Beekeeping today looks very different than it did just a few decades ago, largely because of the steady arrival of invasive pests and pathogens. In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew welcom...
In this New Year's Day episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew is joined by Anne Frey for a timely and practical conversation about wintering honey bee colonies during extended cold spells. As winter...
In this Christmas Day Plain Talk episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew offers listeners something intentionally different. Rather than focusing on hive management or seasonal techniques, Jim invite...
In this Plain Talk episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew settles into his shop on a cold winter day to reflect on the many ways beekeeping appears odd to those outside the craft—and completely norm...
In this week's episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew invites listeners into an apiary winter wonderland, where a fresh blanket of snow becomes one of the beekeeper's most revealing diagnostic tools...
This week on Honey Bee Obscura, Jim reflects on a familiar challenge in the beekeeping world: How do we find new beekeepers? A winter snowstorm derailed his plans to record with his grandson and tw...
Sometimes beekeeping doesn't look polished, tidy, or picture-perfect—and in this week's episode, Jim leans right into that truth with a candid look at what he calls slipshod beekeeping. After visit...
Jim Tew returns with a reflective look at artistry in beekeeping—a part of the craft that may not appear in manuals but lives vividly in the memories and creative expressions of beekeepers everywhe...
In this Plain Talk episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew heads out to the bee yard for a quiet, reflective fall inspection. As the days shorten and the goldenrod fades, Jim shares what he looks for...
Winter may have a firm grip on the landscape, but beekeepers can still get ready for the season ahead. In this Honey Bee Obscura episode, Jim Tew sits down with Anne Frey of Betterbee to talk about...
What does "efficiency" really mean in beekeeping—and can it go too far? In this Honey Bee Obscura episode, Jim Tew welcomes back Anne Frey of Betterbee for a lively, down-to-earth talk about workin...
Jim Tew is back from a long drive through Michigan's autumn beauty—and while the leaves have changed, his thoughts haven't strayed far from bees or smoke. In this week's Honey Bee Obscura, Jim expl...
In this reflective episode, Jim Tew takes listeners on a journey through his years as a traveling beekeeper, visiting apiaries and researchers around the world. From the early days of Africanized "...
In this Plain Talk episode, Jim Tew reflects on one of beekeeping's most underrated tools—instinct. Beekeepers make hundreds of small decisions in the apiary, many of them guided by experience and ...
In this Archive Special from October 2021, we revisit a conversation with the late Kim Flottum and Jim Tew as they discuss the many ways beekeepers prepare colonies for the cold months ahead. From ...
This milestone episode marks 250 installments of Honey Bee Obscura. Jim reflects on more than 5,000 minutes of plain talk beekeeping, the early days recording with the late Kim Flottum, and the ong...
In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew explores the challenges of fall honey and testy bees during the autumn flow. What begins as a calm reflection on goldenrod and fall asters quickly turn...
In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew shares his fascination with old beekeeping books, particularly a rare two-volume set titled Beekeeping, New and Old: Described with Pen and Camera by W...
In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew is joined by Jeff Ott (from Beekeeping Today Podcast) wrestle with the idea of bare bones beekeeping. After a few false starts with recording equipment...
In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew recounts an unexpected August swarm that turned a normal day into a beekeeping puzzle. What began as a routine check for a groundhog problem quickly sp...
