Episodes

What can you learn from a 50 year beekeeper? Chuck Kutik opens up about everything he has learned about beekeeping and making money in the business of bees, over the years. In this engaging episode, host Eric Bennett welcomes Chuck, a 50-year veteran commercial beekeeper from New York. Chuck opens up about the fascinating life of bees, the business side of beekeeping, and what it takes to balance passion, profit, and pollination. From moving thousands of hives for blueberry pollination to deal...

Has Varroa met it's match? Is there really a birth control for mites? Beekeepers celebrate with this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping! We start with a love letter to honeybees and the beekeepers who tend them, then head to the Bee Love newsroom: small hive beetle turns up in southeast Alaska for the first time, and West Virginia considers a statewide Beekeeping Rights Bill that would centralize apiary regulations and protect beekeepers. Our main segment features Eric Walgren and Adam Pachl from...

Massachusetts beekeeper and entrepreneur Rick Reault (New England Beekeeping /The Colony) joins Eric for a deep, joyful dive into bees and business—from his first disastrous mead batch to an award-winning traditional made with Japanese knotweed honey and bourbon-barrel aging. Rick demystifies the mead making process (must temps around 60–65°F, 6–8 weeks of ferment, a year of patient aging), then maps how he turned a backyard beekeeping hobby into a diversified honey operation: honey wholesale a...

From a Varroa-free outpost off Australia’s southern coast, beekeeper Shawn Hinves of Kangaroo Island shares how a family operation running 350 hives of pure Ligurian honey bees navigates biosecurity, fire recovery, and the realities of modern beekeeping. The episode opens with practical fall prep—feed heavy in cold climates, consider insulation, and always test and treat for mites—before diving into global news on the EPA’s approval of an RNA-based Varroa treatment. Then we travel to Kangaroo ...

Opening was recorded at Apimondia in Copenhagen. This episode blends field notes and a feel-good interview with Elsa Gallagher of the Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund. Practical beekeeping takeaways: habitat is the foundation for bees, and forage diversity consistently outperforms monocultures. Gallagher explains how her team equips landowners with locally adapted seed mixes: a native “picture” bordered by a clover-rich “bee mix,” free for 2–25 acre projects and cost-share above that. She outlines...

"It was sheer panic!" That's how Amber explains her wild & crazy beekeeping story. In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we open with a poetic ode to honeybees and a couple of “beekeeper bloopers,” then sit down with Amber Leach, North American Sales Manager at Veto-Pharma. We dig into Varroa Integrated Pest Management (IPM): why testing before and after treating matters, how to avoid resistance through rotation and correct use, and what’s new in Apivar 2.0. Amber breaks down Varroa EasyChe...

How many sources of income do your beehives produce? If it's just honey sales and a few wax products, you will want to listen to this episode! In this week's Bee-Love Beekeeping, we explore the magic of honeybee navigation and take a trip to Hawaii’s North Shore to meet beekeeper Katie Metzger, founder of Hanai Hives. We kick off with a look at groundbreaking research on honeybee eyesight, revealing how these incredible insects read the polarized sky to travel miles and return home without los...

This episode features a beekeeper-engineer’s quest to copy what a honey bee colony does naturally in a hollow tree—and to put that into a production hive. Alex Gamberoni of Primal Bee, shares how repeated winter losses drove him and his co-founder to model nest shape, airflow, and dew point, ultimately designing the insulated, trapezoidal “Primal Bee” nest that aims to reduce winter losses (reported <10%, sometimes ~5%) and increase honey yields—without changing your honey supers or extractors....

Working With Bees instead of Managing Bees. In this episode, Eric takes us across the pond to southwest Scotland for a heartfelt conversation with Titanilla Kiss, a natural beekeeper originally from Budapest, Hungary. Tita shares her journey from hospitality to beekeeping, the mentorship that shaped her early days, and how she now tends her colonies in the challenging, ever-changing Scottish climate. With a philosophy rooted in observation, respect, and balance, she blends natural remedies, her...

This episode of Bee Love Beekeeping takes listeners on a journey from the ancient art of beekeeping to the frontiers of agricultural technology. Host Eric Bennett sits down with Eliyah Radzyner of Beewise to discuss the urgent need for innovation in hive care—especially as North America faces devastating colony losses. Eliyah shares his personal journey into beekeeping, the “aha moment” that computers could manage hives better than he could, and the creation of Beewise’s BeeHome— "Half Hive, Ha...

Featured Guest: Dr. Tom Seeley – Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, renowned honey bee researcher, and author of six influential books including Honeybee Democracy and Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz Runners. In this fascinating conclusion to our conversation with renowned honeybee biologist Dr. Tom Seeley, we journey deep into the intricate world of honey bee behavior, decision-making, and hive life. Every beekeeper needs to hear this! From the poetic dance of foraging to the p...

Featured Guest: Dr. Tom Seeley – Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, renowned honey bee researcher, and author of six influential books including Honeybee Democracy and Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz Runners. 🐝 Topics Covered: The difference between Langstroth hives and natural bee homes Collective intelligence in bees and parallels to the human brain Worker bee piping: how to know when a swarm is about to launch Bee lining/Bee hunting: how to track wild honey bee colonie...

In this delightfully global episode, host Eric Bennett heads to Denmark (virtually!) to meet Lars Fischer and Sophus Knusen — two passionate hobby beekeepers with world-class honey and hearts full of beekeeping joy. From getting stung below the eye to winning the award for best honey in the world, these friends share their love of bees, their Danish-style queen rearing techniques, and their winning formula for perfectly creamy spring honey. We also dive into the incredible story of Apimondia, ...

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, host Eric Bennett sits down with Joshua Diggins, a Florida beekeeper, Navy veteran, and branch manager for Mann Lake. Josh shares fascinating insights on how submarines and beehives are surprisingly similar. Before the interview, Eric highlights the mental health benefits of beekeeping, from reducing stress and anxiety to helping veterans and those with PTSD find mindfulness, connection, and purpose. Beekeeping programs have been used successfully in pris...

Welcome to the first full video episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, presented by Mann Lake! If you prefer to consume video versions of podcasts, you'll find us our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@BeeLoveBeekeeping and video of this episode at https://youtu.be/lgdeWybgefk In this special debut, host Eric Bennett chats with one of the most beloved figures in the beekeeping community, Jeff Horchoff, better known as Mr. Ed. Jeff is a Louisiana beekeeper, YouTube personality with over 150,00...

In this special episode of Bee Love Beekeeping, we take a step away from our usual beekeeper interviews to explore an important and sometimes misunderstood topic: the relationship between honeybees and native bees. With headlines circulating like “Americans Are Saving the Wrong Bees” and “Honeybee Invasion,” it’s time to dig deeper into the science and separate fact from fear. Are honeybees really hurting native bees, or is the truth more nuanced? To help us answer that, we’re joined by Jennife...

"Bees in the pants is never fun!" You'll find this, and other fun & enlightening quotes, in this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping. Host, Eric Bennett, welcomes experienced beekeeper John Stephens for a deep dive into a simplified, yet highly effective, approach to hive management—the single deep brood box system. But before we get to the honey and science, the show kicks off with a chuckle-worthy parody segment: “You Might Be a Beekeeper,” a hilarious twist on Jeff Foxworthy’s classic routine. W...

Where does the world's best tasting honey come from? How is it made? In this episode of Be Love Beekeeping, we kick it all off with another round of "why you might be a beekeeper," followed by a strange story about purple honey. Our guest is Virginia Webb, renowned for producing the world's best tasting honey. Virginia shares her insights on honey production, highlighting the significance of nectar sources like sourwood trees, and her multiple certifications in beekeeping. We discuss her winn...

In this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping we have the pleasure of going all the way to New Zealand to have a discussion with a beekeeper who doesn't like honey! What?! Sarah Cross lives and takes care of her honey bees in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand. She actually started her career managing 250 hives, but now is more into education, hive management, consulting, and writing about bees. We discuss Manuka honey, varroa, IPM, and Sarah's favorite wild & crazy beekeeping moments. Above all else, she reco...

What happens when a truck, carrying 300 beehives, rolls off the side of the road? Mass chaos, bewildered law enforcement, stings... and a few heroic beekeepers. This is what happened recently in norther Washington State. Our guest on this episode of Bee Love Beekeeping is Derek Condit, just one of the rescuers who helped save those millions of honey bees, and restore some order to the scene. The details are fascinating! In this episode, we also get a brief synopsis of the great bee die-off of ...

NEWS FLASH: Research results on the 2025 American honey bee die off! The results can help every beekeeper. Then we go to the great white north for a discussion with Raylynn White from Bee Haven to discuss beekeeping in Newfoundland - the unique challenges posed by the local climate and the successful avoidance of Varroa mites. She highlights her innovative work in correctional facilities, where she teaches inmates about beekeeping, fostering mindfulness and respect. Rae Lynn also emphasize...

What is beekeeping like in Nigeria? It must be different, and certainly there are some similarities and much to be learned. Our guest in this episode is Mr. Osita Anumene who runs Slasita Farm and apiary near Abuja, Nigeria. We will talk about their aggressive bees, the types of hive designs they use, bee forage, and honey production. We learn their techniques for catching swarms, and of course top it all of with a wild & crazy beekeeping story or two. Why harvest honey at night? Find out in t...

Beekeeping with the kids; it can be fun and safe! Our guest on this episode is hobby beekeeper, Cindy Elsenbeck from New York, USA. She loves her honey bees and loves sharing her passion with her grandchildren. She discusses the importance of overcoming fears associated with bees, the role of protective gear, and the educational value of observation hives. Cindy also highlights the special bond she has developed with her granddaughters through beekeeping, sharing fun stories and valuable less...

John's first day with honey bees was working for a commercial beekeeper pulling honey frames. From the 'not real Jeff Foxworthy,' to a lengthy wild & crazy beekeeping story that includes the in-laws, to John's beekeeping journey, this episode has it all! We discuss the annual calendar of working for a commercial beekeeper, queen rearing, advice for future beekeepers, techniques for raising queens, different varroa treatments. Did I mention the story about splitting 700 colonies, all with extr...