This week we hear about Oregon's Farm to School program and how it helps make the connection between Oregon agriculture and pollinators in the classroom.  We are joined by Rick Sherman (Farm to Child Nutrition Program Manager at the Oregon Department of Education) and Michelle Markesteyn (Farm to School Specialist at Oregon State University Extension), who also host a great podcast (available on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes).  

This week we talk about the upcoming (Sept 21, 2024) Oregon Honey and Mead Festival with organizer Sharon Schmidt (Cascade Girl Organization) and Marla Bull Bear, one of the presenters who is the Director, Lakota Youth Development and Honey Lodge Program. Details on this year's festival can be found at: https://www.cascadegirl.org

In this episode we hear from Susie Peterson who is the co-manager of the very popular Backyard Habitat Certification Program in Oregon. The program is managed in partnership with Portland Audubon and can help you better design your backyard for biodiversity. 

Honey bee queens are durable insects, but new research shows that the sperm they store can become quickly degraded by temperature extremes.

Pan traps are one of the key methods for surveying for native bees. They are cheap and easy to use, and they aren’t subject to the collector bias of studies that rely on netting. This week we hear about the limitations associated with using pan traps. 

Washington contended with two invasive insects in 2020. The first is well-known, Asian Giant Hornet, but the second less so, the common eastern bumble bee.  We caught up with the Washington Department of Agriculture for an update on both insects. 

It was hard to keep track of developments in bee health in 2020 because so much else was going on. In this episode we catch-you-up with a guest who wrote a post per day for since January showcasing what was new in bee health. 

The Washington State Legislature just received a set of ground-breaking recommendations on pollinator health from the state’s Pollinator Health Task Force. In this episode we hear about what is being recommended and the next steps towards addressing those recommendations.

Stem nesting bees like mason bees are particularly amenable to being introduced to distant lands. In this episode we hear about research looking into the impact of these introductions on native bee populations.

Devastating wildfires ravaged Western states this summer. In this episode we find out what is known about the effect of forest fires on bees, how bees respond to the land ravaged by fire and how you can help bees while also protecting your property from future fires.

US beekeepers have been struggling to manage varroa mites for over 30 years. Our guest discusses why a solution to varroa has been so elusive and what it would take to finally turn the corner with varroa over the next decade.

In this episode we learn about an initiative in Texas that engages thousands of families in education around pollinators, headed by the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC) and Prairie View A&M University. 

We have a very dim picture of the flowers bees collect pollen from. In this episode we hear about how lab techniques can be combined with field records of plant occurrences to show that bees may be using a lot more sources of pollen than we once thought.

Bumble bee queens have been known to try and take over already established nests. Sometimes they manage to take over the nest and increase their own reproductive success. But according to new research from Heather Grab this is not what happens when a wild bumble bee queen tries to take over a commercial bumble bee colony. 

The highest period of honey bee colony mortality is during the winter. But there are a number of tricks to ensure high colony survival. In this episode we visit a Canadian bee yard to learn about what they do.

Identifying bees is notoriously difficult and often is an obstacle to beginners interested in contributing to native bee surveys. In this episode we learn about a new initiative to identify bees with machine learning.

We have all heard about Asian Giant Hornet, but what are some of the other invasive pests that threaten pollinators? We hear about species of concern in Oregon as well as measures taken to prevent their introduction. 

Pollinator Partnership’s Bee Friendly Farming programs encourages and rewards growers for taking steps to improve pollinator health on farms. We hear about some new features of the program and how people can get involved. 

Native bees have secret and mysterious lives. Beyond their visits to flowers, they spend most of their lives beyond our experience. This week we hear from a sound artist whose work places us deep in the lives of our native bees.  

The OSU Pollinator Health Program and Oregon Bee Project have worked together to develop a first of a kind Extension certificate program, the Master Melittologist program. The program is designed for people passionate about native bees and who want to embark on the long term survey of these bees in the state.

Growers and applicators learn about pollinator health from a wide range of sources. In this episode we hear about an initiative by a coalition led by industry groups to reduce pesticide exposure to pollinators.

There is some great information being collected about Oregon bees by non-experts use phone apps like iNaturalist. In this episode we hear about how to produce a solid record and some of the top 10 bees people are finding. 

Do you ever wonder how good the area around you is for pollinators? This week we learn about a new tool that allows you to assess your landscape for flower resources, bee nesting habitat and aggregate pesticide use. 

Land Trusts punch above their weight in creating pollinator habitat. In this episode we talk with Greenbelt Land Trust of some of their innovative methods for restoring pollinator habitat on a working farm. 

How do you figure out what bees are in a state, both in the present and historically. You build a checklist! In this episode we learn about how checklists are made from a recent effort in Pennsylvania.

There are a growing number of people interested in native bees, but not many regional organizations you can belong to. Today we hear about an example of building such organizations in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

The common European honey bee is not the only species of honey bee. The biodiversity of the species Apis is rich in SE Asia. In this episode we get to know each of the species in detail.

Bee gardens involve matching plants that bloom at different times, to bees that emerge at different times. And not all bee species go to all flowers. In this episode we hear about how all these factors come together in Portland gardens. 

Social wasps are in the news these days. They are often confused with bees. This week we take a deep dive into the world of our most fascinating social wasps, the paper wasps.

Shrubs and trees are key to any landscape designed for pollinators. This episode we tap OSU’s shrub and tree expert to list the top picks for spring, summer and winter and to learn how to care for them.

Creating pollinator habitat on farms is not as simple as it sounds. To be successful the habitat has to integrate into the cropping system and have low establishment and maintenance costs. In this episode we hear about efforts to strike this balance in Oregon vineyards.

It’s been over 10 years since Colony Collapse Disorder beset the beekeeping industry. We catch up with an author who looks back at the advances made over this period with a sense of Beeoptimism. 

We’ve all heard that mason bees are amazing backyard pollinators, but did you know you can make ground-making discoveries about these bee’s biology in your own backyard. This week we talk with a Master Gardener who has turned mason bees into a scientific and public outreach pursuit.

How are wild bees doing? On one hand we hear that they are in trouble and on the other we hear that surveying efforts are too small to detect differences. In this episode we explore issues associated with native bee survey with one of the world's leading native bee taxonomists.

Bee Friendly Farming is an initiative to certify agricultural production for taking steps to help bees. This week we hear about the expansion of the program to the Pacific Northwest, specifically with regards to wine grapes. 

The intense interest in beekeeping has created a new wave of beekeeping businesses. In this episode we hear about how these businesses are meeting the needs of a new generation of beekeepers. 

Southern Oregon has some of the most amazing pollinator species, in large part because of the unique native plant communities. In this episode we learn about the best spring blooming plants for pollinators and how to grow them.

You are probably familiar with familiar spring bees like bumble bees and mason bees. In this episode we take a deep dive into the biology and ecology of these bees, as well as some of the weirder spring bee species. We also look into what you can plant to encourage these bees.

Putting habitat into a working farm involves juggling operational constraints and pollinator biology. In this episode we hear about an innovative example of how PNW cranberry growers are attracting and boosting bee populations around their bogs.

What is infectious, poorly understand and set to ramp up during the months of April and May? The honey bee disease European foulbrood has been a tremendous problem in Oregon over the last few springs. This week we hear the latest on research and management options for this disease. 

Livestock grazing can be very expansive. Take for instance the 'fescue belt' in the southeastern US, which spans 1,000 miles across. This week we hear from a researcher who is looking to incorporate pollinator plants into pastures, potentially providing benefits to pollinators and increasing the grazing efficiency of cattle at the same time. 

There has been an explosion in people keeping bees for a hobby. But for many, beekeeping is a bigger commitment than they expected. This week we'll help you figure out if beekeeping for you and what's involved in getting started. 

Idaho and Oregon's Treasure Valley have a deep connection to bee management for alfalfa seed, but in this episode we hear about how that tradition is being transferred to pollinator management in vineyards. 

Some of the best plants for long-tongued bees like bumble bees and honey bees are grown for livestock. We dive deep into these livestock plants and discuss how they can be incorporated into a dual use system that feeds both livestock and bees. 

There is nothing about browsing though a magazine. There are some great beekeeping magazines, but what's missing is a magazine devoted to pollinators more broadly. Enter 2 Million Blossoms, a new magazine launched in January. We talk to the editor about the magazine and how it aims to fill this gap. 

Bees are just one part of maximizing cherry yield. Before the bees arrive, cherries have to be pruned properly and given the right nutrition. Also, bee attractive cover crops can help rejuvinate the soil before replanting. We hear about all the tricks to maximizing pollination success in cherries from Mike Omeg of Orchard View Cherries. 

When you think of a bee you probably think of an insect hard at work growing its nest and pollinating plants. But over 10% of bees are kleptoparasites; bees that don't build their own nests, but are parasites on other bees. In this episode we learn the fundamentals of this highly-evolved and sophisticated way of living.  

Many of us put mason bees out in our backyard or farm. But when they leave the nest, do you know where they are going to forage? In this episode we hear how a sleuthing graduate student in Seattle is beginning to piece together a picture of what resources these bees are actually using.

Hedgerows can be great ways to attract pollinators in agriculture and forestry settings. But how can such relatively small plantings impact pollinator abundance and diversity on larger scales? This week we dig deep into the science of how hedgerows contribute to pollinator health.