Two Bees in a Podcast
By UF/IFAS Honey Bee Lab
Episode 234: Writing, Beekeeping, and Inspiring Young Beekeepers with Patti Sherlock
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis are joined by Patti Sherlock, author of The Nectar Collector, to discuss the inspiration and challenges behind her book. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 233: Understanding Honey and Botulism with Dr. Joshua Jakum
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis are joined by Dr. Joshua Jakum, MD, a pediatrician and an Eastern Apicultural Society Master Beekeeper, to discuss honey and its connection to botulism. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 232: Bee Inspection in the UK with Jack Silberrad
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis are joined by Jack Silberrad, a Regional Bee Inspector with the National Bee Unit’s Animal and Plant Health Agency in the United Kingdom. They discuss the role of bee inspectors and what beekeeping looks like in the UK. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 231: Breeding Mite Biting Bees with Krispn Given
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss queen breeding and instrumental insemination with Krispn Given, Senior Apiculture Specialist and Honey Bee Breeder in the Department of Entomology at Purdue University. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 230: Product Development in the Honey Bee World with Dale McMahan
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss the product development of queen instrumental insemination technologies with Dale McMahan, owner of Apis Engineering. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 229: Honey Bee Nutrition with Dr. Ramesh Sagili
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss the micronutrient requirements of honey bees with Dr. Ramesh Sagili, Professor of Apiculture at Oregon State University. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 228: Apiary Inspectors of America with Brooke Decker & Ali Panasiuk
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss apiary inspection’s role in the beekeeping industry with Brooke Decker, President of Apiary Inspectors of America, and Ali Panasiuk, the Vice President of the Apiary Inspectors of America. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 227: Beekeeping Research in India with Dr. Neloy Chakroborty
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Cameron Jack discuss beekeeping and research in India with Dr. Neloy Chakroborty, a Senior Assistant Professor at Thapar University in Punjab, India. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 226: Honey Bee Colony Losses in Sub-Saharan Africa with Dr. Beatrice Nganso
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis are joined by Dr. Beatrice Nganso, a Research Scientist in commercial insects at the International Center of Insect Physiology & Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss her research on honey bee colony losses in Sub-Saharan Africa. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 225: Yellow-Legged Hornet Management with David Williams
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss yellow-legged hornets with David Williams, Senior Manager in the Plant Protection Division for the Georgia Department of Agriculture. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 224: Chinese Tallow Research in the U.S. with Dr. Pierre Lau and Jennifer Standley
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss Chinese tallow plant research with Dr. Pierre Lau, a Research Ecologist at the USDA ERS, and Jennifer Standley, a PhD student at Auburn University Bee Center. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 223: Small Hive Beetle Research with Dr. Bram Cornelissen
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis are joined by Dr. Bram Cornelissen to discuss his research on a variety of honey bee–related topics, including small hive beetle. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 222: Honey Bee Viruses with Dr. Michelle Flenniken
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss honey bee viruses with Dr. Michelle Flenniken, professor in the Department of Plant Science and Plant Pathology at Montana State University. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 221: Bioacoustics in Honey Bee Hives with Dr. Reed Johnson
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Cameron Jack discuss bioacoustics in relation to honey bee biology with Dr. Reed Johnson, a Professor at Ohio State University. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 220: Understanding the Effects of Apiary Population Density on Colonies with Dr. Ashley Mortensen
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss physiological responses of colonies to apiary population density with Dr. Ashley Mortensen, a scientist with the Plant and Food Research Group at the Institute of Bioeconomy Science in New Zealand. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 219: Building a Beekeeping Business with Tara Chapman
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis speak with Tara Chapman, owner of Two Hives Honey in Austin, TX, about her business and book. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 218: Using Genetic Analysis to Choose Breeding Candidates with Dylan Ryals
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis speak with Dylan Ryals, a Doctoral Candidate in the Entomology Department at Purdue University, about implementing genetic sequencing analysis to select breeding candidates in an apiary. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 217: A New Varroa Control Method with Ron Korkidi
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss a new technology to control Varroa in Australia with Ron Korkidi, Chief Scientific Officer of ToBe Influencing Innovation. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 216: Varroa Introduction in Australia with Dave Fairhall and Emily Noordyke
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis discuss the introduction of Varroa in Australia with Dave Fairhall, Senior Varroa Development Officer for New South Wales, and Emily Noordyke, a Varroa Project Officer for New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 215: Sharing Beekeeping Knowledge on YouTube with David Burns
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Jamie Ellis interview David Burns, an Eastern Apicultural Society Master Beekeeper, about how he educates beekeepers through his YouTube channel. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 214: Commercial Beekeeping in Australia with Peter Barnes
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Jamie Ellis interview Peter Barnes, owner of Barnes Apiary in Queensland, Australia, to discuss commercial beekeeping in Australia. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 213: International Beekeeping Programs with Dr. Cooper Schouten
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Jamie Ellis interview Dr. Cooper Schouten, Senior Research Fellow and Director of Southern Cross University’s Bee Research and Extension Lab, to discuss starting and improving beekeeping programs in other countries. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 212: Honey Bee Nutrition and Unmanaged Bees with Dr. Juliana Rangel
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Jamie Ellis interview Dr. Juliana Rangel, Professor of Apiculture in the Department of Entomology, Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology and Evolutionary biology at Texas A&M University, to discuss honey bee nutrition and unmanaged bees. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 211: Honey Bee Health with Dr. Jon Zawislak
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Jamie Ellis interview Dr. Jon Zawislak, an Assistant Professor of Apiculture and Urban Entomology in the Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology at the University of Arkansas, to discuss his program at the university and his book, Honey Bee Health. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 210: Beekeeping in Turkey with Dr. Irfan Kandemir
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Jamie Ellis interview Dr. Irfan Kandemir from the Department of Biology and the Faculty of Science at Ankara University about beekeeping in Turkey. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 209: The Better-B Project with Dirk de Graaf
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Jamie Ellis interview Professor Dirk de Graaf from the Laboratory for Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Ghent University’s Faculty of Sciences to discuss the Better-B Project. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 208: Mosquito Impacts on Honey Bee Colonies with Lena Barascou
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu and Dr. Jamie Ellis interview Dr. Lena Barascou, a postdoctoral scientist at the Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory in the Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida, to discuss mosquito impacts on honey bee colonies. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 207: Wild Honey Bee Research with Jamie Ellis
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Amy Vu interviews Jamie Ellis, the Gahan Endowed Professor of Entomology in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida, to discuss wild honey bee research. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 206: Colony Inspections with Eric Malcolm
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu are joined by Eric Malcolm — Apicultural Extension Educator and the Apiary Manager at the University of Maryland Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology — to discuss colony inspections. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Thank You for 1 Million Listens!
WE JUST HIT ONE MILLION LISTENS, BEEKEEPERS!
Thank you all so much for the incredible support and continued listenership over the years! Two Bees in a Podcast would not be possible without all of you.
Please let us know which of our 205 released episodes has been your favorite!
Episode 205: European Foulbrood with Meghan Milbrath
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu are joined by Dr. Meghan Milbrath — Assistant Professor and Apiculture Extension Specialist with the Department of Entomology and the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University Extension — to discuss how to recognize European foulbrood. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 204: The American Bee Journal with Eugene Makovec
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu are joined by Eugene Makovec — Editor of the American Bee Journal — to discuss his unique perspective on beekeeping as head of the well-known publication. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 203: Insignia-EU with Norman Carreck
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu are joined by Norman Carreck — Director of Carreck Consultancy Ltd. and Co-Editor of The Beekeepers Quarterly in the United Kingdom — to discuss Insignia-EU, an international citizen scientist environmental monitoring project. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 202: Beekeeping in South Africa with Mike Allsopp
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu are joined by Mike Allsopp—Senior Researcher in honey bee research for the Agricultural Research Council in Stellenbosch, South Africa to discuss beekeeping in South Africa. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 201: Beekeeping in Greece with Antonios Tsagkarakis
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu are joined by Dr. Antonios Tsagkarakis —Assistant Professor in the Laboratory of Sericulture and Apiculture in the Department of Crop Sciences at the Agricultural University of Athens in Athens, Greece to discuss beekeeping in Greece, as well as research that his lab is currently conducting. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 200: Leveling Up Your Beekeeping Business with Amy Vu
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, Dr. Jamie Ellis interviews our very own, Amy Vu, to discuss the LevelingUp Extension program, through the USDA Beginner Farmer and Rancher Development Program, at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 199: Almond Pollination Contracts with Brittney Goodrich
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on June 3rd, 2025, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu are joined by Dr. Brittney Goodrich—Assistant Professor in the Agriculture and ConsumerEconomics Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to discuss almond pollinationcontract analysis. This episode ends with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 198: Honey Bees, Native Bees, and Updates with Dr. Melathopoulos
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on March 12th, 2025, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome back Dr. Andony Melathopoulos—Associate Professor of Pollinator Health Extension in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon—about updates on his lab and projects he’s working on. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 197: Hangry Bees
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on March 4th, 2025, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Dr. Elizabeth Walsh—a USDA-ARS Research Entomologist at the Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana—about hangry bees. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 196: The BeeMD and Citizen Scientist
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on February 26th, 2025, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Dr. Dewey Caron—a retired Professor and the current content and communications specialist that oversees the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program in the Department of Horticulture with Oregon State University—about Citizen Scientist and The BeeMD. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 195: Monetization Beyond Bees and Honey
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on February 18th, 2025, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Cliff Struhl—President and CEO of BeeSmart Designs—to talk about monetizing beekeeping beyond just bees and honey. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 194: BeeGuards
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on February 11th, 2025, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Dr. Cecilia Costa—a Senior Researcher with the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), based in Italy—to talk about an EU funded project called BeeGuards. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 193: Winter Bees
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on December 17, 2024, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Dr. Gabriela Quinlan—a Research Ecologist with the USDA ARS who is currently based in North Carolina—to talk about winter bees. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 192: Pathogen Spillover
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on December 10, 2024, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Dr. Kaitlin Deutsch—a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory in the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida—to talk about pathogen spillover between honey bees and native bees. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 191: Datasets on Diseases and Pests in the United States
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on December 3, 2024, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Dr. Mohamed Alburaki—a research entomologist at the Bee Research Laboratory with the USDA ARS in Beltsville, Maryland—to talk about his publishing(s) on the status report of honey bee diseases in the United States from 2015-2022. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 190: The “Medicinal Properties of Honey” CURE Class
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on November 19, 2024, Dr. Cameron Jack and Amy Vu welcome Dr. Ferhat Ozturk—an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas SanAntonio in the Department of Biology, Health, and Environmental Sciences and also the Director of Honey Pathway. Dr. Ozturk speaks about his class called “The Medicinal Properties of Honey”. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 189.5: FSBA License Plate
In this special episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on November 12, 2024, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu relay important information on the Save The Bees License Plate. For more information, please visit https://www.savethebeesplate.com/ or email info@savethebeesplate.com with any questions. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 189: Honey Bee Disaster Response Team
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on November 5, 2024, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Patrick Hardy—the Executive Director of Bee Platoon—to talk about Bee Platoon: a honey bee disaster response team based in California. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 188: Tropilaelaps
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on October 29, 2024, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Dr. Geoff Williams—an Associate Professor at the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University—to talk about a hot global topic in the honey bee world: Tropilaelaps. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.
Episode 187: Consuming Irradiated Royal Jelly
In this episode of Two Bees in a Podcast, released on October 22, 2024, Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu welcome Jennifer Standley—who finished her master's degree here at the UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory, and is now completing her PhD with Dr. Geoff Williams at his laboratory in the department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University—to talk about a research project that she did here at UF with Jamie titled, “Does consuming irradiated royal jelly affect Apis mellifera larvae development and survival to adulthood in vitro?”. This episode concludes with a Q&A segment. Check out our website: www.ufhoneybee.com, for additional resources from today's episode.