What did we learn, honey? Let them bee! In this buzzworthy episode, Darin Olson, a master beekeeper based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, shares his deep knowledge of bees and their critical role in our food system. Originally from Illinois, Darin's beekeeping lineage dates back to the 1400s in Norway, giving him true perspective on the craft (and, of course, an inherited sweet tooth). He describes how bees strive for symbiotic harmony with bears (and humans) while also expressing the problem of antibiotics in commercial farming pollination practices. As an antidote to chemicals, Darin's goal is to create a natural bee feed from native Hawaiian medicinal plants to assist beekeepers and farmers in sustaining healthy hives globally. And we would be remiss if we didn't talk about bee stings, the infamous Queen bee, his bumbling childhood in the hives, and ways we can support pollinators.
Episode Highlights
0:22 Intro to Darin
0:52 Moved from Chicago to Molokaʻi in 1997
1:14 Beekeeping is a family tradition from Norway
1:59 Healing generational trauma from forced immigration
2:30 Managing bee diseases by listening to the bees
3:49 Beekeepers as stewards
4:20 Symbiotic relationship between bees and bears/humans
6:30 Bees = food for humans
6:35 Learning to respect the hive at age 7
9:40 Multigenerational perpetuation of the practice
10:03 Pollinators are integral to our food system
10:41 Bovine antibiotics and honeybees
11:38 The potential for "bee feed" that is medicine + food
12:18 How honeybees naturally select plants to pollinate
15:35 How can people support bees?
17:26 Problem: Sick bees spread disease which threatens our food system
18:29 Solution: Awareness, remove antibiotics, grow medicinal plants (and buy local coffee!)
20:02 Goodbye allergies! Benefits of eating local honey
20:53 Poi and its beneficial enzymes for the gut
21:21 Honey and infants
22:36 Bee sting remedy
23:03 The Queen Bee and reproduction
26:25 Hive health depends on the Queen
28:09 Honeybees naturally strive for perfection
29:07 Global food security and crop yield - killer bees vs. honeybees
30:48 Finding natural solutions in nature (as an antidote to antibiotics)
Show Art Photo Credit: Darin Olson