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Whether you just joined or you've been here a while, this page is for you — read it once, come back if you're ever unsure how something works.

What this actually is

Not a course, not a lecture series. This is a place to talk real science with other beekeepers who take it seriously, and with me, directly — not a moderated version of me, the actual person doing the research.

A few terms you'll see around here

• Channel — think of it like a specific room for one topic, not a chat message or an email. "General posts" is one channel, "The Lab" is another. Click between them in the sidebar to see different conversations.
• Tier / Access Group — your membership level (Bee Curious, Emerging Bee, The Lab, The Inner Hive). It determines which channels you can see — a higher tier includes everything the tiers below it get, plus more.
• Meetup — a live session, me broadcasting in real time. More on this below.

Where things live

• General posts — open conversation, anyone
• Bee News & Q&A — share what you're seeing, ask what you're wondering
• VOTE! — help decide what I cover next
• New videos — every release, right here
• The Lab — exclusive videos and live-session access for Lab members and up
• The Inner Hive — the closest seat to the bench, exclusive live access for Inner Hive members

Everything's organized by channel in the sidebar once you're inside the community. If you don't see a channel mentioned here, it's most likely one that unlocks at a higher tier — nothing's broken, that's just how access works.

How Meetups (live sessions) actually work

I go live when I'm actually doing the work — reading a new paper, editing a video, going through microscopy images — not on a fixed weekly schedule, and no RSVP needed. I'll always give notice before I go live, so watch for the announcement post rather than expecting a set day or time. If the platform gives you the option to turn on notifications for this community, that's the easiest way not to miss one. When a session starts, the announcement post will have the link to actually join. Once you're in, you see my screen, you see the process as it unfolds, and you can ask questions in the chat while I'm working through it.

Recording depends on what actually happens. If it's just me working alone, I usually don't record. But if people show up and we get into a real discussion worth preserving, I may record it and make the replay available afterward — sometimes only to certain tiers, depending on the session. So a recording showing up isn't guaranteed, but it's also not random — it happens when the conversation was genuinely worth keeping.

Can't make it, or having trouble finding a Meetup? Either way, don't just quietly miss out — leave your question in Bee News & Q&A and I'll answer it there, or post in General posts / send me a message if something's not working right. I'd genuinely rather help someone get in than have them miss it because the platform was confusing.

What I actually want from you

Share bee news, questions, or things happening in your own operation. I read everything posted here, and it genuinely shapes what I cover next — this isn't a formality, real topics have come directly out of this community before.

House rules

Be kind. Disagree with ideas, not people. This community works because people feel safe posting an honest question without getting piled on for not already knowing the answer — no personal attacks, no shaming, no talking down to someone because they're newer to this than you.

Share what you've seen and tried. Don't tell someone else what they must do. Every operation is different — climate, genetics, scale, history. What worked for you is real, valuable information — share it. But frame it as your experience, not a universal instruction someone else has to follow. That's the same standard I hold myself to: I'll show you what the evidence actually says, you decide what applies to your bees.

If you've been here before

A few things changed recently — cleaner channels, clearer live-session notices, and a new free entry tier (Bee Curious) if there's ever someone you want to bring in without asking them to pay first. Nothing you already had access to went away. Just easier to actually use.

Glad you're here. — Humberto (Dr. Bee)

Ps. If you want to see a video explaining how to navigate inside this community HERE is an example