E358 - Melanie Kirby: Art, Science & Bees in Community

This week, Becky Masterman and guest co-host Dr. Meghan Milbrath of Michigan State University welcome Melanie Kirby, queen breeder, educator, and pollinator specialist at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Melanie shares her incredible beekeeping journey — from learning in the jungles of Paraguay as a Peace Corps volunteer, to queen rearing in Hawaii's Kona Queen and Hawaiian Queen Apiaries, to managing migratory operations across the U.S., and now mentoring new beekeepers through her 20-year-old operation, Zia Queenbees.

She discusses the creation of the Adaptive Bee Breeders Alliance (adaptivebeebreedersalliance.org), a...