Honey Bee Behavior Episodes

Dr. Dewey Caron explains the remarkable dance language of honey bees, exploring how scout bees communicate food location, distance, direction, and resource quality through the round dance, sickle dance, and waggle dance. Along the way, he highlights the pioneering work of Karl von Frisch and the continuing discoveries that deepen our understanding of honey bee communication.

Dave Wade joins Beekeeping Today to discuss his fascinating experiments exploring how honey bees move wax throughout the hive. By providing supplemental wax and using colored wax to track its movement, Dave has documented how colonies recycle and relocate wax for comb construction, brood rearing, honey capping, and hive maintenance. Along the way, he shares practical insights on drawing comb, managing honey-bound colonies, and helping bees build comb later in the season.

In this Bee Science with Dewey, Dewey explores the rapid growth of honey bee colonies in spring and the management decisions beekeepers face during this critical season. Dewey discusses how pollen availability, weather, and nutrition drive brood production and colony expansion, while also increasing the risk of swarming and varroa mite reproduction. The episode reviews current research on protein supplementation, including studies from the University of Guelph, the USDA, and Washington State University, highlighting how supplemental feeding can support stronger spring buildup and improved overwintering success. Dewey also examines brood breaks, swarm prevention, colony evaluation methods, and the importance of balancing growth with pest management. Throughout the discussion, Dewey emphasizes practical observation and individualized colony management, reminding beekeepers that no two colonies—or spring seasons—are exactly alike.

Chip Taylor and Gard Otis return to discuss Africanized honey bee swarming, sharing research, field observations, and how these bees reproduce and spread differently from European colonies.

Returning guests Dr. Chip Taylor and Dr. Gard Otis revisit queen mating, DCAs, and Africanized honey bees—exploring what we know, what we still don’t, and how decades of research have reshaped long-held assumptions.

How do honey bees survive winter — and what role does clustering really play? In this first episode of Bee Science with Dewey, Dr. Dewey Caron explains the biology behind winter clustering and what it means for colony survival.

In this December Beekeeping Today Short, Dr. Dewey Caron explores what hive debris analysis can tell us about colony health and seasonal activity. From mite levels to cluster size, pollen use, pests, and even signs of queen events, Dewey walks listeners through how bottom-board “trash” provides surprising insights. He also highlights new research and practical examples from beekeepers applying debris-reading in the field. A science-rich, practical episode that previews Dewey’s upcoming monthly series, Bee Science with Dr. Dewey Caron.

In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Dr. Dewey Caron returns with his monthly audio postcard—this time focused on August mite management and a remarkable discovery about honey bee learning. Dewey reminds beekeepers that August is a critical month to monitor and treat for varroa mites before their populations explode. He shares updates on new and emerging treatments, including Norroa (a dsRNA-based biopesticide), Mite Bee Gone (L-glutamic acid strips), and Apivar 2.0, as well as best practices...

In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Dr. Dewey Caron returns with another insightful “audio postcard,” this time exploring the marvel of honey—its meaning for honey bees, its significance for beekeepers, and its surprising impact on human health. Dewey begins by examining how we define honey, touching on both scientific and regulatory perspectives, including recent efforts like the proposed Honey Integrity Act. He then dives into how honey is processed by bees—from nectar foraging to enzym...

In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Dr. Dewey Caron returns with his latest “audio postcard,” diving into summer apiary management. As the season heats up, Dewey asks: are we unknowingly stressing our bees through our supering choices? Drawing from a recent Brazilian study led by Dr. David De Jong, Dewey explores the physiological impacts of over-supering on honey bee colonies. The research found that adding too many foundation supers at once can elevate stress markers in forager bees—pot...

On this special edition of Shorts, Dr. Dewey Caron shares another “audio postcard” exploring the vital role of communication in supering—adding boxes to a hive for nectar storage and honey production. Dewey explains how supering is a message...

In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Dr. Dewey Caron returns with an “audio postcard” on one of spring’s biggest challenges: swarming. In less than 20 minutes, Dewey breaks down the science and management strategies of swarming across three...

In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, we welcome back Dr. Dewey Caron for a quick yet insightful Audio Postcard on honey bee communication – Bee Scientist to Beekeeper, Beekeeper to Bee, and Bee to Bee. Dr. Caron shares timely advice for...

In this episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast, Jeff and Becky welcome an extraordinary young researcher, Vince Wu, a high school senior and Davidson Fellow Scholarship winner. Vince’s groundbreaking research combines artificial intelligence and honey...

Kick off 2025 with an insightful conversation featuring Dr. David Peck, Director of Research and Education at Betterbee, as he joins Jeff and Becky to discuss the year’s hottest trends and challenges in beekeeping. From cutting-edge varroa control...

In this episode, hosts Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman sit down with John Hill, the innovative force behind HillCo Bees, a quickly emerging player in the beekeeping equipment industry. John shares his inspiring journey from a young enthusiast to a...

(#276) In this enlightening episode, we are joined by Dr. Kaira Wagoner of Optera, who introduces us to groundbreaking research in bee hygiene. Kaira shares her extensive study on hygienic behavior in honey bees, a critical trait that helps colonies...

(#271) In this enlightening episode of the Beekeeping Today Podcast, hosts Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman welcome Dr. Thomas Seeley, a celebrated biologist and author, to discuss his latest book, "Piping Hot Bees & Boisterous Buzz Runners: 20...

(#264) In this week’s episode, we explore into the fascinating world of drones with Dr. Brock Harpur from Purdue University. Listen and discover the critical role drones play in bee colony health and how current research is challenging previous...

We are excited to bring you this packed episode. We start with Jeff talking with Becky Masterman, from the Minnesota Honey Producers Assn. about the USDA-ARS National Publication 305 (NP-305) and its importance.  Next Jeff and Kim talk with Dr....

Anyone who's watch the front entrance of a hive or watched honey bee gathering nectar and pollen from flowers on a tree or a field of flowers has wondered about the life of a bee. That ultimately leads to the wonderment of just what does a bee...

Today, we talk with Julia Mahood, a Master Beekeeper in Georgia. Julia is fascinated with drone honey bees and especially Drone Congregation Areas. To find out more about DCA’s, she is on a quest to find as many as she can across her Georgia...

In this replay from the Beekeeping Today Podcast Archive Super, we talk with Dr. Tom D. Seeley. We originally talked with Tom in 2019. Dr. Seeley is a Horace White Professor in Biology at Cornell University where he teaches courses on animal behavior, specializing in...

In this episode, we talk with Steve Repasky about his book, Swarm Essentials, published by WicWas Press in 2014. Steve is in the middle of updating his book and we found him ready to talk about swarming in general, and what’s new in the world of...