Attic Bee Podcast

The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year, but in nature, it's also a quiet turning point. In this episode, we explore what the solstice has meant to people throughout history, from ancient celebrations and sacred traditions to modern-day gatherings and personal rituals. We also take a closer look at what happens in the natural world at this time of year and why the Summer Solstice is such an important milestone for hon...

Today, we explore the science of how honeybee colonies make collective decisions through open debate, independent evaluation, and something remarkably close to a vote, and ask what that might mean for a country struggling to do the same.

Drawing on decades of research by Cornell biologist Dr. Thomas Seeley, political philosophy from Edmund Burke to Alexis de Tocqueville, and recent polling on what Americans actually want from their...

June is one of the most popular months for weddings, making it the perfect time to explore the surprising connections between bees and marriage. In this episode, I take listeners on a journey through folklore, history, mythology, and literature to uncover the role bees have played in wedding traditions for centuries.

From the origins of the word honeymoon to the custom of telling the bees about important family events, you'll disco...

In this episode, we explore the powerful, often overlooked relationship among water, honeybees, and the human nervous system.

Honeybees rely on water not only for survival, but also to cool and regulate the hive during periods of intense heat. In many ways, humans do something similar. We instinctively turn toward water when we are overwhelmed, grieving, exhausted, or in need of peace.

Listen as we weave together honeybee behavior,...

One tiny mite has caused more honey bee colony deaths than any other single threat in modern beekeeping history, and it's in nearly every managed hive on the planet right now.

In this episode, we dig into Varroa destructor: what it actually does inside a colony, why the chemical treatments we've relied on for decades are starting to fail, and why that failure has made one remarkable bee behavior so important. It's called Varroa-Sen...

What does a honeybee hive have in common with falling in love? More than you'd think.

We follow the thread connecting the lengthening days of spring to the biology of human desire. Along the way, we draw on peer-reviewed research in neuroscience and reproductive biology to ask: are we really so different from the hive?

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt more alive in springtime and wondered why. It turns out the answer is...

What does a honeybee visiting a wildflower have to do with the health of the Chesapeake Bay? More than most of us realize.

In this episode, I trace the ecological and philosophical thread connecting pollinator health to Bay restoration, a connection that lives in the soil, roots, and rain. I explore how the same landscapes that are failing our bees are failing our waterways, and why the most powerful act of stewardship that we can ...

What does it mean to truly belong?

In this episode, I explore what honeybees can teach us about belonging as something lived rather than simply as a concept.

Inside a hive, thousands of bees work together in a way that’s both structured and fluid. No one is asking, “Where do I fit in?” Instead, they respond to what’s needed. And, in doing so, they belong.

It made me wonder— When did belonging become so...

What’s really happening to our pollinators, and why it matters more than ever.

We hear “save the bees” everywhere…but do we truly understand what bees and other pollinators are up against?

In this episode, I take you beyond the slogan and into the real story, one that affects every meal you eat, every garden you tend, and the health of our entire ecosystem. From pesticides and habitat loss to climate change...

What happens when women are not fully heard?

In this episode, which is being recorded for the last week of Women's History Month, I talk about the quiet ways women’s voices are still filtered, and why that matters more than we might think.

As a woman and as the mother of four sons, this matters to me on multiple levels. The way we listen, the way we lead, and the voices we value are shaping the next generation in real time.

W...

Why does a walk in the woods calm your nervous system? Why do we fill our homes with houseplants? And why can even a picture of a forest lower your blood pressure?

In this episode, we explore biophilia, the scientific theory that humans have an innate, evolutionary need to...

Re-released for Women’s History Month

I’m revisiting a very special conversation on the podcast - my first ever interview - with pollinator advocate and regenerative agriculture leader Sarah Red-Laird, widely known as The Bee Girl.

Sarah is the founder of the Bee Girl Organization, a nonprofit working with farmers, researchers, and communities to protect pollinators and support regenerative agriculture.

This interview w...

Women have always been part of the beekeeping story.

In this episode, we explore some of the women across the world who have transformed beekeeping, protected pollinators, and reshaped how we care for the natural world.

This includes scientists advancing honeybee health, indigenous leaders protecting sacred pollinators, entrepreneurs building sustainable livelihoods, and artists and educators helping us see bees, and ourselves, dif...

Did you know a honeybee swarm weighs about 3 pounds, which is the same as an adult human brain?

Here's what's even wilder: those 10,000 bees make decisions BETTER than most boardrooms. They independently verify information, adapt when proven wrong, and reach consensus without a single leader.

When you see a cluster of bees hanging from a tree branch, they're in the middle of democracy in action. Thousands of scouts are evaluating p...

Ever wonder what's really happening inside a beehive? In this episode, we dive into honeybee biology, from the three castes that make up a colony to the incredible waggle dance that bees use to communicate.

You'll learn:

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