A beautiful autumn day in the bee yard begins with an unexpected discovery for Dr. Jim Tew: his normally reliable smoker-storage system has failed spectacularly. A windblown lid and several rainstorms have left his smoker half submerged, his hive tools soaked, and his carefully organized system in need of drying out.

But that isn't the only surprise waiting for Jim.

A swarm colony he had collected earlier in the season has died, so Jim opens the hive for a late-season autopsy. Wax moths have already moved in, but the comb tells a larger story. Jim finds scattered drone brood, no queen cells, and no obvious signs of American foulbrood or a Varroa collapse. His conclusion: the colony likely declined after its queen failed.

That leads to a harder question: even if Jim had caught the problem several weeks earlier, would requeening a small colony in September have made sense?

Jim considers the cost of a queen, the time required for introduction, dwindling fall forage, and the risks of combining a weak colony with a stronger one. Then he turns his attention to another small nuc that may still deserve some extra care before winter.

It's a thoughtful walk through the realities of fall beekeeping—where sometimes the most difficult management decision is deciding when not to intervene.

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Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. 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

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 to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of Honey Bee Obscura. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Cartoons by: John Martin (Beezwax Comics)

Copyright © 2026 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

What happens when decades of beekeeping, family recipes, and curiosity about cooking with honey come together in one book? In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew talks with Nona Hurst about The Dancing Bees of Rockhurst Farm, the cookbook she created with her husband, John Hurst, and their daughter, designer Courtney Wyndham.

Nona recounts how the Hursts became beekeepers 43 years ago after she surprised John with two colonies for his birthday. The pickup did not go as planned: a rotten bottom board released bees inside the family's enclosed Jeep, turning their first trip home into a memorable introduction to moving colonies after dark. Beekeeping nevertheless became a lasting part of their lives.

The cookbook grew from an eight-inch family binder filled with recipes collected over decades. Nona describes testing recipes repeatedly as she replaced sugar with honey, adjusted acidity and leavening, and learned how honey changes moisture and flavor. She and Jim discuss dishes ranging from fried okra with sassy honey sauce to an easy skillet salmon.

The book is also a family collaboration. Courtney designed and photographed it, with additional photography by Hector Sanchez, while Jim contributed the foreword. Alongside 96 tested recipes, its 236 glossy pages include family stories, honey bee biology, and observations about bee behavior.

Nona's project shows how a practical cookbook can also preserve family history, celebrate a long beekeeping partnership, and invite readers to understand honey as an ingredient rather than merely a substitute for sugar.

Nona's Cookbook - https://www.foxhoundbeecompany.com/products/the-dancing-bees-of-rockhurst-farm-book-honey-cookbook

______________________

Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. 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

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 to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of Honey Bee Obscura. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

______________________

Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Cartoons by: John Martin (Beezwax Comics)

Copyright © 2026 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Sometimes, the best beekeeping activity is simply taking a walk and watching the bees. In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Dr. Jim Tew heads into a nearby field for an informal autumn walkabout. His destination is a stand of goldenrod, where he hopes to observe honey bees and other insects taking advantage of the season's remaining flowers.

Along the way, Jim encounters butterflies, bumblebees, wasps, and plenty of goldenrod. He wonders why some plants attract more insects than others, observes differences in goldenrod growth, and considers how the changing landscape influences the availability of fall forage.

The walk also brings back memories of his early beekeeping days at Auburn University. Jim recalls encountering the distinctive smell of a strong autumn nectar flow for the first time—and mistakenly worrying that his colonies had developed American foulbrood!

Returning to his bee yard, Jim reflects on observation hives, seasonal changes, and the unmistakable aroma associated with fall nectar production.

But this episode is about more than honey bees and goldenrod. It's also about staying active, appreciating the outdoors, and finding satisfaction in simply observing the natural world.

Join Jim for a relaxed autumn walk and a reminder that sometimes beekeeping is about enjoying the bees rather than managing them.

______________________

Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. 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

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 to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of Honey Bee Obscura. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

______________________

Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

Cartoons by: John Martin (Beezwax Comics)

Copyright © 2026 by Growing Planet Media, LLC