same region can approach things very differently. Just because your neighbour is doing something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right approach for you, your colonies, or your weather forecast – but, other perspectives still offer ideas, insights, and hints of practical know-how. Whether you want to see how a small-scale beekeeper constructs his first indoor wintering shed, get split making tips from a seasoned beekeeper, or see equipment types and construction, there’s a lot of local knowledge and historical record accumulating on YouTube channels.

Experience matters. Beekeeping YouTube shouldn’t be your only guide, nor do most content creators try to make viewers think like them or manage their colonies or businesses in the same way. Rather, it simply offers a window into ways of thinking, approaches to colony management, and business models, including the steps and challenges along the way.

Lastly, ideas and feedback from peers are not the same as systematic assessments or tried and true practices producing desired outcomes (1). 

In beekeeping, nothing replaces direct, hands-on experience with bees and the local environment; in-person mentors, time invested, optimizing use of your infrastructure/resources, and learning from mistakes and seasonal variability are never-ending invaluable teachers. The perspectives we find on YouTube represent only a slice of the beekeeping possibilities in any given location.

All told, YouTube matters. As a social network, information platform, and hub for informal learning, it has an enormous influence on practices, politics, and how we connect with one another.

That said, this quote from Christine McDonald of Rushing River Apiaries in B.C. drives home how great it is to be off of internet into a room with our fellow beekeepers:

“For me, as someone who is far removed from people, getting out and going to those conferences once or twice a year is everything. It makes me sad that a lot of people are finding all of their education on YouTube nowadays, because I think that getting together in a room with like-minded people and learning together has a value that you will never get on YouTube. I still want to put my effort into making it out to those conferences, and I’m hoping that through being on the executive, I can help draw people from the online space into the in-person space.”