Knowledge about keeping bees, like so many other things, is learned by degrees. Mistakes are sure to be made, and I have made many. April is an interesting month. There are so many things going on at the same time. Management techniques at this time are concerned with three things: colony health, food, and population …
Read MoreAmber shards of molten sunshine — morning rays tinged with warmth — bedeck a cheery tablecloth. Aligned just so, near the center of the drape, a phalanx of pristine jars, each clearly labeled, dazzles a curious crowd of Saturday morning shoppers. “Oh look! Big Leaf Maple!” says one. “Does it taste like syrup?” While onlookers …
Read MoreCanadians not worried about Tropilaelaps In response to Charles Linder’s February article: Canada imports honey bees from New Zealand, Italy, Australia, Chile, and Ukraine. And the danger of importing the new, devastating Tropilaelaps mites. While at the Alberta Beekeepers meeting, one of the provincial apiculturists told Charles Linder flat out: “Tropi is not a problem …
Read MoreA nationwide survey of beekeepers has revealed catastrophic honey bee colony losses across the United States, with commercial operations reporting an average loss of 62% between June 2024 and February 2025. These alarming losses, which surpass historical trends, could significantly impact U.S. agriculture, particularly crop pollination for almonds, fruits, vegetables, and other essential food sources. …
Read MoreFebruary 3, 2025, CHARLESTON — State officials announced a “major legal victory” for West Virginia farmers after a Kanawha Circuit Court upheld the right for a South Charleston man to keep bees on his property. In November of last year, Alex Urban was denied a permit to keep honeybees on his South Charleston property, leading …
Read MoreSacramento, CA — The California State Beekeepers Association is excited to announce a new effort aimed at preventing the rapidly expanding number of hive theft incidents that continue to jeopardize California’s agricultural production and increase food costs. “California has experienced an 87% increase in hive thefts since 2013 with loss to beekeepers estimated at over …
Read MoreSpring Reads Rusty Burlew, Carol Hrusovszky, Eugene Makovec – 373 What is a “field-realistic” pesticide dose, anyway? Alison McAfee – 393 Bivouac Traps:Catch Swarms Before They Depart Frank Linton – 405 A Trial of Some Summer Treatments Randy Oliver – 409 Organic colony management … Choosing an Apiary Location Selina Bruckner, Margarita M. López-Uribe, Robyn …
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Grocery bags: Our cover photo was sent in by Justin Scott, of Sweet Stingers Honey and Apiary in Edmond, Oklahoma. It was taken during late winter/early spring build-up, when dandelions were in bloom. “I was looking down in the broodnest fixing to pull frames to inspect and she flew in, stopped like that ad hung …
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Bee use of propolis Do we know how long bees have been producing propolis? In the bee and wasp family, only honey bees exhibit this trait — is that correct? Calum Grigor Germany, December A Sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants belong to the insect order Hymenoptera (from the Greek: hymen — membrane, optera — wing, …
Read MoreWe’ve all heard of certain human endeavors described as “interminable boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” We might include combat, surgery, firefighting, whitewater rafting, or rock climbing in a list of activities that elicit periodic unhinging. I’ve heard folks describe beekeeping in this way, although I don’t quite agree. Boring? Absolutely. Terrorizing? Sometimes. But …
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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