One of my favorite statements in beekeeping comes from Brother Adam, creator of the Buckfast bee and pioneer in the world of honey bee genetics. When asked what average beekeepers could do to improve their own bee genetics, he didn’t recommend getting Buckfast bees, or even cross-breeding with Buckfast bees. He said that each one …
Read MoreBefore the first flowers bloom, brief spells of warmth invade the cold winter days, calling bees to collect water. With only thick honey in the hive, nurse bees desperately need water for brood rearing. Even when the air is too cool, the breezes too chilly, foragers fly from their hives, under the warmth of a …
Read MoreImagine living in a library full time. Your life is simple: You hunt at night, lying in wait for your dinner to sidle within range of your toxic pincers, then grabbing it, liquifying it. During the day, you hide in dusty corners, narrow crevices, or in the pages of a scintillating novel, something like D.H. …
Read MoreYour energy for beekeeping In January, I attended a large bee meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. For me, it was a significant event. Your individual beekeeping energy at that gathering was palpable. I was honored to have beekeepers come by our podcast booth and share their time and experiences with us. I enjoyed every one of …
Read MoreMarvels in the Trees Admittedly, I had to look up its definition, but in doing so discovered how appropriately “perspicacious” describes the insight shared by the deer hunter in last month’s “From the Editor” piece [“The apartment,” February 2026]. What a treat! Sincere thanks, Eugene, for taking us into the respite of that tree stand, …
Read MoreARS researchers are looking to help U.S. beekeepers better detect and treat their honey bee populations. Honey bees are important pollinators in agriculture. With an estimated 50-80% of crops pollinated by honey bees, they generate approximately $20 billion annually in market value in the United States alone. However, pathogens and the Varroa destructor parasitic mite …
Read MoreTHE CLASSROOM Jamie Ellis – 251 BEEKEEPING BASICS Swarm Season Can Help Your Raise Great Queens Tina Sebestyen – 257 Producing Swarm Queens for Fun, Profit, and Really Big Queens Part 1: What we don’t know about swarms Shelley Stuart – 263 The Indiana Queen Breeders Association, Part 1 Jeff Becker – 267 Mysterious Queen …
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Water, please … on the rocks. This month’s cover comes to us from Gavonna Fore of West Plains, Missouri. As the weather warms, our bees will be looking for dependable, safe water sources. Gavonna fills a large rimmed cookie sheet with water, adding smooth rocks for landing spots to keep bees from drowning.
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Colony assessment and assistance I am finishing up my third year as a beekeeper and at age 84 I do not feel like I can count on another 20 or so years to acquire practical experience to become a veteran beekeeper. With that in mind, I have sought to gain “experience” through searching the internet …
Read MoreIn 1873, Moses Quinby, a beekeeper from New York, invented a practical bee smoker, the design we use today. The new design stood upright with the bellows to the side of the fire box (the smoker barrel), and was easy to use with one hand (see Figure 1). Not surprisingly, creative beekeepers offered their modifications …
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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