PolliNation

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.

292 - The Overlooked Hoverfly | PolliNation 06/23/2025

292 - The Overlooked Hoverfly | PolliNation Hover flies are everywhere—but most of us don’t even notice them. This week on PolliNation, OSU graduate student Nina Miller unpacks the fascinating world of these bee look-alikes, from their diverse life histories to simple ways you can invite them into your garden. OSU Garden Ecology Lab: /episode/index/show/pollination/id/37109085

291 - Vancouver Pollinator Festival | PolliNation 06/16/2025

291 - Vancouver Pollinator Festival | PolliNation It’s festival season! If you're near Portland or Vancouver, WA, you won’t want to miss the Vancouver Pollinator Festival happening this Saturday, June 21st at Marshall Park. Our guest, Kyle Roslund, founder of the Vancouver Bee Project, joins us to share what’s in store—from garden tours and hands-on activities to a talk by renowned lepidopterist and Xerces Society founder, Dr. Robert Michael Pyle. Pollinator Festival info: https://pollinatorfestival.org/ /episode/index/show/pollination/id/37018575

290 - Wildfires vs. Timber Harvesting: Impact on Bee Communities | PolliNation 06/09/2025

290 - Wildfires vs. Timber Harvesting: Impact on Bee Communities | PolliNation This week we delve into the fascinating world of bee communities in disturbed forests with Dr. Graham Frank, a recent PhD graduate from Oregon State University. Dr. Frank shares key insights about how bee communities are influenced by different types of disturbances, and what this means for forest management. Frank, G.S., Rivers, J.W., Verschuyl, J., Best, L.R., Betts, M.G., Kroll, A.J., Swanson, M.E. and Krawchuk, M.A., 2025. Comparison of Early Seral Forest Bee Communities Following Clearcutting or Wildfire Depends on Stand Age and Nesting Guild. Journal of Forestry, pp.1-45. Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44392-025-00016-1 /episode/index/show/pollination/id/36857765

289 - They Make A LOT of Honey in Alberta | PolliNation 05/27/2025

289 - They Make A LOT of Honey in Alberta | PolliNation In this episode of the Commercial Beekeeping Zone on PolliNation, we hear from Curtis Miedema, a second generation beekeeper from Barhead, Alberta, and President of North America's only beekeeper's commission. Curtis shares insights into stationary beekeeping and how he fits queen production into an operation focused on honey production. He also discusses the collaborative nature of the Alberta beekeeping community and the role of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission. Links: https://miedemahoney.com https://www.albertabeekeepers.ca /episode/index/show/pollination/id/36716690

287 - The Bees of National Wildlife Refuges | PolliNation 04/07/2025

287 - The Bees of National Wildlife Refuges | PolliNation We hear from Lincoln Best and August Jackson from Oregon State University this week about an initiative to inventory the bees of National Wildlife Refuges in Region 1 by Master Melittologist volunteers. Link to year 1 report: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/technical_reports/xd07h2826 /episode/index/show/pollination/id/36011095

288 - The Future of Washington State Pollination | PolliNation 03/31/2025

288 - The Future of Washington State Pollination | PolliNation The attention to California almonds, means the pollination of Washington State tree fruits is often overlooked. But the massive pollination effort in Washington is a huge effort and may be facing potential problems. Harry and Andony catch up with commercial beekeeper Tim Hiatt to discuss tree fruit pollination, as well as Tim's efforts to advocate for beekeeping in the Washington legislature. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/35073355

286 - Precision Pollination with BeeHero | PolliNation 03/17/2025

286 - Precision Pollination with BeeHero | PolliNation This week on PolliNation Itai Kanot and Shelbi Perkins from BeeHero discuss how their in-hive and in-field sensors are improving pollination efficiency by providing real-time data on bee colony strength, benefiting both growers and beekeepers. BeeHero: https://www.beehero.io/ /episode/index/show/pollination/id/35531585

285 - Honey Bee and Native Bee Competition | PolliNation 03/10/2025

285 - Honey Bee and Native Bee Competition | PolliNation Dr. Diana Cox-Foster joins us to discuss her and her team's research at the USDA on honeybee and native bee competition. From lab tests to field studies, they uncover the effects of this competition on pollination. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/35602605

284 - Queen Bee Honey Co Takes Beekeeping Back to School | PolliNation 02/24/2025

284 - Queen Bee Honey Co Takes Beekeeping Back to School | PolliNation in Alpine, Oregon built up from a Datsun pickup truck to a commercial beekeeping business. In this episode we hear about how Karen Finley built her business and the increasing problem of lack of summer forage for honey bees in Oregon's Willamette Valley. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34961310

283 - BEEvent: the Mighty Conference on Pollinators for Gardeners | PolliNation 02/17/2025

283 - BEEvent: the Mighty Conference on Pollinators for Gardeners | PolliNation The BEEvent, hosted annually by the Linn County Master Gardeners, provides gardeners and small farmers with essential knowledge and practical tools to support and protect bee pollinators. This week, Master Gardeners Ranee Webb and Rich Little join us to share what's in store for this year's event. Register for BEEvent: Information on Mason bees and BeeNotes: /episode/index/show/pollination/id/35263235

282 - Checklist of the Bees of Washington State | PolliNation 02/03/2025

282 - Checklist of the Bees of Washington State | PolliNation While there has been a lot of attention to the plight of wild bees, we are increasingly discovering that there is a lot more that we don’t know. A state checklist of bees is a great starting point for taking stock of what we do know. This week I am joined by Chanda Bartholomew, who is an Entomology Collection Taxonomist with the Pest Program in the Plant Protection Division of Washington State Department of Agriculture. She is the lead author of “An annotated checklist of the bees of Washington state” that was published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research in November of 2024. Link to the article: https://jhr.pensoft.net/article/129013/ /episode/index/show/pollination/id/35073385

281 - Rock Gardens with Dancing Oaks Nursery | PolliNation 01/27/2025

281 - Rock Gardens with Dancing Oaks Nursery | PolliNation This week on PolliNation, Fred Weisensee from Dancing Oaks Nursery in Monmouth, OR shares tips on creating a pollinator rock garden using native and exotic plants inspired by Oregon's high-elevation landscapes Dancing Oaks Nursery: /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34869175

280 - Buzzing with Innovation | PolliNation 01/20/2025

280 - Buzzing with Innovation | PolliNation Karen Pedersen is a fifth generation commercial beekeeper and apiary owner in Cut Knife, Saskatchewan, Canada. Pedersen Apiaries make hundreds of pounds of honey bee colony, while wintering single brood chamber colonies outdoors when temperatures are -30F below. She also leads an impressive stock improvement program. Harry and Andony find how she does it in this week's episode. Pedersen Apiaries website: Bee Maid Honey Coop: Harvesting Honey: /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34746095

279 - Southern Oregon Buzzway | PolliNation 01/13/2025

279 - Southern Oregon Buzzway | PolliNation In this episode we learn about an effort to map pollinator habitat, as well as their stories, in Southern Oregon. The Southern Oregon Buzzway is a collaboration between Southern Oregon University and Pollinator Project Rogue Valley. Pollinator Project Rogue Valley: Southern Oregon Buzzway Map: Dr. Jamie Trammell's work: /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34792580

278 - Fabrication For Beekeepers | PolliNation 01/06/2025

278 - Fabrication For Beekeepers | PolliNation This week on our Commercial Beekeeping segment, Nick VanCalcar from VanCalcar Apiaries in Amity, Oregon joins us to discuss the importance of doing your own fabrication in beekeeping operations. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34170690

277 - New PNW Bee Keys | PolliNation 12/23/2024

277 - New PNW Bee Keys | PolliNation There are over a thousand species of bees in the Pacific Northwest. However, The resources available for someone to tell the bees apart is lacking for this region. In this episode we hear from the team that is working to solve this problem. Carol Yamada, Lincoln Best, August Jackson, Jim Rivers, Joshua Dunlap & Joe Engler discuss their publication of four new taxonomic keys for the bees of the PNW. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34541655

276 - Large Colony Losses Looming 12/16/2024

276 - Large Colony Losses Looming Early reports are that there may be a large loss of commercial honey bee colonies across the U.S. this winter. In this episode we are joined by co-host Harry Vanderpool to talk with Russell Heitkam. Russell is a second generation beekeeper and Northern California queen, queen cell, package, and nuc producer. He also brokers about 7,000 hives from Oregon and Washington for almond pollination. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34398175

275 - Do Filter Strips Help Bees and Butterflies? 12/09/2024

275 - Do Filter Strips Help Bees and Butterflies? Filter strips surround agricultural fields and reduce soil loss and pesticide effluent reaching streams and rivers. They can also host flowering plants that bees and butterflies like. We talk to Dr. Amy Toth about whether these narrow ribbons of land can actually benefit pollinators. Toth Lab website: Episode 246 on filter strips: /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34247120

274 - Commercial Beekeeping 12/02/2024

274 - Commercial Beekeeping This week we kick off our new segment on commercial beekeeping with our new co-host, Harry Vanderpool of Vanderpool Farms in Salem, OR. Harry shares his beekeeping journey and what it takes to run a successful operation. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/34148700

273 - European Mason Bees in America 11/25/2024

273 - European Mason Bees in America Michael Getz, a master's student here at Oregon State University, joins us this week on PolliNation to discuss his new paper on the recent introduction of the European Mason bee (Osmia cornuta) to British Columbia, Canada. Using computer vision technology he was able to identify Mason bee cocoons and model the bee's spread across North America. Learn more about Michael's research here: /episode/index/show/pollination/id/33935277

272 - The Milwaukee Pollinator Pathway 10/28/2024

272 - The Milwaukee Pollinator Pathway What does it take to create a certified pollinator pathway? This week on PolliNation, Colleen Rockwell, the Environmental Committee Chair for Milwaukie's Rotary Club, shares how Milwaukie became only the second certified pollinator pathway in Oregon. Learn more about the Pollinator Pathway in Milwaukie here: https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/towns/milwaukie Also, if you are interested in the fundraiser in Portland for the Oregon Bee Atlas, register here: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/master-melittologist/events/bees-bottles-biodiversity-fundraiser-oregon-bee-atlas /episode/index/show/pollination/id/33605287

271 - The MIGHTY Tamalpais Bee Lab 10/17/2024

271 - The MIGHTY Tamalpais Bee Lab The last record of the Leafcutter Bee (Trachusa gummifera) in Marin County was in 1977. That is, until the One Tam Community Science Program had a documented sighting of it nearly 47 years later. This week we hear from Sara Leon Guerrero, a manager of the One Tam Community Science Program through the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Sara tells us how One Tam is leading the way in bridging ecological data gaps, implementing long-term monitoring efforts, and fostering curiosity and community participation. Learn more about the Tamalpais Bee Lab here: https://www.onetam.org/tamalpais-bee-lab /episode/index/show/pollination/id/33472287

270 - Mason Bees and the Cold 10/14/2024

270 - Mason Bees and the Cold What happens to Mason bees after a number of consecutive cold days? Let's say a female lays an egg. What happens to it? Does it die? This week on PolliNation we welcome back Dr. Jim Cane and Ron Spendal to discuss their new paper "Eggs of the bee Osmia lignaria endure weeks of prolonged cold weather" /episode/index/show/pollination/id/33411277

269 - Bees in the Arboretum 10/07/2024

269 - Bees in the Arboretum This week we explore Minnesota's Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center through the University of Minnesota's Landscape Arboretum. Ping Honzay, an educator and beekeeper at the Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center, discusses the innovative programs that engage the community and highlight the importance of pollinators. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/33270657

268 - Birds and Flowers 09/30/2024

268 - Birds and Flowers Everyone knows that hummingbirds visit flowers. But have you ever wondered how many other kinds of birds visit flowers and how important are they to the overall pollination ecology of flowering plants? This week we hear from Dr. Jeff Ollerton on his new book "Birds and Flowers: An Intimate 50 Million Year Relationship" https://pelagicpublishing.com/products/birds-and-flowers /episode/index/show/pollination/id/33264547

266 - Farm to school (and pollinators) 09/22/2024

266 - Farm to school (and pollinators) This week we hear about Oregon's Farm to School program and how it helps make the connection between Oregon agriculture and pollinators in the classroom. We are joined by Rick Sherman (Farm to Child Nutrition Program Manager at the Oregon Department of Education) and Michelle Markesteyn (Farm to School Specialist at Oregon State University Extension), who also host a great podcast (available on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes). /episode/index/show/pollination/id/33160037

265 - Oregon Honey and Mead Festival 09/13/2024

265 - Oregon Honey and Mead Festival This week we talk about the upcoming (Sept 21, 2024) Oregon Honey and Mead Festival with organizer Sharon Schmidt (Cascade Girl Organization) and Marla Bull Bear, one of the presenters who is the Director, Lakota Youth Development and Honey Lodge Program. Details on this year's festival can be found at: https://www.cascadegirl.org /episode/index/show/pollination/id/33041082

264 - Could changes in pesticide hazard to bees be detected across a state? 08/31/2024

264 - Could changes in pesticide hazard to bees be detected across a state? Bees are exposed to pesticide hazards in a variety of ways. Estimating how hazards to bees are changing over time, across an area as large as a state, is a daunting prospect. This week we hear about an attempt to estimate changes in hazards in a new paper by Dr. Emily Carlson, a recent PhD student from Oregon State University. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/32819957

263 - National Pollen Phenology Wheel 08/19/2024

263 - National Pollen Phenology Wheel Beekeepers often have a sense of periods of intense nectar flows, but it is a lot more difficult to assess pollen flows. In this episode we talk with Priya Chakrabarti Basu from Mississippi State University who talks about a new initiative to provide beekeepers with a better sense of the pollen flows of their region. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/32523167

262 - Buddleja and the bees 08/12/2024

262 - Buddleja and the bees Butterfly bush is a hardy shrub that pollinators love. But under certain situations it can become invasive, which has led to laws to limit the sale to sterile varieties and interspecific hybrids. But there is a question of whether the hybrids are really sterile and whether sterility impacts the benefits to bees. We get answers to these questions this week with Cara Stills, from the Ornamental Plant Breeding Program at Oregon State University. /episode/index/show/pollination/id/32523137

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