Compared 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.
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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 MoreIt was the craziest of times. It was the most exhausting of times. I was trying to hold back the swarming power of 200 top-bar hives, each having only the comb space equivalent to about a deep and a shallow super. These top-bar hives were only two feet long. Why have such a small (short) …
Read MoreKnowledge 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 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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