What's The Buzz?

Host Poppy Tooker suits up to get a firsthand look at the hives of honey bees at Audubon Zoo.
Credit: Annie Kinler Matherne

The humble little honey bee is one of the most important players in our ecosystem. On this week’s show, we circle the globe in pursuit of a honey of a tale. We begin right here in our own backyard at the Audubon Zoo. While more exotic creatures may be what draw the crowds, both native and European honey bees can be found bumbling around the zoo's grounds. Curator Dominique Fleitas gives us a tour of the Pollinator Garden and shows us the hives she helps maintain in the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit.

Next, we speak with David Noll, founder of Pacific Resources International, a company that sells manuka honey products. Known for its antibacterial properties, manuku honey is made by bees pollinating the flowers of the manuka bush, a plant native to New Zealand and Australia.

We then talk all things apian with Chicago superstar chef Rick Bayless, whose passion for bees led him to start his own urban colony. And back home, we discover hidden hives in Mid City with Poppy's beekeeping neighbor Bridget Breaux.