PolliNation Podcast

Dr. Meghan Milbrath began working bees with her father as a child over 20 years ago, and now owns and manages The Sand Hill Apiary, a small livestock and queen rearing operation in Munith, Michigan. Meghan is active in multiple beekeeping organizations, writes for multiple beekeeping journals, and speaks about bees all over the country. She currently runs the Northern Bee Network, a directory and...

Today on the podcast talk about bumblebees in agriculture. Dr. Sujaya Rao is a Professor in Entomology at Oregon State University. Her research covers IPM in field crops and native bee pollinators in diverse cropping systems and in native habitats. A serendipitous discovery made by her led to development of a new bee monitoring tool. She has also documented the presence of overwintering sites and...

Today on the show we explore bees and their social impact. In 2012, Sarah Common co-founded Hives for Humanity Society, alongside her mother, Julia, in response to a gap she saw in opportunities for connection to nature, to community and to meaningful work for marginalized citizens. She has coordinated partnerships between a variety of organizations and businesses, developing programming that buil...

Dr. Dave Smitley is a professor and researcher at Michigan State University. He works with the turf grass and nursery industries to deal with emerging pest problems, and the greenhouse industry to grow plants in ways that are safe around pollinators. In this episode we talk about practical tips as well as national initiatives to protect pollinators in urban landscapes. For more, visit us at pollin...

Mike Burgett is the Emeritus Professor of Entomology at OSU, where he has taught since 1974. He has conducted a huge amount of work on apiculture research, including a survey of beekeepers and growers in the Pacific Northwest of the US, which is our main topic for today. We'll discuss pollination markets as they are today, the history of beekeepers in this region, the unique pollination scenarios...

Dr. David Lowenstein is a post-doc researcher at Oregon State University's Department of Horticulture. Today we talk about his fascinating research on urban pollinators during his time in Chicago. We discuss biodiversity in a city, what property owners can do to attract pollinators, and the unique challenges of urban bee research. For more, visit us at pollinationpodcast.oregonstate.edu.

Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Utah, Dr. Joseph Wilson has coauthored a marvelous book called The Bees in Your Backyard. We discuss the book in detail in the interview, including how to tell bees apart from other insects, common bee myths, and more. Joseph has conducted research on evolution and ecology of bees and wasps, and frequently guests on radio and news media to discus...

Today's episode is all about getting the public involved in surveying and identifying different species of bees. Dr Elaine Evans is our guest. She's the new Extensions Educator working on bee conservation at University of Minnesota. She has been working on education and advocacy for native pollinators for a long time, and is the lead on a fascinating project called the Minnesota Bumblebee Survey....

"A hairy vegetarian wasp." That's how professor Francis Ratnieks of the University of Sussex describes the bee. Professor Ratnieks has done a lot of research on bees, from honeybee biology to practical solutions for beekeepers and homeowners interested in encouraging pollinators. This wide-ranging interview is full of tips for how to select pollinator plants, reasons for becoming a beekeeper, and...

PolliNation is a podcast from Oregon State University Extension Service that tells the stories of researchers, land managers and concerned citizens who are making bold strides to improve the health of pollinators. Learn more about this episode of PolliNation at  agsci.oregonstate.edu/ pollinator-health .