After reading a couple of bee-related novels, I wanted to learn more about the intelligent little creatures and their importance to our planet. And so I reached out to beekeeping expert Kim Flottum.

In this episode, Kim explains the different sorts of honey bees, their assigned jobs in the hive, and the places they build nests. We discuss mad honey, how to support beekeepers, the reasons the bee population is decreasing, and the small steps everyone can take to help our honey bees. Kim also tells us why a beehive is almost as clean as an operating room!

Kim co-hosts The Beekeeping Today podcast.

For more than three decades, Kim edited Bee Culture—The Magazine of American Beekeeping. 

Books by Kim Flottum

Novels referenced in the episode:

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

The Last Beekeeper by Julie Carrick Dalton

You may also enjoy these episodes:

Dr. Maureen Seitz and Bone Density

Tanya Singer and the Joys of Knitting (with an interesting Holocaust story too)

Design Trends with Sarah Eilers and Sandy Lucas

The Science Behind Random Acts of Kindness

A car seat invention and Shark Tank

How to Listen to a Podcast