In this episode, we speak with Wolfgang Pointecker, president of the Austrian Commercial Beekeepers Association and a commercial beekeeper himself. Drawing on his own day-to-day experience in professional beekeeping, Wolfgang shares insights from both the apiary and the organizational level. We discuss the key challenges facing commercial beekeeping in Austria and across Europe, including bee health, forage availability, market pressures, regulation, and climate impacts. The conversation focuses on how these issues affect professional beekeepers in practice, and what changes may be needed to secure the future of commercial beekeeping. This episode is relevant for beekeepers, farmers, policymakers, and anyone interested in sustainable food systems and pollination.

In this episode, we explore how scientists are working to protect the future of honey bees through cryopreservation. As part of the BEE-GUARDS project, researchers are building a European network of cryobanks and developing groundbreaking methods to preserve honey bee embryos for the first time.

Our guest today is Jesús Yániz, Professor at the Universidad de Zaragoza, who is leading the cryopreservation work within WP2 – Breeding for Resilience. Together, we explore how preserving genetic diversity can strengthen honey bee populations and help secure pollination services for generations to come.

Today our guest is Ralph Büchler, well known for his long-standing work in varroa-resistant bee breeding. For many years, he was the head of the Beekeeping Institute in Kirchhain, Germany—an institute strongly focused on applied science within beekeeping. Although Ralph is now retired, he has not stepped away from his passion: continuing the search for varroa-resistant bees. Another key area of his work and interest has been the use of brood breaks during the season, using queen caging as a management tool. While on a trip to Denmark – yes, inspire the Danish beekeepers to work on varroa resistance, I was lucky to make this podcast just before take-off at Copenhagen Airport, where we recorded a great conversation about breeding, resistance, and his role as a member of the BEE-GUARDS advisory board. 

Victoria Soroker is our well-known BEE-GUARDS member from Israel. Over the years, her research has focused on the challenges of Varroa, helping to develop more sustainable solutions for beekeepers. In this episode, we talk about her lifelong work and what it takes to run a BEE-GUARDS test apiary — a great conversation recorded at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens.

Steve Riley is a dedicated beekeeper committed to developing varroa-tolerant bees. He blends hands-on experience with smart, data-driven breeding methods, all aimed at strengthening colony health through selective genetics. We met by chance on the train to Zurich Airport, took a bit of time to explore the city, and quickly found ourselves deep in conversation—so why not turn it into a podcast?

Be sure to check out his excellent book The Honey Bee Solution to Varroa—a must-read!

Chile’s landscape stretches from the world’s driest desert in the north to icy fiords and glaciers in the south. Towering Andes mountains run along its eastern edge, shaping dramatic valleys and active volcanoes. The central region offers fertile plains and a Mediterranean climate ideal for vineyards, while the Pacific Ocean carves rugged cliffs, long beaches, and vibrant coastal towns. Among these diverse environments, Chile’s 10,000 beekeepers and one and a half million bee colonies must navigate increasingly severe climate challenges. Patricia Aldea wrote her thesis on climate change and its influence on Varroa, shedding light on the pressures facing Chilean beekeeping today.

Whoopie 9 and 1. Update on the planning and interaction with the beekeeping stakeholders to produce an interactive  WikiBEEdia and how it is to be a test apiary running the innovative varroa management.

Whoopie 4. Holobiont. Get insight into the secrets of the holobionts by Melanie Parejo from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Whoopie 4 will provide a handbook for standard methods in bee hologenomic research, integrate differ “-omic” methods in field and laboratory exp0eriments and determine the specific genetic and microbial combinations that foster honeybee resilience under the innovative management concept.

Cozy conversation with Dylan Elen, about the innovative varroa treatment but also the importance to conserve the subspecies of Apis mellifera. The conversation comes close to activities within the BEE-GUARDS and what is the aim of the Dark Bee association. ZwarteBij.org is already running several breeding programs. Operating multiple mating stations. They offer courses on beekeeping, breeding, ...

BEE-GUARDS aim is to strengthen the resilience of beekeeping beyond our project partners. Flemming Vejsnæs, did meet Maria Fedoriak who is one of our MAF members (member of our multi actor forum) in Padova telling us about the beekeeping situation in Ukraine at the moment. It is a long, important and very strong story. You need to listen!