Beekeeping Today Podcast7 Jul 2025

Jerry Hayes on Honey Bee Health, Science, and Industry Change (341)

In this episode, Jeff and Becky welcome back Jerry Hayes, renowned honey bee advocate, author, and researcher, for a wide-ranging conversation on bee health, industry change, and the future of beekeeping. Drawing from decades of experience—from inspecting colonies in the field to influencing corporate and regulatory policy—Jerry shares what he's learned about building bridges between science, beekeepers, and the broader agricultural world.

The discussion touches on Jerry's roles across the beekeeping ecosystem—from his early days as Florida's Chief Apiary Inspector to leadership positions at Monsanto, Vita Bee Health and now, Bee Culture Magazine. He reflects on lessons learned while advocating for honey bees in spaces that didn't always understand their value, and how science communication and transparency have become central to his mission.

Jerry also shares insights into how beekeeping has changed, what's needed to better support bees in today's agricultural systems, and the role of products like oxalic acid and other treatment innovations. Whether you're a hobbyist or a commercial beekeeper, this episode offers valuable perspective from someone who's seen the industry evolve from every angle.

Websites from the episode and others we recommend:

Bee Culture Magazine: https://beeculture.com
Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org
The National Honey Board: https://honey.com

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com

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Betterbee is the presenting sponsor of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global offers a variety of standard and custom patties. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode!

Thanks to Bee Smart Designs as a sponsor of this podcast! Bee Smart Designs is the creator of innovative, modular and interchangeable hive systems made in the USA using recycled and American sourced materials. Bee Smart Designs - Simply better beekeeping for the modern beekeeper.

Thanks to Dalan who is dedicated to providing transformative animal health solutions to support a more sustainable future. Dalan's vaccination against American Foulbrood (AFB) is a game changer. Vaccinated queens protect newly hatched honeybee larvae against AFB using the new Dalan vaccine. Created for queen producers and other beekeepers wanting to produce AFB free queens.

Retailers offering vaccinated queens and packages: https://dalan.com/order-vaccinated-queens/ More information on the vaccine: https://dalan.com/media-publications/

Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about their line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com

Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry.

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Be Strong by Young Presidents; Epilogue by Musicalman; Faraday by BeGun; Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus; A Fresh New Start by Pete Morse; Wedding Day by Boomer; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; Red Jack Blues by Daniel Hart; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott.

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

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