Honey Bee Obscura Podcast

Late summer can expose the colonies that simply haven't kept pace. Maybe they're late splits, small nucs, colonies recovering from swarming, or colonies that never developed the population you expected. What should you do with them before winter?

In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew welcomes Anne Frey of Betterbee for a practical conversation about managing small colonies as summer...

When should you feed your honey bees—and when is feeding simply masking another problem? In this Honey Bee Obscura Archive Special, we revisit a conversation between Jim Tew and the late Kim Flottum about one of beekeeping's perennial fall questions: fall feeding of colonies in preparation for winter.

Kim and Jim begin with a deceptively simple question: Why are you feeding? A co...

What can the average beekeeper realistically plant to help honey bees and other pollinators? Jim Tew is joined by Anne Frey of Betterbee for a practical and sometimes wandering—in the best possible way—conversation about bee forage. They begin with the idea of planting wildflowers and quickly confront the question of scale. If meaningful forage can require substantial acreage, what can a beekee...

On a quiet, rainy morning, Jim Tew opens a few fragile old beekeeping books and takes us on an unscripted trip through the practices, tools, and ideas of beekeepers who came before us. Jim explores techniques that once seemed perfectly practical but have largely disappeared from modern apiaries—from tobacco smoke and unusual comb-cutting tools to swarm-catching contraptions, division boards, and meth...

Not every colony survives—and sometimes the best lesson comes from the colonies that don't. This week on Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew provides tiny hives update for the listeners and decribes how they're progressing as July draws to a close. One of those colonies belongs to his longtime colleague, Sherry, who rescued a very small swarm earlier in the season. Unfortunately, what Jim finds is a sobering ...

Every beekeeper remembers a few stings that stand out above all the rest.

This week on Honey Bee Obscura, Dr. Jim Tew and Anne Frey share some of their most memorable experiences with honey bee stings—stories that range from painful to humorous, but all serve as reminders that working with bees always deserves respect.

Jim recounts the unforgettable moment when a ...

Summer heat changes the way both beekeepers and honey bee colonies operate. In this episode, Jim Tew is joined by Anne Frey of Betterbee to explore what beekeeping in hot weather really means inside and outside the hive.

Jim begins by asking a simple question: are bees actually bothered by heat, or is it mostly the beekeeper who suffers? Anne explains that while honey bees evolved in warm c...

Removing honey from a hive sounds simple until the supers are full.

In this Honey Bee Obscura Archive Special, the late Kim Flottum and Dr. Jim Tew revisit one of the most physically demanding jobs in beekeeping: harvesting honey. They compare their different backyard setups, discuss how they remove bees from honey supers, and explain why careful planning can make the work safer for both th...

As summer temperatures climb across much of North America, Dr. Jim Tew reflects on what extreme heat means for both honey bees and the people who care for them. Speaking from his Ohio bee yard during an intense July heat wave, Jim shares why years of experience—and a healthy respect for aging—have changed how he approaches midsummer beekeeping.

Rather than opening colonies simpl...

Sometimes honey bees choose unusual places to live.

In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew visits the property of longtime bee lab colleague Sherry to examine a remarkably small colony that has established itself completely exposed on a fallen tree branch near a blueberry and elderberry planting. The colony consists of only a few combs suspended in the open, just inches above the gro...

Summer heat brings a familiar sight to many beekeepers: honey bees clustered outside the hive entrance, hanging from the landing board, and covering the front of the colony. In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew reflects on what beekeepers often call "bearding" and shares memories from decades of working bees in the heat of the Deep South.

Jim explains why colonies gather outside du...

In this Honey Bee Obscura Archive Special, Jim Tew and Kim Flottum revisit an important topic that becomes increasingly relevant as summer progresses: working bees in the heat of summer.

As colonies reach peak population and honey supers become heavier, beekeeping becomes more physically demanding. Jim reflects on how beekeeping changes between the pleasant days of spring and the demanding ...

In this reflective episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Dr. Jim Tew walks back to his bee yard after several days of rain and immediately confronts a familiar challenge: grass and weeds that have grown well beyond manageable height. What begins as a discussion about mowing quickly becomes a thoughtful examination of aging, beekeeping alone, and adapting expectations to changing circumstances.

Jim candidly share...

In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew heads into the bee yard to check on five package colonies installed earlier in the spring. What begins as a routine inspection quickly becomes a reminder of how rapidly healthy colonies can develop during a favorable season. Each colony is thriving, filling its equipment and signaling that additional space will soon be needed to prevent overcrowding and potential sw...

Jim Tew welcomes his grandson, Will Laditka, back to Honey Bee Obscura for a candid conversation about the realities of learning beekeeping as a young beginner. Will reflects on losing his first colonies, the emotional impact of what initially appeared to be American Foulbrood, and how those difficult experiences ultimately strengthened his understanding of honey bee management. Jim and Will discuss the importance of ...

In this final installment of the "Wayward Swarm" saga, Dr. Jim Tew and Jason Ferrell return to the colony that has caused more trouble, worry, and excitement than either expected. After multiple attempts to recover and hive the swarm — including ladders, falls, cold weather, bee vacuums, overloaded trap cages, and weeks of uncertainty — Jim finally opens the hive for the first inspection.

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