Q: Bees Scenting Brood Cells I recently was told during a honey bee biology class that the workers scent the brood cells they want the queen to lay in by marking them with pheromones. This kind of makes sense to me since you always see queens investigating several brood cells before deciding to lay in …
Read MoreBeekeeping then and beekeeping now For many years now, I have absolutely loved keeping bees, but over time, my commitment has had to evolve. Since I began approximately 52 years ago, many beekeeping things have changed and many people have come and gone. But for the most part, the bees are still the same. I …
Read MoreCompared to the cost of a three-pound package of bees, the loss of a large swarm is easily around $200. Most swarms will not land low on a branch as in Figure 1. Even when it does happen, hiving some swarms still requires careful thought before disturbing the cluster (see Figure 2). I want to …
Read MoreThe first pressed plants I remember fell from a tattered hymnal. Three tiny pink roses tied with a narrow ribbon, and several four-leaf clovers, wafted to the floor as my younger self flipped through the book, looking for pictures. Although thoroughly dry, the specimens were supple enough to touch and hold upright, turn and examine. …
Read MoreLinder’s “anti-science” analysis In [Charles Linder’s] article “Where Have the Bees Gone?” in the April 2025 issue, we read: “If we learned anything from the last attention we received, it is that scientists and researchers are of little help. … While a whole lot of research has been done, it has all pretty much been …
Read MoreMarch 19, 2025 was California Ag Day. Representatives of the CA State Beekeepers Association (CSBA) visited 126 legislative offices in Sacramento to invite legislators to the annual event at the capital. Our plea was simple this year: California’s overtime laws are increasing the cost of our food and decreasing pay for our workers. Commercial beekeeping …
Read MoreInternational Honey Market Report Ron Phipps – 489 What do Tariffs Mean for the Canada-U.S. Queen Trade? Alison McAfee – 509 Dealing with Loss — Feel Like Quitting? Tina Sebestyen – 515 A Commercial Perspective: CCD, Politics, and Business as Usual Charles Linder – 518 The BeeMD — A New Resource for Identifying Hive Issues …
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Michael Dinsmore took our cover photo at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is one of several varieties that feed monarch and other caterpillars in his yard, along with a host of pollinators like this honey bee.
Read More Q: Preserving sugar syrup with thymol I note in the February edition of American Bee Journal some correspondence about preventing sugar syrup from fermenting. One way is the addition of a small amount of thymol. It will not readily dissolve in syrup, but it will in alcohol: one ounce of thymol crystals in five fluid …
Read MoreReaders, the following saga is an amalgamation of my own colony split experiences and those of others whose stories I was told. Actually, I have never had a bad experience when buying splits from other beekeepers, but unlike purchasing packages, buying and initiating colony splits is not an exact procedure. I suppose that, at this …
Read More"I want the American Bee Journal to be the finest publication about bees and beekeeping in the world."
- C.P. Dadant, Editor of ABJ 1912-1938
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