2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast Growing Planet Media

Adrian Fisher has been investigating the impacts of fungicides on honey bee health. Fungicides are often considered bee safe, because they don’t outright kill adult bees. But Adrian has found some troubling sub-lethal effects, especially on honey bee lifespan. In today’s show we chat about how Pristine, a common pesticide used in almonds leads to precocious foraging and shorter-lived bees.
We also delve into his earlier research where he investigated how varroacide residues in beeswax reduce the sperm viability of the drones reared in those cells.
Finally, we talk about some of the hurdles minorities face when trying to enter the field of science and Adrian gives kudos to the many mentors, who have helped him make a career in science and how he has used his postdoc time to become a more well-rounded scientist.
_________________
We thank Betterbee for their sponsorship of today's episode. BetterBee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
______________________
Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a bee? How they perceive the world and learn to understand the landscape? On today’s episode, Kirsten talks with noted neurobiologist and bee scientist Lars Chittka from the University of London, whose new book The Mind of a Bee is a fascinating exploration of how bees think. They delve into how the barren landscape outside Berlin let him manipulate the landscape and see that bees could count. Bees are fast learners and can gleam details about how to survive from watching other bees.
Also in today’s show, Kirsten and Lars delve into the darker side of science and the toll it can take on human lives when career expectations and reality collide. Preorder your copy of the book today, set to release late in July, 2022.
_________________
We thank Betterbee for their sponsorship of today's episode. BetterBee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
______________________
Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Today’s episode features Jess Vickruck, a wild bee scientist working in New Brunswick in Canada. In addition to converting the sunny spots in her garden into bee habitat, she studies competition in wild bee communities. She’s studied carpenter bees in detail, finding that when nest sites become rare, competition drives females to share nests. But there’s a unique catch. They preferentially select unrelated females.
She also investigates the important role that grasslands play in maintaining the function of wild bee diversity across Canada. We chat about her career in pollinator science and how her work with conservation groups has allowed access to unique long-term data about changes in habitat.
Tune in to learn more about the importance of nesting sites and how bees help shape our landscapes.
Jess Vickruck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessvickruck
_________________
We thank Betterbee for their sponsorship of today's episode. BetterBee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
______________________
Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

In this episode, podcast host Kirsten Traynor reflects on what are the characteristics of a great scientist and the mentors, who have helped her succeed in her own career. She discusses some of her early failures, how she questions her own place in science, how women face certain biases, and why she is once again switching jobs. Additionally, she digs into a recent paper on pesticide residues in urban and suburban environments.
To read the Twitter moment mentioned in the episode, where a male and female colleague swap email signatures for two weeks with (un)surprising results, visit:  https://twitter.com/i/events/839950218099576832
_________________
We thank Betterbee for their sponsorship of today's episode. BetterBee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
______________________
Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

In this episode, Kirsten talks with Monika Maeckle. Monika runs the Texas Butterfly Ranch, which is more a state-of-mind than a physical place. She is a writer, Master Gardener, pollinator enthusiast and has tagged countless Monarchs that pass through the famous Texas funnel on their journey south. Monika and Kirsten chat about the migratory path of monarchs, how their incredible journey turned into an inspiration during the Covid pandemic, and how we can all improve the plight of these beautiful butterflies.
Note, we briefly discussed the incredible rebound of the western population, which migrates along the California coast. The population had crashed to about 2,000 butterflies in 2020, but miraculously leapt back up to viability with almost 250,000 butterflies in 2021. No one is quite sure why and if the population will hold steady, as insect populations are notoriously volatile. Tune in to learn more.
For more information, check out:
texasbutterflyranch.com https://texasbutterflyranch.com/2022/01/27/monarch-butterfly-population-volatile-unpredictable-with-a-ray-of-hope/ If you liked today’s episode, click on the link to follow us and never miss an episode!
_____________________
We thank Betterbee for their sponsorship of today's episode. BetterBee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, BetterBee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
______________________
Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC

Fran Mahoney is crazy about elephants. And to help protect elephants, she’s enlisted the help of over 144 honey bee colonies. In Tanzania, elephants face massive poaching threats. Subsistence farmers often turn in elephants to poachers, because they fear the hungry mammals will destroy their crops. Fran Mahoney founded Wild Survivors to create sustainable solutions to human-elephant conflict.
In today’s show, learn more about her creative solution using honey bees that is turning farmers into elephant advocates and beekeepers.
_____________________
We thank Betterbee for their sponsorship of today's episode. BetterBee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, BetterBee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
______________________
Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and Growing Planet Media, LLC