Shows
Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No.40 With Maggie Shanahan, PhD & Héctor Morales Urbina MSc We were honoured to welcome Héctor Morales Urbina and Maggie Shanahan as our guests to Salon #40. They both are beekeepers and bee researchers from Chiapas, Mexico and the United States, respectively. Maggie shares some broad context around beekeeping in Chiapas and compare and contrast beekeeping systems in the U.S. and Mexico. Héctor talks about how beekeepers in Chiapas and their use traditional ecological knowledge to better care for their bees and discusses the ways that the Chiapa culture shapes beekeepers’ relationships with their bees. Together, Maggie and Héctor discuss beekeeper-led strategies to bui...2025-07-1642 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 39 With Kaylin Kleckner - Bee-lining in the Bush Kaylin Kleckner is a PhD Candidate at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory. Through collaboration with Rhodes University, Kaylin conducts field research with wild and unmanaged honey bees in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. She used beelining techniques to locate 130 nest sites to study nesting ecology, population structure, and disease dynamics. Long term, she aims to inform local land management decisions and pollinator conservation initiatives in Africa.2025-05-1259 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 36.5 (Brasil Português) Com Felipe Mendes - Colmeias de toras no Brasil e São Tomé e Príncipe Neste podcast, conversamos com Felipe Mendes, do Brasil. Felipe é um apicultor e consultor arbóreo e biodinâmico, pioneiro em abordagens inovadoras de manejo animal por meio do uso de TreeNests (colmeias em toras). Ele trabalha com híbridos de Apis mellifera scutellata (abelhas africanizadas) e colaborou com o Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) no Brasil, um movimento social que ocupa terras agrícolas não utilizadas para promover a agricultura sustentável e a autossuficiência econômica.2025-04-2034 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 38 With Susan Murphy - How Zen Koans can help us approach Apiculture In this Salon we are joined by Dr Susan Murphy Roshi from Australia. Susan is a distinguished Zen teacher with a profound interest in the intersection of Zen practice and indigenous Australian concepts of 'care for country'. For 25 years, she co-led walks in Country with the late, highly respected indigenous Elder, Dulumunmun, Uncle Max Harrison, exploring the deep connections between these traditions. Susan's work emphasizes the transformative power of Zen koans in addressing life's challenges, particularly our duty of care for the Earth. Her latest book, "A Fire Runs Through All Things: Zen Koans for Facing the C...2025-03-311h 00Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 37 With Dylan Ryals - Where Wild Things Are Dylan Ryals is a life-long beekeeper with experience working on commercial pollination and queen-rearing apiaries. He is currently a PhD student under Dr. Brock Harpur at Purdue University where he studies honey bee genetics and breeding. He will speak on his ongoing research uncovering bee ancestry, genetic diversity, and population structure across the United States with special attention to feral and non-commercial populations. 2025-03-121h 13Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 36 With Felipe Mendes - Log hives in Brazil and São Tomé and Príncipe In this podcast, we spoke with Felipe Mendes from Brazil. Felipe is an arboreal and biodynamic beekeeper and consultant, pioneering innovative approaches to animal stewardship through the use of TreeNests (log hives). He works with Apis mellifera scutellata hybrids (Africanized bees) and has collaborated with the Landless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra - MST) in Brazil, a social movement that occupies unused farmland to promote sustainable agriculture and economic self-sufficiency. 2025-02-0949 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 35 With Dr. Jamie Ellis - Do Bee Colonies work together as Super Colonies?2024-12-2256 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 34 With Ollie Visick - Wild Honey Bees in Britain It is on honor to have Ollie Visick from the University of Sussex, UK, as our guest at the Salon. Ollie Visick is a fourth-year PhD student at the University of Sussex, UK, studying wild honey bee colonies under the supervision of Professor Francis Ratnieks. His main areas of research are wild colony density and nest site availability. He has reviewed the colony density literature and conducted his own surveys in southeast England. He is monitoring over 40 honey bee nest sites on 6 estates in Sussex and Kent to calculate long-term changes in colony density. He has surveyed...2024-10-2658 min
Sounds of SAND#101 Apian Wisdom: Michael Joshin ThieleIn this episode, Michael Reiley engages in an insightful discussion with Michael Joshin Thiele, a honeybee conservationist and president of Apis Arborea. The conversation explores the intersections of cultural, spiritual, and ecological dimensions of natural honeybee life.
Michael Joshin Thiele is an apiculture consultant and founder and president of Apis Arborea, a nonprofit focused on honeybee conservation through deep ecology and ecosystem-based strategies. Originally from Germany, he studied philosophy and anthropology in Berlin before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area for Zen Buddhist training. With over a decade of experience, Michael has presented his innovative beekeeping...2024-09-1951 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 33 With Fred Pearce - The New WildIn this epidsode we are joined by Fred Pearce, author of The New Wild - Why Invasive Species will be Nature's Salvation, Economists book of the year 2015. Fred is an award-winning author and journalist based in London. He has reported on environmental, science, and development issues from eighty-five countries over the past twenty years. Environment consultant at New Scientist since 1992, he also writes regularly for the Guardian newspaper and Yale University’s prestigious e360 website. Pearce was voted UK Environment Journalist of the Year in 2001 and CGIAR agricultural research journalist of the year in 2002, and he won a l...2024-09-1057 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 32 With Peter NeumannIn this podcast we are joined by Prof. Peter Neumann, the Vinetum professor of the Institute of Bee Health at the University of Bern. His reaserach covers all aspects of all aspects of bee health with focus on behavioural, evolutionary and molecular ecology of honey bees and their pathogens. Peter has been the adjunct Professor, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, researching ectoparasitic mites Tropilaelaps spp. and Varroa spp. Peter has also been Chair of the research consortium “European honey bees surviving Varroa destructor by means of natural selection” that is comprised of eight research institutes from B...2024-08-1757 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 31 With Derek Mitchell In this podcast we learn that through math(s) we can prove that some of our long held beliefs about honeybees are wrong. Derek Mitchell researches into the heat transfer of man-made and natural honeybee nests at the School of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Leeds where he has recently completed his Phd with a thesis entitled “The Thermofluid engineering of the honeybee nest (Apis Mellifera) . He has had articles published in Beecraft, Bee Culture, American Bee Journal and Natural Honey bee husbandry in addition to his published academic work in the Royal Society Journal and In...2024-03-1053 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 30 Beelining with the experts2024-01-041h 05Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 29 with Maggie Shanahan In Salon 29. we are joined by honeybee researcher Maggie Shanahan, and author of the 2022 paper “Honey Bees and Industrial Agriculture: What Researchers are Missing, and Why it’s a Problem” - Link. The conclusion of that paper offers a great introduction to our conversation with Maggie in this episode of the Salon: "When honey bee researchers recognize industrial agriculture as the root cause of honey bee health issues, we open ourselves to the opportunity to collaborate meaningfully in these movements, and contribute to the future that must be built. We add our voices to the growing...2023-10-2258 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 28 with Grace McCormack This salon features special guest Grace McCormack. She is a Professor of Zoology at NUI Galway, Ireland. Her interests lie in evolutionary biology and particularly in using molecular data to understand how organisms are related to each other and the impacts this may have on the conservation and the evolution of organismal traits. In this podcast Grace explores the question: Are wild bees distinct from those in managed colonies? 2023-06-251h 19Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 27 with Benjamin Rutschmann Our special guest will be Ph.D. Benjamin Rutschman from Germany. Benjamin is a honeybee researcher who works on honeybee ecology with a special focus on colonies living in the wild, their foraging resources, and their nesting sites. He got his Ph.D. from the University of Würzburg in 2022 and is now continuing his studies on wild colonies supported by a scholarship from the Graduate school of life sciences in Würzburg.2023-05-091h 17Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 26 with Chelsea BataviaOur Guest will be Chelsea Batavia. She is an Environmental Scientist with the Delta Stewardship Council. She researches how human ethical values and beliefs affect environmental management and conservation. She is also a great cook as you will find out!2023-03-111h 06Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon 25 with Lars ChittkaOur special guest is Prof. Dr. Lars Chittka. He is from the Research Centre for Psychology at the Queen Mary University of London, where he is a Professor of Sensory and Behavioural Ecology. His latest book “The Mind of a Bee” is a rich and surprising exploration of the intelligence of bees.2022-11-151h 21Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No 24 The Salon Discusses Frederique Apffel Marglin podcastIn this podcast the hosts and attendees discuss Frederique Apffel Marglin Salon podcast No 23. Frederique is challenging the foundation of western thinking and promotes new ways of being in relationship with the agency and sentience of the non-human world. Join us in this open discussion.2022-09-0355 min
The Plant a Trillion Trees PodcastEpisode 93 - Michael Thiele founded Apis Arborea to preserve the life and resiliency of honeybees through Wilding.Michael Joshin Thiele’s pioneering approach to apiculture and honeybee conservation has appeared in national and international magazines, books, and films. He has presented his work at Harvard University and New York University, consulted for the USDA, and in 2006 developed the organization Gaia Bees to advance biodynamic practices in apiculture.
In 2017 he founded Apis Arborea to preserve the life and resiliency of honeybees through Wilding, that is, the restoration of natural nesting habitat, and the use of a holistic ecological and science-based framework in working with bees. He offers workshops and training in the U.S. and in...2022-08-2544 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No 23 With Frederique Apffel Marglin Our special guest is Frederique Apffel Marglin. She is Professor Emerita, Dpt. of Anthropology at Smith College and founded Sachamama Center for Biocultural Regeneration in Peru. Frederique is challenging the foundation of western thinking and promotes new ways of being in relationship with the agency and sentience of the non-human world. Her innovative research presents an opportunity for the arboreal apiculture movement to integrate pioneering scientific thinking and practices, increase our awareness of Deep Ecology in conservation and broaden our understanding of the interconnected intelligence of nature and life on earth.2022-05-0947 min
Soul Elevation: Guiding Your Ascension to New Heights167. Mystical Bees - Jacqueline Freeman and Susan KnilansAre honeybees tiny mystics? What do they have to teach us? Does conventional beekeeping have it all backwards? Is beekeeping as we know it actually harming bees and our entire ecosystem? Susan Knilans and Jacqueline Freeman are beekeeper pioneers who have tapped into the mystical nature of the honeybee. They have co-authored the new book, What Bees Want: Beekeeping as Nature Intended. This conversation is less about the practical application of beekeeping, and more about the dynamic between humanity and the honeybee. There are frankly very shocking realizations in this episode about how h...2022-04-101h 08Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 22 With Thomas SeeleyOur special guest will be Thomas Dyer Seeley. He is the Horace White Professor in Biology in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. He is the author of several books on honeybee behavior, including Honeybee Democracy and The Wisdom of the Hive. He was the recipient of the Humboldt Prize in Biology in 2001. Tom is the most well known and most respected scientists researching free living bee colonies. We look back over his long career. Podcast Reference: Darwinian black box selection for resistance to settled invasive Varroa destructor parasites in honey bees...2022-04-041h 14Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 21 With Filipe SalbanyOur special guest for Salon No. 21 is Filipe Salbany. He has worked with honey bees for over 50 years in Africa, Europe, North America, and the UK. In November 2021 his work at Blenheim Palace (UK) received international attention when the Guardian published an article about the discovery of over 50 previously unknown honey bee colonies of mostly old genetic lineage in the estate forests. (For this episode we recommend a podcast player that supports chapter art. e.g. Overcast or Pocket Casts)2022-02-191h 12
Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 20 with special guest Prof. Dr. Scott GilbertOur special guest is Prof. Dr. Scott F. Gilbert from the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA. Scott will talk about his pioneering work about Holobiome, radically new perspectives on what it means to be an individual, and the origins of novelty. His research is an inspiring resource for arboreal apiculture and a deeper understanding of the nature of honeybees.2021-12-041h 18
Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 19 Beelining with Cheyanna and MichaelBeelining is an ancient craft and science of finding wild honeybee trees/nests. The pursuit is old as humankind and has gained new relevance for the conservation and rewilding of honeybees. Cheyanna and Michael will give an introduction to the logistics and challenges and share how beelining is used in projects in their work at Apis Arborea.2021-12-021h 12
Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No.18 with Matt SomervilleFor Salon #18 we are delighted to have Matt Somerville from the UK as our special guest . He is a master carpenter and the founder of beekindhives. Matt has been a pioneer of arboreal apiculture and experimented with diverse hive designs. He has started to set up hundreds of log hives in the UK and is engaged in the conservation and protection of wild honeybees.2021-08-171h 07Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 17 with Frank KrummOur special guest is Dr. Frank Krumm from Switzerland. He is a scientific assistant WSL/SLF in Davos, a member of the Mountain Ecosystems group, a scientific advisor to freethebees.ch in this fascinating presentation he discusses tree-micro-habitats.2021-05-161h 00Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 16 with Sabine BergmannOur special guest for Salon #16 is Sabine Bergmann from Germany. She is an advocate for traditional and historical apiculture and promotes the rewilding of honeybees in Europe. Sabine and her students have made over 300 log hives which have been placed in projects around Germany. The podcast covers how she got started and the schools, community and nature reserve projects she has worked on. We recommend a podcast player that support chapters to view the presentation images.2021-04-0840 min
Soul Elevation: Guiding Your Ascension to New Heights096. Spiritually Inspired Automatic Drawing - Wendy OkeWhat a blessing to connect with Wendy Oke, niece-in-law of Alma Rumball. Alma was the vehicle behind hundreds of incredible, intricate, prolific drawings. She insisted that "the hand" moved on its own, guided by an invisible force which flowed through her and filled the pages without her intellectual or creative influence. The spiritual advisor to the Dalai Lama identified many of the figures in her drawings as Tibetan dieties, the existence of which this reclusive woman in a tiny town in Ontario had no knowledge. In this fascinating episode we discuss many topics: - After a profound...2021-02-111h 11Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 15 with Ivan PigarevWe are delighted to welcome Ivan Pigarev, the Executive Director of the Natural Beekeeping Association of Russia and author and director of the upcoming documentary “Point of Return". He is a pioneer within the Russian Zeidler community and promotes arboreal apiculture throughout Eastern Europe. This fascinating interview looks into the roots of Russian arboreal apiculture and discusses what we can learn from it to develop a more sustainable and healthy future for beekeeping. 2021-02-0440 min
Soul Elevation: Guiding Your Ascension to New Heights086. I Tested Positive for CovidI tested positive for Covid recently. Michael Massey and I come together to discuss my experience. - We discuss our recent workshop and some last minute pivoting which required us to abandon our expectations and trust what was happening. - Understanding Energy and Expanding Consciousness Workshop with Michael replay is available here. - I share my experience with Covid - my symptoms and how it has presented for me. - What are ascension symptoms? - Illness and accidents can be catalysts for ascension and transformation. - Link to episode with Michael Joshin...2020-12-181h 03Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 14 with Jonathan PowellThis special salon launches the new web site https://freelivingbees.com/ - A new initiative by the Natural Beekeeping Trust With this website the trust seeks to showcase and encourage practices that restore and support the honey bee and its natural habitat and recognize the honey bee as an independent wild species. Michael and Cheyanna interview trustee and fellow podcaster Jonathan Powell about the site and the story behind it. 2020-11-2254 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 13 with Michael J. ThieleThis Salon explores the fringes of arboreal apiculture and what it takes to develop and unlock the potential of new paradigms. Michael shares his journey into uncharted territories of rewilding honeybees and elaborates on challenges and opportunities that come when we begin to re-conceptualize apiculture in the light of mass extinctions and a new evolving global movement of apian conservation. Touching on practical as well as philosophical questions, we look deeper into this emerging field.2020-09-291h 10Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 12 with André WermelingerThis salon will focus on the rewilding of honeybees in various landscapes and ecosystems. We are delighted to say that our special guest will be André Wermelinger from Switzerland. André is the Managing Director of FreeTheBees, an organisation that has been instrumental in returning the lost craft of tree beekeeping back into Europe. André is a passionate advocate of wild Apis Mellifera, promoting both legal protection and monitoring of wild colonies by engaging with scientists and conservationists. More information about his work is available here2020-07-041h 11
Soul Elevation: Guiding Your Ascension to New Heights057. The Mystical Nature of Honeybees - Michael Joshin ThieleMichael Thiele is revolutionizing conventional beekeeping to align it more naturally to its wild environment. I was so pleased to connect with him on this topic, as I keep a couple of beehives myself. Although we do talk about bees, they really act as a vehicle for discussing the divine and the greater mysteries in nature. Michael is an artist with his words, and he paints for us an amazingly beautiful picture of the apian being as a masterful teaching entity and a pathway to soul awakening. You will love and connect to this episode whether your interest in...2020-06-111h 09
Soul Elevation: Guiding Your Ascension to New Heights054. When Realities Collide and Divide - Modern Mysticism with MichaelMichael Massey returns to discuss reality constructs and how to determine which direction to take when we face a choice point. - Is your reality being influenced by the reality of others? - What is the key to avoid being at the mercy of so many negative future potentialities? - What is the difference between choice and decisions, and how does it play out at the soul level? - Are there markers to determine if we are on track for our soul's purpose? Other episodes you'll enjoy: 058...2020-05-2154 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 11 - StillpointThe Salon will focuses on what we may call ‘Stillpoint’, a transitional time between past and future, very creative but also challenging. It has an inwardly and outwardly dimension and is significant for our relationships to the entire web of life. ‘Stillpoint' invites us into a reflection of a world in motion and continues our inquiry into the ongoing unfolding of our relationship with honeybees. Hosted by Jonathan Powell from the Natural Beekeeping Trust, Michael Joshin Thiele from Apis Arborea and Cheyanna Bone.2020-05-1749 minArboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No. 10 The team discuss beauty and native speciesThe Arboreal Apiculture Salon - A podcast exploring the science, beauty and spiritual expression of Abroreal Apiculture with Jonathan Powell from the Natural Beekeeping Trust and Michael Joshin Thiele from Apis Arborea and Cheyanna Bone. 2020-04-071h 18
Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No.9 with Richard PrumRichard's book is a major reimagining of how evolutionary forces work, revealing how mating preferences—what Darwin termed “the taste for the beautiful”—create an extraordinary range of ornament in the animal world. Prum introduces agency and perception as essential components for evolutionary processes and challenges the dogma that holds that natural selection explains every branch on the tree of life: which species thrive, which wither away to extinction, and what features each evolves. We ask Richard about his unpublished work on pollination and bees to understand the influences of beauty and way the selection process is shaped b...2020-03-1137 min
Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No.8 RewildingWe will have several guests from Europe and the US to share a space of inquiry and discussion about the concept and their personal practice of ‘Rewilding Apis Mellifera’. Presenters include Michiel Verspuij* (Ireland), Deborah Richmond (UK), Torben Schiffer (Germany) & Michael J. Thiele (US). Each will share their unique perspective on the subject. * For information on the Welsh project mentioned by Michiel Verspuij please watch this video edited by Jonathan Powell: https://youtu.be/FsvFmtgmkmI2020-02-0352 min
Arboreal Apiculture SalonSalon No.7 with Torben SchifferIn Salon number 7 we welcome Torben Schiffer to talk to us about the biology of honey bees free from the confines of beekeeping hives and manipulations. Torben works for Prof. Jürgen Tautz / Hobos Project (University Würzburg), his research focuses on the climatic conditions of tree cavities and beehives, and the effects on bee health. Additionally he is an expert on the symbiotic relationship between book scorpions and honeybees. He proved that book scorpions feed i.a. on varroa mites and beetle larvae (such as small hive beetle). Furthermore he is exploring the effects of beekeeping on...2019-11-1846 min