Hover flies are everywhere—but most of us don’t even notice them. This week on PolliNation, OSU graduate student Nina Miller unpacks the fascinating world of these bee look-alikes, from their diverse life histories to simple ways you can invite them into your garden.

OSU Garden Ecology Lab: https://gardenecology.oregonstate.edu/

It’s festival season! If you're near Portland or Vancouver, WA, you won’t want to miss the Vancouver Pollinator Festival happening this Saturday, June 21st at Marshall Park. Our guest, Kyle Roslund, founder of the Vancouver Bee Project, joins us to share what’s in store—from garden tours and hands-on activities to a talk by renowned lepidopterist and Xerces Society founder, Dr. Robert Michael Pyle. 

Pollinator Festival info: https://pollinatorfestival.org/

 This week we delve into the fascinating world of bee communities in disturbed forests with Dr. Graham Frank, a recent PhD graduate from Oregon State University.  Dr. Frank shares key insights about how bee communities are influenced by different types of disturbances, and what this means for forest management.

Frank, G.S., Rivers, J.W., Verschuyl, J., Best, L.R., Betts, M.G., Kroll, A.J., Swanson, M.E. and Krawchuk, M.A., 2025. Comparison of Early Seral Forest Bee Communities Following Clearcutting or Wildfire Depends on Stand Age and Nesting Guild. Journal of Forestry, pp.1-45.

Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44392-025-00016-1

 In this episode of the Commercial Beekeeping Zone on PolliNation, we hear from Curtis Miedema, a second generation beekeeper from Barhead, Alberta, and President of North America's only beekeeper's commission. Curtis shares insights into stationary beekeeping and how he fits queen production into an operation focused on honey production. He also discusses the collaborative nature of the Alberta beekeeping community and the role of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission. 

Links: https://miedemahoney.com https://www.albertabeekeepers.ca

 We hear from Lincoln Best and August Jackson from Oregon State University this week about an initiative to inventory the bees of National Wildlife Refuges in Region 1 by Master Melittologist volunteers.

Link to year 1 report: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/technical_reports/xd07h2826 

The attention to California almonds, means the pollination of Washington State tree fruits is often overlooked. But the massive pollination effort in Washington is a huge effort and may be facing potential problems. Harry and Andony catch up with commercial beekeeper Tim Hiatt to discuss tree fruit pollination, as well as Tim's efforts to advocate for beekeeping in the Washington legislature.   

This week on PolliNation Itai Kanot and Shelbi Perkins from BeeHero discuss how their in-hive and in-field sensors are improving pollination efficiency by providing real-time data on bee colony strength, benefiting both growers and beekeepers.

BeeHero: https://www.beehero.io/

Dr. Diana Cox-Foster joins us to discuss her and her team's research at the USDA on honeybee and native bee competition. From lab tests to field studies, they uncover the effects of this competition on pollination.

Queen Bee Honey Company in Alpine, Oregon built up from a Datsun pickup truck to a commercial beekeeping business. In this episode we hear about how Karen Finley built her business and the increasing problem of lack of summer forage for honey bees in Oregon's Willamette Valley.  

The BEEvent, hosted annually by the Linn County Master Gardeners, provides gardeners and small farmers with essential knowledge and practical tools to support and protect bee pollinators. This week, Master Gardeners Ranee Webb and Rich Little join us to share what's in store for this year's event.

Register for BEEvent: https://www.linnmastergardeners.com/beevent

Information on Mason bees and BeeNotes: https://www.linnmastergardeners.com/pollinator-info