AEEA and the Power of Extension Education (386)

Beekeeping Today welcomes back two familiar voices in honey bee education: Dr. Robyn Underwood and Ana Heck. Together, they discuss the growing role of the Apiculture Extension Educators of America (AEEA) and how extension professionals are helping connect beekeepers with trusted, science-based information across the United States.

Jeff and Becky begin the episode with a seasonal conversation about swarming management and aggressive spring splitting strategies before turning to this week's Hive IQ listener question on introducing mated queens successfully into colonies. Ana and Robyn share practical field-tested approaches for improving queen acceptance, including push-in cages, timing considerations, queen cage positioning, and the importance of confirming colonies are truly queenless before introducing a new queen.

The discussion then shifts to extension education itself — what extension educators do, why they matter, and how they serve as a bridge between university research and practical beekeeping application. Ana and Robyn explain how AEEA grew from informal monthly "happy hour" discussions into a collaborative national network of extension educators, researchers, inspectors, and outreach professionals sharing resources, programs, and educational materials.

Listeners will also learn about the new AEEA website, future plans for regionally organized educational resources, and why many states still lack dedicated apiculture extension positions. Becky highlights the value these programs provide to local beekeepers, while Jeff encourages listeners to support and advocate for extension resources within their own states.

This episode offers valuable insight into the people working behind the scenes to improve beekeeper education, strengthen honey bee health outreach, and make trusted information more accessible nationwide.

Websites from the episode and others we recommend:

• Apiculture Extension Educators of America (AEEA): https://www.bee-educated.org
• Penn State Extension Beekeeping Resources: https://extension.psu.edu/beekeeping-resources
• Michigan State University Pollinator Initiative: https://pollinators.msu.edu
• BeeSwarm.org on Beekeeping Today: https://www.beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/381-bee-swarmed-with-mateo/
  
  
• Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org
• Project Apis m. (PAm): https://www.projectapism.org
• The National Honey Board: https://honey.com
• Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com

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We'd like to thank Vita Bee Health for supporting the podcast. Vita provides proven tools for controlling Varroa—from Apistan and Apiguard to the new VarroxSan extended-release oxalic acid strips—helping beekeepers keep stronger, healthier colonies.

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; Bolero de la Fontero by Rimsky Music; Perfect Sky by Graceful Movement; I'm Not Running Away This Time by Max Brodie; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott.

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Copyright © 2026 by Growing Planet Media, LLC