Short - Secrets of the Bees with Sammy Ramsey

Secrets of the Bees with Dr. Sammy Ramsey

Jeff Ott: Welcome to Beekeeping Today Podcast Shorts, your quick dive into the latest buzz in beekeeping.

Becky Masterman: In 20 minutes or less, we'll bring you one important story, keeping you informed and up to date.

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Becky Masterman: Brought to you by Betterbee, your partners in better beekeeping.

Jeff Ott: Hey everybody, welcome to the show. Sitting in the studio with Becky and me right now is Dr. Samuel Ramsey of University of Colorado in Boulder. Sammy, welcome back to the show.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: Hello, hello. So glad to be back.

Becky Masterman: Sammy, I don't know if we're going to be able to fit it all in in 20, but we're going to try, right?

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: We're going to make it happen. We're going to make it happen. I believe in us and we can always do a sequel.

Becky Masterman: Oh, I like that.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: A sequel to a short.

Jeff Ott: So does that become a pair of pants then? I like that. I like that a lot. Beekeeping Today Podcast Pants. Anyways, thank you, Sammy, for joining us today. And we want to talk to you about the new National Geographic docuseries Secrets of the Bees.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: Mm-hmm. Secrets of the Bees.

Jeff Ott: That's a fantastic series. And I did not know that you were a part of that

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: So I actually have been a part of this docuseries from the start. So National Geographic contacted me three years ago. About being a producer on the series. And I was really excited about this because I love science communication. But one area of science communication where I've not really been able to flex my muscles has been in the world of documentaries. And I've always wanted to, but I felt like that part of the world is cut off to me because I just can't imagine things. Like you, I am sure you see mental images, I'm sure, all the time. I have never seen one in my life. I don't know what it looks like. I don't know how you do that. So I thought like the visual science communication world was cut off to me. And being a producer has been so exciting because I get to help set the pace for what kind of exciting things we're going to bring to bear in this documentary and show to all of you.

Becky Masterman: When they approached you, Sammy, what did they say they wanted to do and then what did you end up doing?

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: So, when they approached me, they said they want to do a documentary about bees and all the fascinating things that make them bees. And they really wanted me to be able to help steer things in the direction of what are some interesting secrets about these insects. What are some things that people who think they know everything about bees already would be really surprised to hear? And that's why I really wanted to be involved with this project because so many people think that they know all there is to know about bees. We're on a beekeeping podcast. And it is my hope that literally every beekeeper under the sound of my voice is going to watch this documentary and go, I didn't know that. That too. Wow! That's the goal.

Jeff Ott: Like all things National Geographic, it's so visually oriented. Photography in it is stunning. I'm so excited. It is wonderful. If you if you don't learn anything, any factual thing, what you visually see and pick up will be new.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: Oh yeah. That was where things started. I had no idea how much they would expand from there because I was originally a producer on the documentary and so I provided all these ideas to them about all the cool things that I think that we should be able to show. And I had a lot of ideas fresh in my mind because I had just become a professor. I had just gotten acquainted with all this new equipment that I had available to me in my lab. And so I was seeing amazing things with the bees that I always like whenever I see these kinds of things, I always wish that beekeepers had the opportunity to see the cool stuff we're seeing in the labs. It's the reason why my presentations are structured the way that they are where, instead of me just talking to you about all the cool things, I want to show you amazing pictures of every incredible thing that I've ever seen since I've started being a researcher. The problem that we ran into was the runtime for the documentary. There was literally no way to get this into a feature-length documentary with all the different things that I wanted to show. And so it became clear when speaking with both the executive producer and some of the other individuals who are a part of this. Executive producer being James Cameron, by the way. I was going to ask you about that.

Becky Masterman: I was wondering if you're going to mention that.

Jeff Ott: Yeah. Absolutely off the wall. But so you and James are like

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: So at first when I first started working on all of this, I was mostly talking back and forth with individuals directly connected with National Geographic, and then we started connecting more with some of the Disney team. and it was really interesting my first opportunity to actually interact with with James Cameron was when his assistant who'd been following me on Instagram, which I did not know. But I when it when I spoke with her, she said, Of course we follow you on Instagram. We have to follow everybody just to make sure that you're not crazy. I'm like, oh yeah, okay, that makes sense. That makes sense. That's a very good point. You gotta vet everybody. But when they brought me into this experience, it was really exciting as a producer, but then they said, hey, so we're looking at your Instagram page, and your style of singing is really interesting. It really, it's very emotionally arresting. and I was like, oh okay. So can we have a meeting about that? Like yeah, sure. And in this meeting, I was like with James Cameron and his his assistants they asked me if I would be willing to make some music for the documentary. And so I worked on two songs. one of them I was just really excited about being in the documentary, but then they decided, you know what We don't want there to be any words in the background. So we decide to go in a different direction. Could you do like, you know, swells and oohs and ahs and harmonies? And so if you listen to the documentary, you'll hear my vocals underneath. And you know, they're they're kind of subtle at times, but I feel like they bring this warm, light feel. to some of the different parts of it or that cold sad feel when the Varroa mite starts eating the bees.

Jeff Ott: You heard the one in the back and I'm going, dun. Exactly. Exactly. Well I will t tell you that I felt for the bees, I felt like you were like going back to the jaws thing, I thought you were throwing chum in the water watching you pour those Varroa mites in the observation hive. That was that was I well that was the first time I've ever watched something like that and said, oh my gosh, he's not all those poor bees. And then just watching all those Varroa mites just rain down on the bees and that. And that was that I don't know. That took me back. It should take you back.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: I think it should take everybody back. I knew when we were filming the scene, I was like, oof every beekeeper in the world is going to be like, No, Dr. Sammy, don't do it. But but remember, we are making the world better for the bees and the beekeepers in this instance. So the bees that I was pouring those mites on are heavily resistant to Varroa mites. We actually got them from the USDA through their breeding program. The USDA's bee breeding and genetics lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is absolutely fantastic. And the work that they have put into ensuring that these bees are going to be able to fight off the mites is really quite incredible. And so I really wanted to highlight that in the documentary because we were consistently surprised when we got the bees, like the goal was to test how Varroa resistant are they? And I was thinking something fairly modest, but when I started seeing how effective they were at actually just brushing the mites off, they're capable of recognizing that the mites are present on their bodies. They're capable of recognizing the mites beneath the brood cap. That's really, really, really cool. And I wanted to show that in the documentary. so it it it did require me to add some mites to the mix so that you could see what happens immediately under that set of circumstances. But no, the colony was totally fine. those mites did not rain down and remain. They were brushed off and murdered.

Jeff Ott: Well I saw that one had the carapace of the the mite looked like it had been bitten. Yes. Are they are they biting the mites as well?

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: I so I have yet to see the actual mite biting behavior., at least not on camera, but I've had the opportunity to see the aftermath of it. And you'll see these indentations in the mite's body And even though it might not look like that's a fatal situation, the mite's breathing system and its digestive system is right below that section where the bees are biting, and so it ruptures tissues that are essential to the mites just life in general.

Jeff Ott: Wow. Wow.

Becky Masterman: Let me take a step back. So this is it's not a documentary, it's a docuseries. How many episodes are there, Sammy?

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: So there are two episodes of this docuseries, and that is because We couldn't fit everything into the original runtime. Even after I pared down a lot of the ideas that I had in the very beginning for this documentary, there was still just too much for us to fit in because I'm not the only producer for the documentary, and so there were other people with ideas too of like, oh, let's go to Australia and show the the Dawson's bees, at which I just want you all to know that whole scene I was very disturbed by. Like those Dawson's bees are rough when they're trying to mate., but it's all of these different ideas. It's all of these different ideas that came together at once, and we had to figure out how do we get them into the runtime. And eventually we realized an hour and 30 minutes wasn't going to quite cut it. And so two 50-minute episodes gave us enough time and space to get all of the ideas in.

Becky Masterman: Okay.

Jeff Ott: It's really amazing. And then and your work with the the host of the show and the the camera person was someone named I shouldn't say someone, but is named Bertie Gregory. Gregory, yeah. Is he a beekeeper as well or is he just a cinematographer?

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: So Bertie Gregory is a cinematographer who has worked on quite a few different documentaries to his name at this point. And he's a young guy. He's done some really cool work in these different docuseries. And so National Geographic wanted to recruit him for this one. And so He was able to do some cool close-up filming of the Oh, wool carder bees on these lamb's ear plants. was just a really cool set of scenes that he was able to film of what the bees are doing in these different spaces. yeah, I mean between him, Alistair McEwen, who is the the lead cinematographer for the documentary John Brown,, Justin McGuire, when I tell you that the team that they assembled, it is just composed of some of the biggest names in blue chip documentary work, and I was so proud to get to work with them And it was shocking to me to get messages from them on WhatsApp where they're like, Would love to work with you on another project. Please do let me know if there's any cool ideas you have for a documentary. You can pitch them to me. We'll figure out how to make it happen. It's just It's it's amazing when you see somebody who's really great at what they do and you're admiring them, and then you come to find out they're also looking back at you going, wow, I love what you do.

Jeff Ott: Yeah. Wow, that's flattering. That'd be really, really fun. That'd be really fun.

Becky Masterman: Great for the bees too. You're kind of like their spokesperson.

Jeff Ott: So that's the goal to be a bee ambassador. Yes. What's the feedback been on the series so far?

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: Okay. So brace yourselves.

Jeff Ott: Yes.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: Secrets of the Bees is the number one show on the Disney platform. Number one.

Becky Masterman: Excellent.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: So out of everything that you could stream on that platform, we are out there kicking butt and taking names, and I am so excited about that because the bees themselves. The whole secret sub-series, so there's been secrets of the whales, secrets of the elephants, secrets of the octopus, secrets of the penguins. The whole secret sub-series, the goal of it is to take an organism that is already incredibly familiar to you, and then teach you things about it you never would have thought. you would learn about these organisms to make them fresh and new and interesting again. And to do that with bees is a really tall order because I mean everywhere you go on Instagram and TikTok, people are like, oh cool, I'm going to save the bees by leaving out a bottle cap of sugar water on my deck. And there's there's a lot of excitement around what to do about the bees. There's a lot of very strong statements being made about like, oh, if the bees die, all of humanity is going to be dead in two years and All kinds of things like that. Overstated some of these statements. Right. But it shows that there is a lot of excitement and interest in the bees themselves. So to take this context And then try to make bees something that feels fresh and vibrant and and new can be pretty difficult to do. And I feel like this documentary was able to pull it off. And I'm really proud that I got to be a part of that because it is still performing with absolutely beautiful numbers after what twenty-seven days since its debut? And I'm just super excited. Well it's been a great spring for

Jeff Ott: The secrets of bees then.

Becky Masterman: Mm-hmm. You said the Disney platform. So beekeepers have to figure out how to get on to the Disney platform. Which is now I'm not saying that's a tall order, but it for some.

Jeff Ott: It's also available on Hulu.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: That is correct. Okay. So remember Disney owns Hulu. Okay. so it you can find it on Disney+ or on Hulu And Hulu.

Jeff Ott: Okay. Does National Geographic have a channel?

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: I don't I don't know if they have a National Geographic has a channel on Disney+.

Jeff Ott: on Disney+. All right. Well I encourage anybody to not, you know, share or steal or anything like that, but if you get a chance to go look at Get on Disney+. Even if you have to go to your local circuit city and and tune it up on the TV and watch Secrets of the Bees, it is a really good series for beekeepers for or for anybody in general who wants to learn more about bees and the this world of bees.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: Absolutely. I would love for more people to see this work. Not just because it's been three years in the making, not just because I'm excited to have my name attached to it, but because I feel like it r it's It's really met its goal. when we had some strategy meetings about what we wanted this documentary to accomplish The thing that I said was I really want to see it inspire a sense of interspecies empathy in people. And I think through John Brown, Alistair McEwen, Justin McGuire and definitely through James Cameron,, with all of them putting their heads together about how we could do this, they found ways to transition back and forth between the vantage point that you would have if you were looking at the bee and the vantage point of the bee itself And I feel like it really puts you in the position of what it would be like to be that bee. All the challenges, all of the hardships, all the strange things that were going on, and the ways that they were able to make this happen. I mean, the utilization of the lenses that they brought together to I mean some of this the shots that you'll see here, you'll have to think, how did they get that shot? And I'm here to tell you they used endoscopy lenses. The same lenses that if you go to your gastro doctor and they go whoop Those lenses are their like their secret to getting these amazing shots of these bees in the tiniest little cracks and crevices and little holes and burrows they live in And it allows you almost this feeling like you're spying on the bees, like you're seeing something you're not supposed to be able to see. And it is amazing.

Jeff Ott: I'm sure there's a lot more footage available in the where is that going to appear? Is there a an episode three, season two?

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: There is no episode three, but If enough people watch Secrets of the Bees, especially in the first 45 days, this is a period of time where the documentary is really being evaluated to see like: How popular is it? How engaged is the public with it? How much are people sharing this documentary? That could result in potentially a sequel. Oh, that's exciting.

Becky Masterman: I hear a challenge.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: Yeah, you definitely hear a challenge. Everybody watch this documentary, share it to your beekeeping groups. Leave it on in the background while you're cleaning your apartment.

Becky Masterman: Watch it over and over and over again. Yes.

Jeff Ott: Watch it on multiple devices. Precisely.

Becky Masterman: Multiple screens.

Jeff Ott: Sammy, I really appreciate you taking the time this afternoon to come and share with us the secrets of the bees, the National Geographic docuseries. It really is, all kidding aside, wonderful photography and a superbly produced series on National Geographic that any beekeeper or anybody who likes nature will really enjoy.

Becky Masterman: Any human being needs to see it. That's what I'm hearing. Let's just broaden it out. If you're alive, you need to see it.

Dr. Sammy Ramsey: There are just a few more days of Earth Month, and this is a great way to celebrate but also every day is Earth Month, so watch it.

Becky Masterman: Love it. Well said.