2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast episodes:

• 05.29.2024

  Keeping Bees in Cameroon with Dr. Mazi Sanda (029)

  In this episode, host Dr. Kirsten Traynor welcomes bee scientist Dr. Mazi Sanda from Cameroon. Dr. Sanda, who currently resides in Germany as part of the PLAN4BEE project, shares his journey into the world of bees, starting from his childhood...

  
• 04.24.2024

  Dr. Marla Spivak on Conquering Beekeeping Challenges (028)

  In this episode of 2 Million Blossoms, host Dr. Kirsten Traynor is joined by Dr. Marla Spivak, a renowned bee scientist and MacArthur Genius Award recipient. Together, they delve into the pivotal changes in beekeeping ushered in by the Varroa...

  
• 03.14.2024

  Honey Bees and the Varroa Mite with Dr. David Peck (027)

  In this captivating episode of 2 Million Blossoms, host Dr. Kirsten Traynor sits down with Dr. David Peck, Director of Research and Education at Betterbee, to explore the intricate world of bees and the persistent challenge posed by varroa mites....

  
• 02.19.2024

  Flemming Vejsnæs - Beekeeping and Apimondia 2025 in Denmark

  In this episode of 2 Million Blossoms, host Dr. Kirsten Traynor sits down with Flemming Vejsnæs, a bee biologist and beekeeper from Denmark, to delve into bees and beekeeping in Denmark. Drawing on their long-standing friendship and Flemming's extensive experience,...

  
• 01.08.2024

  2 Million Blossoms Podcast - 2024 Relaunch (025)

  Welcome back to the 2 Million Blossoms Podcast! In this special relaunch episode, host Kirsten Traynor sits down with Jeff Ott from the Beekeeping Today Podcast. They delve into Kirsten's recent adventures in Germany and the fascinating honey bee research...

  
• 09.11.2022

  Adrian Fisher - Sub-Lethal Exposure to Pesticides and Fungicides (024)

  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...

  
• 06.29.2022

  The Mind of the Bee - Lars Chittka (023)

  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...

  
• 05.24.2022

  Wild Bees Across Canada with Jess Vickruck (022)

  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...

  
• 03.28.2022

  Updates, News and What Makes and Good Scientist (021)

  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...

  
• 02.25.2022

  Monika Maeckle - Texas Butterlies (020)

  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...

  
• 12.28.2021

  Wild Survivors - African Elephants and Honey Bees (019)

  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...

  
• 12.14.2021

  American Foulbrood & Deformed Wing Virus Research with Elke Genersch (018)

  In this episode, I speak with Dr. Elke Genersch a microbiologist from the Institute for Bee Research in Hohen Neuendorf outside Berlin, Germany. She switched from cancer research into honey bee diseases about 20 years ago and has made a...

  
• 11.12.2021

  When One Door Closes (017)

  Dear Listeners: As you may know, I launched my print magazine 2 Million Blossoms with exuberance and crazy enthusiasm. Since I first dreamt up the magazine in 2019, I have produced two years of magazines, four issues in 2020 and...

  
• 10.30.2021

  Taxonomist & Ecologist Michael Orr (016)

  Have you ever wondered about the bee biodiversity in other countries? In this episode, meet Dr. Michael Orr, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, where he has worked for the last...

  
• 10.07.2021

  Kirsten Talks with Commercial Beekeeper, Cindy Moore (015)

  In this episode, Kirsten chats with Cindy Moore, owner of Sweet Cindy’s Honey Farm, a commercial beekeeping operation in upstate New York and Florida. She runs bees with her husband on the east coast and they ship out bees to...

  
• 09.10.2021

  From Our Pages, Botanical Illustrator Erin Hunter (014)

  Meet botanical artist and scientific illustrator Erin E. Hunter, who splits her time between her own fine art paintings that capture the magic of the natural world and technical illustrations for the academic science journal Annual Reviews. She’s been quite...

  
• 08.20.2021

  Thoughts: What Can We Do (013)

  Thank you so much for downloading this episode – our 13th. While some people are superstitious about such numbers, we’re here to celebrate this “luckiest” of episodes. It’s hard to know when you start a new journey, where it will...

  
• 08.05.2021

  The World of Native Bees with Researcher Nicholas Dorian (012)

  Tufts University PhD student Nicholas Dorian, who is a frequent contributor to 2 Million Blossoms, is always on the search for bees in urban spaces. His research focuses on cellophane bees, but he’s a well-rounded naturalist and ecologist. He helped...

  
• 07.22.2021

  Sarah Red-Laird & Oregon DOT 'Re-Wild' Programs (011)

  Sarah Red-Laird is the founder of The Bee Girl Organization. You might know her from her fabulous and informative posts on social media. Or perhaps you’ve heard of her Kids for Bees program. But this dynamic woman has an endlessly...

  
• 07.08.2021

  A Natural History of Insects in 100 Limericks with Richard Jones (010)

  Richard Jones, an entomologist and writer who has penned a delightful and ridiculous volume of 100 limericks. A Natural History of Insects in 100 Limericks is illustrated by Richard’s son Calvin and right below the limerick is a wonderful paragraph...

  
• 06.24.2021

  Honey Bee Researcher & Author, Dr. Mark Winston (009)

  Dr. Mark Winston wrote the definitive book on honey bee biology in 1987 and is a science communicator extraordinaire. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, Orion Magazine, and the Globe, and he’s a regular contributor to 2...

  
• 06.14.2021

  Nature Photographer - Jake Mosher (008)

  In this episode, Kirsten speaks with award-winning nature photographer Jake Mosher. If you’re a subscriber to the magazine, you’ve seen his stunning landscapes and detailed macro photography in our April and Autumn issues last year. Jake grew up in...

  
• 05.27.2021

  Butterflies, Pollination and Kim Pegram with Kirsten (007)

  Can you make a career out of studying butterflies? Kim Pegram from the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ sure did. She fell in love with butterflies as a child and never let go. She’s an expert in butterfly coloration,...

  
• 05.13.2021

  Pollinators & Pollination with Jeff Ollerton (006)

  Jeff Ollerton is one of the leading experts on pollinators, which has culminated in his new book “Pollinators & Pollination.” In its pages, he delves deep into how plants manipulate, coax, and charm pollinators into spreading their genetic material. Listen...

  
• 04.29.2021

  Wasps & Pollination with Heather Holm (005)

  Award-winning author Heather Holm chats with 2 Million Blossoms about her new book on wasps, the drastic changes in our landscapes, and the importance of observing nature as a child. She’s an avid naturalist with a horticultural background. When she...

  
• 04.14.2021

  Shevaun Doherty - Artistry in Native Irish Bees (004)

  Shevaun Doherty is a botanical artist, who volunteered to help the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and designed a bumble bee logo for them. Her accuracy, detail, and beautiful style of drawing led to the creation of a set of Irish postage...

  
• 03.30.2021

  Dave Goulson - A Sting In The Tale (003)

  On today’s show, I chat with bumble bee scientist and author Dave Goulson about hairy-footed flower bees Anthophora plumipes, one of the first bees to emerge in spring, and how to make our gardens more friendly to pollinators. As humans...

  
• 03.30.2021

  Why 2 Million Blossoms? (002)

  Dr. Kirsten Traynor introduces us to 2 Million Blossoms. First the quarterly publication of the same name and now this podcast. How did she get started with honey bees and how did this expand to cover all pollinators great and...

  
• 03.30.2021

  2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast: A Welcome! (001)

  The very first 2 Million Blossoms podcast. Pollinators flit, chirp and buzz. Because of them, we enjoy delectable food and incredible biodiversity. The creatures that feed us often face starvation themselves, encountering food deserts in our modern, fragmented landscape. Join...