Episode
"Bitter Honey" Author Jennie Durant (388)
- Podcast
- Beekeeping Today Podcast
- Published
- Jun 8, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2630
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/beekeeping-today-podcast-512758/episodes/bitter-honey-author-jennie-durant-388/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/beekeeping-today-podcast-512758/bitter-honey-author-jennie-durant-388.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Jennie Durant, PhD, joins Beekeeping Today to discuss her new book, Bitter Honey: Big Ag's Threat to the Bees and the Fight to Save Them . Drawing from more than fifteen years of research, interviews, and fieldwork, Jennie explores the complex relationship between commercial beekeeping and modern agriculture. She shares how her interest in honey bees began during her graduate studies in the Philippines and eventually led to a PhD focused on the challenges facing managed pollinators in large-scale agricultural systems. Jennie discusses the evolution of commercial beekeeping in response to the growing demand for almond pollination and how intensified management practices—including supplemental feeding, migratory pollination, and aggressive mite control—have become necessary to maintain colony health and profitability. She explains how habitat loss, monoculture agriculture, pesticide exposure, climate change, and economic pressures have created a difficult environment for both beekeepers and bees. The conversation also explores the often-contentious discussions surrounding honey bees and native pollinators. Jennie emphasizes that habitat loss is the underlying issue affecting all pollinators and advocates for expanding forage resources rather than framing the discussion as a competition between species. Becky and Jeff discuss the importance of habitat restoration, pollinator-friendly land management, and the role beekeepers can play in supporting broader conservation efforts. Jennie highlights organizations such as the Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund and discusses practical actions individuals can take to improve forage availability for pollinators. She also shares stories gathered while researching the book, including the challenges commercial beekeepers have faced in obt…