The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
American Bee Journal Volume 166 No. 4 April 2026 Cover features children's art work depicting honey bees. Callouts: Reduce Supersedure in Packages - 443, Why the hexagon - 419, Educating the Future - 403

The Diversity of Beehives in an 1882 Historic Bee Supply Catalog

The 18882 cover of the "Sunny Side Apiary" Catalog featuring the "Old Reliable Hive" from the backside.
Posted June 1, 2025

The Diversity of Beehives in an 1882 Historic Bee Supply Catalog

With my historical apicultural work, sometimes I document the existence of old hives from supply catalogs, which is evidence they were actually sold and became a working part of our history, even if locally for a brief time. Beehive patents are an important information source too. For me, they have a theoretical component, telling me …

Read More

Pollination Beyond the Plate: The Ladies of Industy

Posted June 1, 2025

Pollination Beyond the Plate: The Ladies of Industy

Soon after the phrase “colony collapse disorder” appeared in the press, Americans became obsessed with honey bees and the human food supply. We like to discuss how many mouthfuls of food our bees pollinate and how fast we would starve without them. It’s true that much of our diet — shuffled around the globe in …

Read More

Wiring Beeswax Foundation — (Apparently) Far From a Lost Beekeeping Procedure

Posted June 1, 2025

Wiring Beeswax Foundation — (Apparently) Far From a Lost Beekeeping Procedure

I didn’t see this one coming Yes, I was blindsided by your responses to my recent article where I asked if any of you were still wiring and embedding the foundation in your frames. In a footnote, in the March 2025 issue of this magazine, I wrote: Personally, I wonder how many of you still …

Read More

Wellness Checks for June

Two beekeepers stand ext to a open hive inspecting a frame of bees.
Posted June 1, 2025

Wellness Checks for June

Bees don’t need a calendar to tell them that summer has arrived. The air is filled with the hum of bees leaving and arriving at hive entrances. Bees work from early morning to sundown, and are so busy that inspections can be done with little worry about angering them. It is after the nectar flow …

Read More

Letters to the Editor – June 2025

Posted June 1, 2025

Letters to the Editor – June 2025

Who lands first in a swarm? I was delighted to read Frank Linton’s article on bivouac traps, something I had not heard of, though I was not completely surprised given its long European history. I’m going to try it, and right now, it’s time! One question, or rather clarification — though swarms often choose the …

Read More

FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HONEY BEES ANNOUNCES 2024 SCHOLARS

Posted June 1, 2025

FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HONEY BEES ANNOUNCES 2024 SCHOLARS

Since 2005, the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees has awarded scholarships to support graduate students in apiculture. Affiliated with the American Beekeeping Federation, the Foundation is a charitable organization focused on making funding available for research and educational endeavors within the beekeeping industry. It has benefited tremendously from many generous gifts, including the …

Read More

POLLINATOR SEED MIX AVAILABLE FROM 4-H PROJECT

Lucile's Pollinator Projects Helping Pollinators Logo
Posted June 1, 2025

POLLINATOR SEED MIX AVAILABLE FROM 4-H PROJECT

Lucile Morehouse, 14 years old, from Choctaw County, Oklahoma, has created a 4-H environmental service project to help pollinators called Lucile’s Pollinator Project. She writes grants and receives donations, creates pollinator seed packets and gives them away for free. Her project has planted 100,188 square feet of pollinator seeds in 32 different states. These seeds …

Read More

GEOFF WILLIAMS NAMED DIRECTOR OF NEW AUBURN BEE CENTER

Geoff Williams - Director of New auburn Bee Center
Posted June 1, 2025

GEOFF WILLIAMS NAMED DIRECTOR OF NEW AUBURN BEE CENTER

AUBURN, Ala. – Geoff Williams, associate professor, graduate program officer and longtime director of the AU-Bees Lab, is director of the new Auburn University Bee Center, effective Tuesday, April 1. In February, the Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Auburn University Bee Center, which combines research, extension and education to advance innovative solutions …

Read More

SUPPORT THE HONEY INTEGRITY ACT – PROTECT U.S. BEEKEEPERS AND CONSUMERS

Posted June 1, 2025

SUPPORT THE HONEY INTEGRITY ACT – PROTECT U.S. BEEKEEPERS AND CONSUMERS

Each year, the U.S. produces an average of 130-150 million pounds of American honey. Yet, Americans consume an average of 600 million pounds of honey per year. Since domestic production falls far short of demand, the U.S. must import large quantities of honey. Unfortunately, these imports often bring a host of problems for both consumers …

Read More

Contents – June 2025

Posted June 1, 2025

Contents – June 2025

If Honey Could Talk: There’s More in That Jar Than You Think Alison McAfee – 621 How Long Does a Dead Colony Live? And what does that mean for varroa? Michael L. Smith – 637 How a Colony’s Worker Know When to Start Building Comb Thomas D. Seeley – 651 Adding Beeswax to Make Honeycomb …

Read More

VIEW SITE MAP