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 …

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: https://www.tothlab.org/people Episode 246 on f…

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.

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. Lea…

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…

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 tel…

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" https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3817438…

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.…

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…

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 Extensio…

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…

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.…

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.…

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 th…

While roughly 70% of bee species are ground nesting, we know very little about the nesting biology of anything more than a handful of species. In this episode we hear from Dr. Jordan Kueneman and his project GNBees to generate more data from the public. Dr. Jordan Kueneman is a research scientist and director of Project GNBee, a community science p…

The Yellow-Legged Hornet has landed in the US southeast. The hornet is originally from Asia, but is has spread widely into Europe. This week we hear from Maggie Gill, a senior scientist with the National Bee Unit in the UK tells about the innovative methods developed in the UK to track and erradicate these hornets.…

This episode we catch up with Katie Buckley the Pollinator Health Coordinator for Washington State Department of Agriculture. She tells us about two new pollinator bills that passed in the Washington Legislature, as well as the growing Washington Bee Atlas.بقلم Andony Melathopoulos

What do dogs & wolves have to do with AI? How can AI help or hinder accessibility & how it can be trained well? Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai, VP of Research at CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) chats on understanding the lived experiences of people with disabilities, systemic barriers in an ableist world & what’s needed to make tech & the worl…

This week we hear about a remarkable initiative in Tillamook, Oregon. Known for its world famous dairy, its home to an industrious beekeeping club that is providing top-notch education to the region (and the thousands of people who come through it each summer).بقلم Andony Melathopoulos

Ever wonder what art is for? Artist Agnieszka Matejko has. She talks about art that serves communities and the wonder of giant monuments under a vast prairie sky. This episode is about roadside art with a sense of humour that's helped restore cultural pride, put small towns on the Guinness Records map and draw tourists on cross-country road trips. …

Adult honey bees have a variety of organisms that live in their guts. Some are benign but some, like Nosema ceranae, can be pathogentic. In this episode we hear of Courtney MacInnis' relentless pursuit of understanding the status of an organism you have never heard of - Lotmaria passim - both on its own, and in combination with Nosema ceranae. Her …

In this episode we hear from Susie Peterson who is the co-manager of the very popular Backyard Habitat Certification Program in Oregon. The program is managed in partnership with Portland Audubon and can help you better design your backyard for biodiversity.بقلم Andony Melathopoulos

Bumble bee queens have been known to try and take over already established nests. Sometimes they manage to take over the nest and increase their own reproductive success. But according to new research from Heather Grab this is not what happens when a wild bumble bee queen tries to take over a commercial bumble bee colony.…

How can organizations prioritize resources & choose their next steps? Cheryl Lockhart works with organizations to plan, activate & execute strategy. She talks being creative with KPIs, supporting growth with systems & creating buy-in. Episode 41

How do art, business, culture, history & family combine? Entrepreneur Breannen Allison on how coming to know her Cree & Métis heritage led to Thimbleberry Designs, honouring her grandmother’s life & supporting resurgence for the future. Episode 40

How can companies do better at retaining engaged employees? Jessica Ketwaroo-Green is an award-winning social policy expert & consultant. She chats on the ELAT framework she created to help organizations & companies move from diversity to inclusion & equity. Episode 39

How to navigate through uncertainty & ambiguity? Janice Francisco, founder at Bridgepoint Effect, talks about quieting fear & anxiety, getting comfortable with newness & moving forward with purpose in an uncertain world. Episode 38 Part 2

How to be creative & innovative at a time of uncertainty & big change? Janice Francisco, founder at Bridgepoint Effect, talks leadership, remote collaboration & ways we can move forward when we can’t clearly see the next bend in the road. The skills & thinking we need. Episode 38 Part 1

Education as you know it is old school. Educational designer Natalie Vardabasso talks innovation & education. She tells us how education can better prepare students for the future & what changes are driving a need for new, more creative, equitable & practical approaches in education. Episode 37

Want to be a pirate? Dr. Tendayi Viki chats on his new book Pirates in the Navy, intrapreneurship & what companies & corporate innovators need to know to survive & stay viable before, during & after the pandemic. Episode 36

Heard of a rare albino moose? Entrepreneur Connie Stacey chats on the power of unconventional perspectives & outside ideas, growing her business, Growing Greener Innovations, & a vision to bring energy to the world. Episode 35

Diversity at work – the business case or moral case? Co-hosts of (Ex)clusion podcast & equity, diversity & inclusion pros Marcie Hawranik & Alicia Bjarnson chat EDI, inclusion & supporting innovation, better workplaces & social policies. Episode 34.

Omar Mouallem started Pandemic University to support writers & journalists during the pandemic. The award-winning writer chats on creating a niche platform that builds community & revenue in a new world for writers. Episode 33.

Chrissy Gow chats on how Eventmobi, an event management software company, pivoted to help fight “Zoom fatigue” durind the pandemic & serve customers with a new business model to make online events more interactive, & engaging. Episode 32

Mark Philpott left a global corporate career to work on social enterprise. He chats on cross-pollinating skills to new fields & global adventures from pro sports to sailing, film & podcasts & developing projects at a global scale. Episode 31

Diane Mulcahy wrote the best-selling book, The Gig Economy. She chats independent work, professional portfolio careers & what that looks like when traditional careers aren't traditional any more. Episode 30.

How to reinvent careers from an industry in transition? Carl, Nathalie & Clark chat on the ingredients they needed to make big changes from oil & gas careers, fear of change & what we can learn.

How to reinvent careers from an industry in transition? Carl, Nathalie & Clark all worked in Alberta oil & gas. Now their jobs are completely different. They chat on reinventing careers & the big changes they made.

How can business support human development? Ling Ling Phung, founder of Two Lings, is a social innovation strategist & intrapreneurship expert. She chats meaningful work that requires rigour & heart. Episode 26

Thinking of taking on new projects? An adventurous childhood inspired Mario Rigby to cross Africa by foot & Canada by bike. He shares the most unexpected things he learned & what’s coming next. Episode 25

How to solve big challenges with new collaborations? As Director of IT at the Calgary Drop-In Centre, Helen Wetherley Knight saw opportunities in challenges & constraints. She talks tech in the service of strategy & social missions & how to make it work. Episode 24.

What’s so amazing about plants? Plant scientist Jerrin Victor tells us how growing new kinds of plants faster can have an impact on challenges from deforestation to climate change, biodiversity & feeding the world. He chats on why plants are his passion but creating jobs is the most important part of his work. Episode 23.…

How can science fiction help create positive futures? Ari Popper, CEO & founder of SciFutures, talks about his company’s work helping other organizations innovate products, services & businesses through scifi prototyping & why it’s important to generate positive ideas for better futures. Episode 23.

Are young people more creative than adults? Team Zeal created an app & a business model to solve a real-world problem in 12 weeks with no prior coding or entrepreneurial experience. They talk competing in the global Technovation Challenge & being young women in a non-traditional field. Episode 21.

What’s the connection between innovation & prosperity? Deepa Prahalad is a strategy, design & emerging markets expert & author. She talks economic inclusion, opportunities in challenges & the value of uniqueness in good design. Episode 20

What’s changing in the way we learn? Ron Thiele is President & co-founder of Xpan Interactive, an e-learning company. He chats on growing a company of e-learning explorers, tech, storytelling & disruption in the learning space. Episode 19

Nickita created Passions Pilot. She’s an IT project manager, former stained glass artist & multi-potentialite with multiple interests. We chat non-specialist careers, natural cross-pollinators & undercover innovators. Nickita talks agile methods & organizing many passions with Passions Pilot. Episode 18…

How does good design speak to readers? Tracy Lay applies design & creativity to connect authors & new ideas to an audience. She cross-pollinates art, self-publishing & branding & created a new business based on her unique combination of skills & talents. Episode 17 2019

How can companies innovate better? Janice Francisco leads BridgePoint Effect. She tells us why employee creativity is organizations’ best resource in responding to change & developing new solutions. Janice explains what companies need to consider in embarking on an innovation journey. Episode 16

What’s civic innovation & how can it help cities? Elisha Muskat is a social innovation leader who tells us about how cities can work better for more people, how to redefine problems to unlock new value & opportunities to solve old problems in exciting new ways. Episode 15