Sometime in the early 1960s in the Philippines, a tiny mite that fed exclusively on the eastern honey bee (Apis cerana) encountered a new honey bee species – Apis mellifera, the western honey bee. The mite latched on, and the rest is history. This is of course the story of Varroa destructor, THE major problem …
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Since January 2015 I’ve been writing a monthly serial on the social evolution of the honey bee. Both words count: social and evolution. Social in distinction to individual selection that produces basic body plans, and Evolution in the sense of those genetic adaptations made over time in the context of group living. This is why …
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A newly made nuc–that swarms–is ruined. This problem, in my opinion, does not receive enough attention (see Figure 1). In the spring, I spend considerable time with numerous swarms, nucs, bait hives, and queen cells. I see all kinds of situations. When nucs swarm, they become a problem. Typically, what remains is an excessively weak …
Read MoreIn plant poor regions honey bees out-compete local pollinators, which play vital specialist role in plant pollination New research indicates that introduced ‘alien’ honey bees are competing for rare resources with native bees and threatening the survival of plants that rely on interactions with specific pollinators. The study, published in the journal Diversity and Distributions, …
Read MoreGood nutrition can help us ward off illness. But what happens when we’re already sick? In honey bees, sick bees appear to make smarter nutritional choices. A new study compared the feeding habits of healthy bees to those infected with the gut parasite Nosema ceranae. In the study, published recently in the journal Microbial Ecology, …
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Bees depend on the flowering plants that produce nectar and pollen for sustenance. It’s a symbiotic relationship that evolved over time. New research shows that flowering plants likely originated between 149 and 256 million years ago. The study, published Feb. 4th, 2018 in New Phytologist by researchers from the UK and China, shows that flowering …
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Frank Family Girls Dear Editor, I’m a lucky father. Mary Frank is my now 13 year-old daughter. She is my right hand lady and business partner. We have 6 hives at present and hope to expand to 15 in the near future. I couldn’t keep bees without her and her sisters. Mary can do anything …
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How do you define yourself? This is a question that I’ve asked myself countless times. Mainly the answer has been a hyphenated jumble of the many labels that I acquired over the years. I started out as a good kid, but I had issues that I did not know how to face. Attempting to combat …
Read MoreInternational Honey Market Ron Phipps and Norberto Garcia – 383 Grant Me the Courage Kane M. – 389 But Won’t They Fly Back? Making Nucs Within a Single Apiary Zachary Lamas – 395 Detroit Hives Fight the Blight Rusty Burlew – 399 Honey Bees, Mice and Propolis Al Avitable – 405 A Turn in Approach: The Long Lang Hive Caroline Abbott – 411 The Varroa Problem …
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A magnificent swarm photo by Åke H Nilsson. It appears in the Bonhoff article, where the author has us re-evaluate when a colony ceases to exist. The original queen leaves with a swarm, so the daughter colony left behind should be considered a new colony with a different genetic fingerprint.
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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