E368 - Cold-Climate Beekeeping and Winter Feeding Insights with Etienne Tardif
Published: January 19, 2026
Duration: 58:57
In this episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast, Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman welcome back cold-climate beekeeper and data-driven researcher Etienne Tardif, joining the conversation from Canada's far north. Etienne keeps bees in the Yukon—well above the 60th parallel—where winter temperatures routinely reach extremes few beekeepers ever experience.
The discussion begins with a listener question about queen genetics and whether mating across multiple bee lines can combine desirable traits like winter hardiness, rapid spring buildup, and large populations. Becky explores the realities of bee breeding, emphasizing selection over time, the value of diverse genetics within an apia...