Honey Bee Management Episodes

Recorded live at the Tri-States Beekeeping Conference in Fargo, North Dakota, this special panel discussion brings together four respected voices in beekeeping: Randy Oliver, Jackie Park-Burris, Dr. Katie Lee, and Dr. Rogan Tokash. Moderated by Jeff Ott and Dr. Becky Masterman, the panel examines the current state of honey bee health, including Varroa mite management, resistance to amitraz, advances in breeding mite-resistant bees, honey bee nutrition, forage availability, pesticides, and the economics affecting both commercial and hobbyist beekeepers. The discussion also addresses the future of almond pollination, the importance of applied research, and how collaboration between scientists and beekeepers continues to drive practical solutions for healthier colonies.

Chris Hansen joins Beekeeping Today to discuss the fascinating and often-overlooked world of package bee transportation. Drawing on nearly thirty years of beekeeping experience and years operating a specialized bee-hauling business, Chris explains how package bees are safely transported across the country, the importance of airflow and temperature management, and the logistical challenges involved in moving thousands of bees. Jeff and Becky also discuss spring management, honey supers, swarm prevention, and answer a listener question about common misconceptions among third-year beekeepers.

Beekeepers from across North America reunite for the Spring 2026 Regional Beekeepers Roundtable. Ang Roell, Bonnie Morse, Duane Combs, Jay Williams, and Paul Longwell compare regional honey flows, Varroa management strategies, small hive beetle challenges, queen breeding efforts, honey marketing, and innovative beekeeping projects. The discussion includes practical lessons, field observations, and plenty of entertaining stories from the bee yard.

Spotted lanternfly honey is gaining attention across the beekeeping world. In this episode, Jeff and Becky talk with Dr. Robyn Underwood and Dr. Ferhat Ozturk about what this honey really is, how it’s produced, and what it means for beekeepers navigating invasive species.

Tara Chapman returns to discuss her book For the Bees, her biology-first approach to teaching beekeeping, and how she built a successful bee business starting with just two hives in Austin, Texas.

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Priyadarshini “Priya” Basu of Washington State University to discuss two major topics shaping the future of beekeeping: the upcoming COLOSS North America meeting and the evolving science of honey bee nutrition. COLOSS (Prevention of Colony Losses) is an international nonprofit network of more than 2,000 honey bee researchers across 113 countries. For the first time, a multi–task force North American meeting will be held June 6–12 at Washington State Univer...

Dewey Caron introduces colony necropsy, showing how hive debris can diagnose colony health, seasonal progress, and unseen stress—giving beekeepers a simple, low-disturbance management tool.

What can the hive floor reveal about colony health? Scottish beekeeper Ray Baxter explains how studying hive debris—from pollen and wax to Varroa fragments, aka bottom-up beekeeping—can guide better management decisions and deepen understanding of honey bee biology.

A revisited beginner classic on how to get started in beekeeping, covering mentors, hive location, expectations, and first-year success.

Jeff and Becky answer listener questions on mentorship, overwintering, feeding bees, hive tools, monitoring systems, and common beekeeping myths in this wide-ranging Q&A episode.

What really happens inside a hive during extreme winter conditions? Etienne Tardif joins the podcast to share cold-climate insights on feeding, insulation, brood timing, and how data can reveal what bees need to survive winter.

What does a world-renowned honey bee researcher actually do in his own bee yard? Jeff Pettis returns to share insights on bee health, Tropilaelaps research, and the practical choices guiding his day-to-day beekeeping.

A thoughtful end-of-year conversation with Jeff Ott, Becky Masterman, and David Peck reflecting on the challenges and lessons of beekeeping in 2025—from varroa and viruses to smarter management and reasons for optimism heading into 2026.

In this Holiday Special episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast, Jeff Ott, Becky Masterman, and Jim Tew share a reflective conversation on bees, beekeeping, and the quieter rhythms of winter during Christmas week. The discussion explores what honey bees are doing inside winter clusters, how beekeepers can read subtle signs of life without opening hives, and why snow can sometimes reveal more than inspections. The hosts also reflect on winter losses, beekeeper intuition, and the balance between traditional observation and modern monitoring tools. As the year comes to a close, the conversation turns toward gratitude, resilience, and the promise bees represent — offering a thoughtful reminder of why beekeeping continues to inspire hope even in the coldest weeks of the season.

AJ and Chryssa Gardner share how a backyard garden turned into a thriving sideline beekeeping operation built on stewardship, nutrition, and respect for the bees. This thoughtful conversation explores why putting bees first leads to healthier colonies—and extraordinary honey.

BroodMinder joins Jeff and Becky to share big updates, new leadership changes, and the latest advances in hive-monitoring tools. Founder Rich Morris, software lead Amanda Stoltz, and global collaborator Lorenzo Pons discuss how sensors help beekeepers track colony health, nectar flows, and threats like hornets and mites. It’s a look at where BroodMinder is headed next and how data is shaping modern beekeeping.

Varroa mites remain the most destructive pest facing honey bees today—but a revolutionary new treatment may finally shift the balance. In this episode, Jeff Ott and Dr. Becky Masterman welcome Adam Pachl, North American Technical Manager for Bee Health at GreenLight Biosciences, to discuss Norroa, the first EPA-approved dsRNA-based treatment for Varroa mites. Norroa introduces a fundamentally new approach: instead of killing mites outright, it prevents them from reproducing. Adam explains how...

In this October Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Dr. Dewey Caron returns from Apimondia in Copenhagen and the Washington State Beekeepers Association Conference with another Audio Postcard—this time exploring the long-debated topic of condensing vs. ventilated hives. Dewey discusses three levels of communication central to his monthly series: bee scientist to beekeeper, beekeeper to bee, and bee to bee. Drawing on the work of Dr. Tom Seeley and Derek Mitchell of the University of Leeds, he exa...

In this special Beekeeping Today Podcast roundtable, Jeff Ott and Dr. Becky Masterman gather an inspiring group of regional beekeepers from across the U.S. to share how their colonies fared through the 2025 season and what they’re doing to prepare for winter. Joining the table are Ang Roell (They Keep Bees, Massachusetts), Bonnie Morse (Bonnie Bee & Company, California), Duane Combs (Arizona Beekeepers LLC), Jay Williams (Williams Honey Farm, Tennessee), and Paul Longwell (Washington). Each r...

Fall is one of the most critical times in the beekeeping calendar, and in this episode Jeff and Becky welcome Jim Tew of Honey Bee Obscura for a lively and practical discussion about preparing colonies for winter. The conversation starts with a listener's question about quilt boxes—what to put in them, how they work, and whether wood shavings, insulation, or even moisture boards are best. Jim, Jeff, and Becky share their own experiences and lessons learned about managing moisture and heat in ...

In this episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast, Jeff and Becky sit down with East Coast beekeeper and innovator Jim Fischer, the creator of Fischer’s Bee-Quick. Known for its pleasant almond-cherry aroma, Bee-Quick was developed as a safer alternative to harsh chemical repellents for removing honey from supers. Jim shares how his father challenged him to “solve the problem” of the dreaded butyric acid, leading him to experiment with aromatics until he distilled a solution that worked for both bees ...

In this episode, Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman welcome back Kamon Reynolds, Tennessee beekeeper and founder of the North American Honeybee Expo (NAHBE). Kamon shares how he balances managing over 150 colonies with organizing one of the largest beekeeping events in North America. Kamon discusses the logistics of moving bees to Wisconsin for basswood honey flows, keeping mite loads low through early-season oxalic acid slow release treatments, and maintaining young queens to build resilient colon...

In this BTP Short, Dr. Dewey Caron shares another of his “audio postcards,” this time exploring the critical role of fat bees—also known as diutinus bees—in helping colonies survive winter. Dewey explains how these long-lived worker bees differ from their summer sisters, with enlarged fat bodies, higher protein reserves, and lower juvenile hormone levels, all tied to the key blood protein vitellogenin. Drawing on published research papers, Dewey highlights how environmental cues such as decli...

In this milestone 350th episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast, Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman welcome Vikki Atkinson of Pennsylvania to share her deep experience managing over 100 Top-Bar hives. Vikki walks listeners through the unique design of Top-Bar hives, from follower boards and shims to the angled sides that encourage natural comb building. She explains how handling bars like a “steering wheel” prevents comb breakage, and why level placement is critical to success. With candor and clarity,...