Honey bees are in the national zeitgeist. They're a necessary part of our food supply, and they are under a lot of stress. In a special reporting collaboration between The Zest and WUSF Public Media news, for the next several weeks we're going to be taking a closer look at Florida's honey bees.

Honey bees are in the news a lot. But the news is mixed. It's hard to know how they're doing, exactly. To find out, host Robin Sussingham spoke with Dr. Jamie Ellis, Professor of Entomology and director of honey bee research at the University of Florida.

Support for The Zest Podcast comes from Seitenbacher Brand Natural Foods, like Muesli cereals, oils, oatmeal, energy bars, gluten free fruit gummies for the kids, organic coffee and more. Available in supermarkets, health food stores or online at Seitenbacher.com.