Episodes

Jim Tew and Jeff Ott revisit a Honey Bee Obscura Halloween favorite about beekeeping after dark. Jim recalls a face-to-face encounter with a raccoon, a deserted nighttime bee yard that became increasingly unsettling, and his brother's unforgettable encounter with what he thought was a rattlesnake. It's a Halloween collection of bee-yard stories where darkness, bad flashlights, wildlife, and imagination do most of the frightening.

Jim Tew looks back at how plastic gradually transformed beekeeping—from honey containers and five-gallon buckets to foundation, queen cell cups, protective clothing, and processing equipment. Then he turns to a newer and less certain question: microplastics. Jim discusses reports of microplastics in honey, possible environmental and processing sources, and why the topic raises questions without yet providing simple answers.

Dr. Jim Tew discovers a flooded smoker and then performs a late-season autopsy on a failed swarm colony. With no clear signs of Varroa collapse or American foulbrood, Jim suspects queen failure and considers whether requeening or combining such a weak colony in September would have been worthwhile. Along the way, he reflects on fall forage, small nucs, winter preparation, and the difficult question every beekeeper eventually faces: when is a struggling colony no longer worth trying to save?

Jim Tew talks with Nona Hurst about The Dancing Bees of Rockhurst Farm, a family-created cookbook combining 96 honey recipes, beekeeping knowledge, photographs, and stories. Nona shares how she and John began keeping bees, how she converts recipes from sugar to honey, and how Courtney Wyndham helped turn decades of collected recipes into a finished book.

Join Dr. Jim Tew for an autumn walk through a field of goldenrod. Along the way, he observes honey bees and other pollinators, considers the relationship between plants and fall forage, and recalls an unforgettable experience with the distinctive smell of autumn nectar production. It's a relaxed conversation about honey bees, seasonal changes, and the pleasure of spending time outdoors.

Jim Tew steps outside the honey bee world to talk about yellow jackets, wasps, hornets, bumblebees, and carpenter bees—and why beekeepers are so often asked to deal with them. From county fair yellow jackets to a memorable hornet-nest removal, Jim reflects on what happens when everyone in the neighborhood knows you're “the bee person.”

Jim Tew and Anne Frey explore small-scale honey extraction, from borrowing a club extractor and choosing uncapping tools to stabilizing small machines, handling wax, and using crush-and-strain. Their practical advice: fit the equipment to the operation, expect the process to evolve, and keep it clean.

Dr. Jim Tew marks the 300th episode of Honey Bee Obscura with reflections from his bee yard. Jim remembers how Kim Flottum persuaded him to try podcasting, their friendship and disagreements, the difficult changes that followed Kim’s death, and how the podcast became an important constant in Jim’s own life. Three hundred episodes later, Jim considers how his beekeeping has changed while his curiosity about bees—and his desire to keep the conversation going—remains.

Jim Tew and Anne Frey discuss what beekeepers can do with undersized colonies heading into fall. From Varroa control, feeding and insulation to sharing resources, overwintering nucs, combining colonies and protecting valuable drawn comb, they explore practical ways to give small colonies their best chance of making it through winter

In this Honey Bee Obscura Archive Special, Jim Tew and Kim Flottum revisit the practical—and sometimes complicated—subject of fall feeding. They discuss why colonies may need supplemental food, sugar syrup ratios, fondant, dry sugar, feeder choices, winter honey stores, weighing and hefting hives, and the amount of work required to bring an underweight colony up to winter weight. Along the way, they remind beekeepers that feeding can help, but it is also important to understand why the colony became short on stores in the first place.

Jim Tew and Anne Frey of Betterbee explore practical ways beekeepers can improve forage without planting acres of wildflowers. They discuss basswood, sunflowers, soybeans, tulip poplar, bee-bee trees, invasive plants, and why a single flowering tree can sometimes accomplish more than a small flower bed. Their simplest recommendation may also be the easiest: where appropriate, leave some land wild and let locally adapted plants provide forage naturally.

Jim Tew spends a rainy morning exploring old beekeeping books and the forgotten tools, hive designs, swarm-control devices, and management techniques found in their pages. From tobacco smoke and comb cutters to division boards and C. C. Miller, Jim reflects on how much beekeeping has changed—and why today’s methods are only another snapshot in its continuing evolution.

Jim Tew visits several small summer colonies—including one established for his longtime colleague Sherry—to evaluate how they’re progressing late in the season. The inspections lead to a discussion about after swarms, virgin queens, colony survival, entrance observations, and the reality that not every swarm succeeds. Jim also reflects on a surprising overwintered nuc and shares thoughts on learning from both successful and unsuccessful colonies.

Every beekeeper has a sting story, but a few become unforgettable. In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Dr. Jim Tew and Anne Frey swap memorable stings—and sometimes humorous—stories about the bee stings they’ll never forget. From Jim’s infamous bee sting inside his nose while demonstrating bees to a young family, to Anne’s dramatically swollen face after venturing into the apiary without a veil, they share experiences that every beekeeper can appreciate. Along the way they discuss why these incidents are the exception rather than the rule, how protective clothing affects sting severity, why loose-fitting bee suits are often more effective than heavy clothing, staying hydrated while working colonies in hot weather, and the importance of respecting—even after decades of experience—the defensive instincts of honey bees. The conversation is lighthearted, practical, and full of the kind of storytelling that reminds us why beekeeping is equal parts science, skill, humility, and good…

Hot Weather can be hard on beekeepers—but how hard is it on the bees? In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Dr. Jim Tew welcomes Anne Frey of Betterbee for a practical discussion about managing honey bee colonies during periods of hot weather. Together they explore the differences between beekeeper discomfort and colony stress, why opening colonies during the hottest part of the day may disrupt carefully regulated hive temperature and humidity, and why simply observing the hive entrance can often be more valuable than another quick inspection. Jim and Anne also discuss bearding behavior, ventilation, water needs, and the challenges of moving colonies during hot weather. A major focus of the conversation is how temperature affects Varroa treatment choices. Anne explains that different mite control products have different upper temperature limits and encourages beekeepers to become familiar with the available options so treatments can be matched to seasonal conditions rather than habi…

Harvesting honey is one of the most rewarding—and physically demanding—jobs in beekeeping. In this Honey Bee Obscura Archive Special, Kim Flottum and Dr. Jim Tew compare their very different backyard operations while discussing practical methods for removing honey supers efficiently and safely. From leaf blowers and escape boards to heavy lifting, protective clothing, and preparing colonies for late-summer Varroa treatments, they share decades of experience and plenty of humor. Whether you manage three colonies or a dozen, this conversation offers practical ideas for making honey harvest season a little smoother while reminding us why every jar of honey represents a tremendous amount of work from both bees and beekeeper

During an exceptionally hot Ohio summer day, Dr. Jim Tew discusses how extreme temperatures affect both honey bees and beekeepers, why he avoids unnecessary hive inspections during heat waves, the surprising ecological role ants may play around bee colonies, and how his approach to beekeeping has evolved with age toward a more natural, lower-impact style of apiary management.

Jim Tew visits a longtime colleague to inspect a tiny exposed honey bee colony built on a fallen tree branch. Together they discuss how small swarms sometimes settle in unexpected locations, what challenges these colonies face, and whether this unusual little hive can be rescued and transferred into standard beekeeping equipment.

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.

In this archived Honey Bee Obscura conversation, Jim Tew and the late Kim Flottum discuss Working Bees in the Heat and the challenges of managing colonies during the hottest part of summer. From hydration and shade to recognizing heat exhaustion and heat stroke, they share practical advice for staying safe while working bees in demanding weather conditions. The discussion also highlights the importance of planning ahead, working smart, and knowing when to stop before heat-related illness becomes a serious risk.

In this personal episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Dr. Jim Tew reflects on the realities of maintaining an apiary later in life. Faced with waist-high grass, summer heat, allergies, and thirteen thriving colonies, Jim explores how beekeeping changes as beekeepers age. Along the way, he discusses swarm captures, natural comb construction, glyphosate use, habitat value, and the ongoing challenge of balancing practical bee management with a deep appreciation for honey bee biology.

Jim Tew returns to the bee yard to inspect five package colonies installed earlier in the spring. The colonies are thriving and rapidly filling their equipment, prompting a discussion about colony growth, swarm prevention, and the need for additional space. Jim also experiments with an oscillating multi-tool as a possible solution for heavily propolized frames, sharing his real-time observations on whether the idea has practical value. Along the way, he reflects on hive management, plastic versus wooden frames, and the challenge of maintaining colonies in a single deep brood chamber.

Jim Tew welcomes his grandson, Will Laditka, back to Honey Bee Obscura for a candid conversation about the realities of beginner beekeeping. Will reflects on losing his first colonies, learning through mistakes, and recently giving a college presentation about honey bees and bee communication. Along the way, Jim and Will compare how beekeeping has changed across generations, from simple homemade hive equipment to the higher costs and challenges facing new beekeepers today. It’s an honest and encouraging discussion about curiosity, persistence, and learning the craft of beekeeping one colony at a time.

The “Wayward Swarm” saga finally comes to an end as Jim Tew and Jason Ferrell inspect the troubled colony after weeks of uncertainty. Despite cold weather, overloaded trap cages, ladder mishaps, and multiple setbacks, the queen survived and the colony is thriving. Jim reflects on swarm management, aging in the bee yard, and the unpredictable realities of practical beekeeping.