Regional Beekeepers Spring 2026: Honey Flows, Varroa, and What's Working (387)

Beekeeping Today Podcast53mJune 1, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

The 2026 Regional Beekeepers Spring Roundtable reveals a year of stark contrasts: Arizona's record honey yields from unprecedented rainfall clash with the Northeast's struggle to recover from a harsh winter and Hurricane Helene's aftermath. While Dwayne Combs celebrates 110 pounds of honey per hive in the desert—so much that he now has a 'problem selling it'—Jay Williams in Tennessee laments a delayed start due to a brutal ice storm, leaving younger hives unable to produce. The central crisis, however, is not honey flow but Varroa mites and the emerging threat of small hive beetles, which have devastated hives in California and Florida. Beekeepers share both failures—like Jay's traumatic honey super incident and Paul's heat stress losses—and breakthroughs: Paul Longwell's 3D-printed hive tools, Jay's innovative 'Bee Still Meditations' for agritourism, and a new $44-per-hive product, Naroa, that could revolutionize mite control if applied at the precise moment the bees shift from consuming to storing sugar. The episode ends not with a lament, but with a vision: beekeeping as a healing practice and a business model built on experience, not just honey. Key takeaways include the critical importance of timing in mite treatments, the growing danger of small hive beetles in warm, moist climates, and the rise of beekeeping as a wellness and experiential industry. The most surprising insight?

Key Takeaways

Apply new mite treatments like Naroa only during the narrow window when bees transition from consuming sugar to storing it—typically just before the honey flow begins.

Small hive beetles are now a major threat in California and Florida, especially in full-sun hives with high honey stores, and are spreading rapidly due to warming climates.

3D printing is enabling hobbyist beekeepers like Paul Longwell to design custom tools—like broodminder caps and bee waterers—that solve real-world problems and are available for sale.

Beekeeping is evolving into a wellness and experiential business: Jay Williams' 'Bee Still Meditations' have become a 70% revenue stream, proving that people pay to be near bees, not just to buy honey.

Heat stress is a silent killer in desert apiaries—bees can't cool hives at night when temperatures exceed 105°F, leading to queen failure and brood loss despite strong daytime foraging.

…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus

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