Regional Beekeepers Fall Roundtable 2025 (355) — Beekeeping Today Podcast

In this special Beekeeping Today Podcast roundtable, Jeff Ott and Dr. Becky Masterman gather an inspiring group of regional beekeepers from across the U.S. to share how their colonies fared through the 2025 season and what they're doing to prepare for winter.

Joining the table are Ang Roell (They Keep Bees, Massachusetts), Bonnie Morse (Bonnie Bee & Company, California), Duane Combs (Arizona Beekeepers LLC), Jay Williams (Williams Honey Farm, Tennessee), and Paul Longwell (Washington). Each regional voice brings a unique perspective on this year's challenges—heat and drought in the Southwest, unpredictable blooms in the Pacific Northwest, and extended broodless periods complicating Varroa management across the country.

In response to listener Brian Schmitz's question, "What does your overwintering hive look like?", these experienced beekeepers describe how their hive setups differ by region—from Ang's double-deeps and Warre hives with insulation and mountain camp feeding, to Jay's "3:2" ratio overwintering in wrapped medium supers, to Duane's Arizona colonies managing through both heat and rain cycles.

Later, they discuss what didn't go as planned—queen mating failures, volatile weather, and high mite counts—and what they're most looking forward to in 2026. From germplasm banking and bee breeding projects to bee meditation programs and rare honey production, this lively conversation captures the diversity and innovation within today's beekeeping community.

Websites from the episode and others we recommend:

Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com
Project Apis m. (PAm): https://www.projectapism.org
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.

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