Dr. Marla Spivak leads the honey bee research program at the University of Minnesota Bee Lab. She is a MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished McKnight Professor in Entomology.

We were fortunate to sit down with her to discuss the Bee Lab's latest research on propolis and its effects on honey bee health.

The U of M Bee Lab is one of the world's leading bee research facilities. To learn more about the lab and support their efforts, visit their website: https://beelab.umn.edu

Watch Dr. Spivak's TED talk:    • Marla Spivak: Why bees are disappearing  

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0:00 - Introduction
0:30 - Chalkbrood
1:59 - Propolis' mechanism of action
2:31 - Varroa, Nosema, and viruses
4:40 - Why bees collect propolis
6:18 - Modern hives and propolis
7:05 - How to handle propolis
7:34 - Colony populations
9:47 - Necessity of propolis
11:12 - Dr. Spivak's TED talk
13:31 - Advice to commercial beekeepers
14:38 - Advice to hobbyist beekeepers
15:34 - Biggest mistake of a beekeeper
16:35 - Overwintering tips
17:39 - Bee Lab's current studies