Dave McComb: From One Hive to a Thriving Beekeeping Business (348)

In this episode, Jeff and Becky welcome Indiana beekeeper Dave McComb to share his journey from inheriting one defensive hive in 2018 to managing over 100 colonies, producing honey, nucs, and queens with remarkable success. Dave explains how he quickly immersed himself in beekeeping education, adopted single-deep hive management, and built an operation known for exceptionally low winter losses. Beyond management techniques, Dave opens up about his business growth, from building a website and learning social media outreach to creating innovative honey products—like single-serve honey packets for athletes, inspired by his years as a competitive cyclist. He also discusses the value of honey shows, where his award-winning creamed honey has earned recognition at the state, national, and ABF levels. Whether you're curious about improving colony survival, queen management, or expanding your beekeeping into a thriving sideline business, Dave's story is full of inspiration and practical takeaways. Websites from the episode and others we recommend: Dave McComb's Apiary Website: https://www.mccombees.com Indiana Queen Breeders Assn: https://www.iqbaindiana.com BTP Episode with Randy Oliver: https://www.beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/318 Project Apis m. (PAm): https://www.projectapism.org Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org The National Honey Board: https://honey.com Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com Copyright © 2025 by Growing Planet Media, LLC ______________ Betterbee is the presenting sponsor of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers . See for yourself at www.betterbee.com This episode is brought to you by Global Patties ! Global offers a variety of standard and custom patties. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode! Thanks to Bee Smart Designs as a sponsor of this podcast! Bee Smart Designs is the creator of innovative, modular and interchangeable hive systems made in the USA using recycled and American sourced materials. Bee Smart Designs - Simply better beekeeping for the modern beekeeper. Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about their line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry . _______________ We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com Thank you for listening! Podcast music: Be Strong by Young Presidents ; Epilogue by Musicalman ; Faraday by BeGun; Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus ; A Fresh New Start by Pete Morse ; Wedding Day by Boomer ; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music ; Red Jack Blues by Daniel Hart ; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott. Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC Copyright © 2025 by Growing Planet Media, LLC