The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
American Bee Journal Volume 166 No. 5 May 2026 Cover features a close up of a drone bee emerging. Calouts: Do you really need a new queen - 491, AHB in the USA - 523, Where do honey bees mater?-527

HONEY BEES CAN ZERO IN ON THE ADVANCED CONCEPT OF ZERO

honey bee concept of zero
Posted August 1, 2018

HONEY BEES CAN ZERO IN ON THE ADVANCED CONCEPT OF ZERO

Understanding the concept of zero is surprisingly difficult. The honey bee has joined the ranks of dolphins, parrots, primates and preschool children, in demonstrating the ability to distinguish zero on the numerical spectrum. This finding raises questions of how a species that differs so much from humans – with fewer than one million neurons in …

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NATURE’S IRIDESCENT BEAUTY CONFUSES BUMBLE BEES

Posted August 1, 2018

NATURE’S IRIDESCENT BEAUTY CONFUSES BUMBLE BEES

The iridescent shimmer of butterfly wings, the metallic green of a sweat bee, the color shifting carapace of a beetle: who hasn’t stopped to admire these beautiful works of nature, wondering how they produce such a dazzling and shifting array of color? Long thought to help attract mates, it turns out that the iridescence may …

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August 2018

Posted August 1, 2018

August 2018

Deep Forest Bee Hunting Robin Radcliffe and Tom Seeley – 871 Hive Indicators: Clues to Colony Health Zachary Lamas  – 879 The Varroa Problem – Part 17b Randy Oliver – 883 Treatment-Free Beekeeping: A Practical Hands-On Approach Terry Combs – 891 Fishing for Honey Bees Jennifer Standley – 905 Listening to the Wild Animals David McDonald – 919 Envisioning the Future of Beekeeping Part 3 Tammy …

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August 2018 ABJ Cover

Honey Hunters
Posted August 1, 2018

August 2018 ABJ Cover

Morgan Thompson of Thompson Tree Tools LLC captured this photograph of Dr. Robin Radcliffe as he climbed like a Nepalese Honey Hunter into a towering hemlock tree in the Shindagin Hollow State Forest. Robin discovered five honey bee colonies living in this old growth forest. But he could not find all of the bee trees …

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How Regenerative Agriculture Can Help Save the Bees

Regenerative Agriculture Can Help Save the Bees
Posted July 1, 2018

How Regenerative Agriculture Can Help Save the Bees

Beekeepers are frequently at odds with the biologists who promote native bee conservation. Native bee advocates claim honey bees are stealing all the forage, while beekeepers resent land that is off limits to bee hives. But in truth, bees are bees. Although I’m fascinated by how the species are different, I’m also intrigued by their …

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The Classroom – July 2018

The Classroom - American Bee Journal
Posted July 1, 2018

The Classroom – July 2018

Q Toughest Job I am curious on your thoughts on this article. The Bee Apocalypse Was Never Real; Here’s Why: https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/04/17/bee-apocalypse-was-never-real-heres-why-12851 Thank you,Randy McElroy A Beekeepers in a commercial setting have been ignored for years and have been characterized as the ugly step sisters of agriculture. Passionate beekeepers, i.e. those who have had a desire …

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Notes from the Lab – July 2018

notes from the lab - ABJ
Posted July 1, 2018

Notes from the Lab – July 2018

This spring, I received several phone calls from beekeepers, growers and pesticide applicators regarding the risk posed to honey bees from insect growth regulators (abbreviated as “IGRs”). These chemicals are used as insecticides to control insect pests, especially in agricultural settings. And since many of them are developed to be insect-specific (e.g., they target leaf-chewing …

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Are Women Better Beekeepers

female beekeeper
Posted July 1, 2018

Are Women Better Beekeepers

I can be naïve at times, so when I was asked to write an article about “why women are better beekeepers” I said sure, no problem. After all, the hardest part of writing is finding a topic. But in truth, the assignment turned into a nightmare. My first mistake was thinking it would be fun. …

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Symbionts in the Honey Bee Nest

honey bee nest symbionts
Posted July 1, 2018

Symbionts in the Honey Bee Nest

By now, readers of this column know that the honey bee colony is an assemblage of individuals, organized to a greater or lesser degree by genetic kinship, yet behaviorally specialized and integrated to optimize survival and reproduction of the group. Numerous times in this column we have drawn metaphors between organs, tissues, and behaviors in …

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Queen Cell Cups and Laying Workers

Varroa Immigration into the hive
Posted July 1, 2018

Queen Cell Cups and Laying Workers

We’ve all heard of mite bombs and varroa hitchhiking into our colonies via robber bees. But how many are actually sneaking in? As the summer comes on in full force, be advised this is the time when varroa mite immigration can spike, in some years quite drastically. Varroa mites can enter our hives in large …

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