Podcast Summary
Short Wave | "Why are bees special? We get inside a hive to find out"
Date: April 7, 2026
Hosts: Emily Kwong, NPR
Guest: Dr. Sammy Ramsey, Entomologist and Producer, "Secrets of the Bees" (National Geographic)
Episode Overview
This episode delves into the fascinating world of bees, exploring their unique behaviors, intelligence, and the threats they face—including the notorious varroa mite. Host Emily Kwong joins entomologist Dr. Sammy Ramsey, whose enthusiasm and expertise shine as they discuss stunning bee footage, surprising scientific discoveries, and the urgent need to protect bees worldwide.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Murder Hornets vs. Bees: Incredible Hive Defenses
- [01:22–03:19]
- Scene description: Inside the National Geographic documentary "Secrets of the Bees," a dramatic encounter unfolds between Asian honeybees and a hornet scout, aka the "murder hornet."
- How murder hornets attack:
- Hornet scouts mark hives with a scent ("She's basically dropping a pin like on Google Maps so that she can see where it is, but also so that all of her sisters can get back there and rip that colony apart." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [01:45])
- They return with their colony to attack and consume bees.
- "They'll grab a bee, chop it up into what we call, in a very loving way, a bee meatball. They will take this bee meatball back to their colony and baby, they are handing out Costco free samples." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [02:04]
- Asian honeybee defense: Heat balling
- As the hornet invades, bees swarm it, decouple their wing muscles, and vibrate to generate heat, baking the hornet alive:
- “They literally cook the hornet like they bake it like a cookie. It’s wild out here in these streets.” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [02:42]
- Emily Kwong jokes, “They're like, have you ever tried Costco hornet cookie? Because that's our specialty in this hive.” [03:08]
- As the hornet invades, bees swarm it, decouple their wing muscles, and vibrate to generate heat, baking the hornet alive:
2. Bee Brains: Intelligence and Learning
- [04:03–07:26]
- Size vs. Capability: Despite brain size as small as a pinhead, bees exhibit remarkable cognition.
- "Bees have these brains that are so effectively structured for learning." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [04:23]
- Learning by trial and error: Comparing bee foraging to early human experimentation with food, emphasizing risk and discovery.
- Second-order thinking: Bees can plan sequences of actions—a cognitive skill long thought unique to mammals.
- “That is a level of thinking that requires...capacity to think about a future state and understand after I do this, I will be in a different state to then do this and then that. And we tend to think elephants and porpoises and dogs can do this kind of thing, but not an insect. Right. But then there was wrong.” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [05:53]
- Teaching and Culture: Bees not only solve problems but teach each other, establishing a form of culture:
- “When we pass down these things...that is indeed culture. And that means that insects, y' all, these insects out here are culturistas.” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [06:56]
- Size vs. Capability: Despite brain size as small as a pinhead, bees exhibit remarkable cognition.
3. Play Behavior Among Bees
- [07:26–09:11]
- Experimental observation: In a Queen Mary University lab, bees chose to play with wooden balls rather than seek out a sugar reward.
- “Instead of going for it [the sugar], they hung out in this room in between, where they could just grab these purple or yellow painted wooden balls and just roll them around...it's play.” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [07:57]
- Significance: First documentation of insect play behavior suggests cognitive flexibility and mirrors the role of play in vertebrate development.
- “Play is one of those things that helps develop the systems of learning...And yet play has emerged in [bees] in similar ways that it has emerged in us. And that's something that I hope reminds people that we are not that different from these insects.” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [08:44]
- Experimental observation: In a Queen Mary University lab, bees chose to play with wooden balls rather than seek out a sugar reward.
4. The Varroa Mite Threat
- [10:00–13:04]
- Description of the parasite: Varroa mites decimate honeybee colonies by attaching to bees and consuming their equivalent of a liver.
- “They attach themselves to bees, they liquefy the bee's liver and they suck that out...Those bees, when they are dying, get very sick and then can spread those viruses and bacteria to the rest of the colony.” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [10:29]
- Impact on colonies: Now common worldwide, including Australia. Almost all US colonies are or will be affected within a year.
- Synergy with pesticides: Bees lose their ability to detoxify pesticides when infested, making even low doses lethal.
- “What was a sublethal amount of these pesticides is no longer sub lethal to them because without their liver to protect them...they can die from sub lethal exposure...” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [11:23]
- Urgent research need: Cuts to bee research funding threaten progress:
- “We are already in a context where we need more bee research and we are getting less of it...when we are so close to figuring out how to protect our bees consistently.” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [12:12]
- Bees' economic importance: “They're considered by the USDA as livestock, and they are the third most valuable livestock in the world, just after chickens and pigs.” – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [12:04]
- Description of the parasite: Varroa mites decimate honeybee colonies by attaching to bees and consuming their equivalent of a liver.
Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
- "She’s basically dropping a pin like on Google Maps..." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [01:45]
- "They literally cook the hornet like they bake it like a cookie. It’s wild out here in these streets." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [02:42]
- "Bees are culturistas." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [06:56]
- "Instead of going for it, they hung out in this room... and just roll them around. Some bees will roll them from one bee to the next...and it's play." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [07:57]
- "Play has emerged in them in similar ways that it has emerged in us. And that's something that I hope reminds people that we are not that different from these insects." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [08:44]
- "We are already in a context where we need more bee research and we are getting less of it. And so the wrong time to pull away all of that funding and support is right now when we are so close to figuring out how to protect our bees consistently." – Dr. Sammy Ramsey, [12:12]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 01:22–03:19 — Murder hornets vs. bee colony: defense and strategy
- 04:03–07:26 — Bee learning, intelligence, and culture
- 07:26–09:11 — Play behavior in bees
- 10:00–13:04 — The varroa mite threat: impact, urgency, and solutions
Tone & Style
- Educational with humor and excitement
- Dr. Ramsey’s enthusiasm is infectious, making complex science approachable and fun
- Emily Kwong guides the listener with curiosity and wonder
Final Takeaways
- Bees are far more intelligent and behaviorally complex than previously thought; they show culture, teach one another, and even play.
- Their colonies face existential threats from pests like the varroa mite, intensified by pesticide vulnerability and declining research support.
- Protecting bees is essential not just for their sake, but for global food systems and economies.
A must-listen for anyone curious about the secret lives and urgent struggles of bees.