This week we hear about what this cold and wet spring has meant for Pacific Northwest beekeepers (and the crops they pollinate).

There are some amazing things happening for pollinators in Washington State these days. This week we hear about the brand new Pollinator Health Research and Extension Program.

This week we hear why the strength of the colonies, not just the stocking rate, matters for blueberry pollination and how growers can evaluate strength in the field.

This week we hear about one of the best kept secrets, a newsletter from USDA that gives a regular update on what is going on in the pollinator world. 

Pesticide applicators frequently add adjuvants to help their pesticide applications be more effective or safer to use. Adjuvants, however, are not assessed for their risk to bees by regulators. We hear about new research that assesses the safety of these products to bees.

Oregon is going to be getting a new bee plate. We hear about our inspiration from beekeepers in Georgia.

Extension guides often offer blanket recommendations for honey bee colony stocking rates on a field scale. This week we learn about new blueberry research that suggests these recommendations need to take the landscape into consideration.

Breeding honey bees is notoriously difficult. New molecular techniques may help.

Beekeepers across North America depend on an acaricide containing amitraz to manage varroa mites, the most challenging pest problem bees face. In this episode we learn of a large scale effort to determine whether the mites are still susceptible to the treatments and what beekeepers can do if they face amitraz resistant mites.

It is often assumed that a single blend of flowers could serve all bees equally. In this episode we hear about some new research that considers how it might make sense to tailor resource availability in restored habitats to bee preference in an area.