The Bee's Knees

A common household mosquito repellent may be silently harming the bees in your garden. Dr. Kimmo Kaakinen shares his study on how volatilized prallethrin—used in household vaporizers and portable mosquito repellers—impairs bumblebees' ability to navigate home. We learn why a 20-minute exposure can reduce homing success from 37% to just 5% and what this means for colony survival. Learn how understanding these threats gives us real power to make a difference for wild bees.

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What happens if the essential work of Europe’s wild pollinators suddenly disappears? Dr. Arndt Feuerbacher joins us to share insights from his study on how wild bees underpin Europe’s agricultural stability and what their decline could mean for food security around the world. We dig into what needs to change, why managed bees can’t fill the gap, and how local actions can add up to real impact.

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This World Bee Day, discover the gentle ground‑nesting bees powering our ecosystems. Dr. Jordan Kueneman explains how the GNBee project uses community science to map their nests and how you can get involved.
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As cities grow, wild bees are finding surprising ways to cope with urban life. In this episode, Dr. Min Tang joins us to explore how a bee’s gut microbiome can reveal what’s really happening in our city environments, from floral diversity to pollution and hidden pathogens.
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How can creativity, collaboration, and ecological know‑how turn even the most unlikely landscapes into thriving habitats for pollinators and people? We visit Indian Lake, New York, where a capped landfill is being transformed into a vibrant pollinator meadow. Kristina Hartzell and Kailey Maher from ADKAction share how this innovative project began, what they’re learning from early test plots, and why native plants are key to restoring biodiversity on disturbed land. We also explore the role of community partners—from local schools to volunteers—in bringing this once‑forgotten space back to life.
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