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

March 2017

Posted March 1, 2017

March 2017

Antibiotics and the Beekeeper—The FDA’s Veterinarian Feed Directive (VFD Malcolm T. Sanford…………………………………………………………………………259 The Varroa Problem—Part 6a—Bee Breeding for Dummies Randy Oliver………………………………………………………………………………….265 Darwinian Beekeeping: An Evolutionary Approach to Apiculture Tom Seeley……………………………………………………………………………………..277 The African Bee Story Peter Loring Borst…………………………………………………………………………….285 Hyenas in our Midst—The Small Hive Beetle Problem Charles Linder…………………………………………………………………………………291 A New Look at Splits Jerry Freeman………………………………………………………………………………….307 Package …

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March ABJ Cover

ABJ COVER MARCH 2017
Posted March 1, 2017

March ABJ Cover

Rachael E. Bonoan, Ph.D. Candidate in Biology, Tufts University in Medford, MA took this excellent close-up of honey comb cells being filled with pollen for spring brood rearing.  Rachael has also written a very interesting summary of her recent research paper on the subject of “Why Do Honey Bees Like Dirty Water?” Her article begins …

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Flowers Use Physics to Attract Pollinators

new-phytologist
Posted February 1, 2017

Flowers Use Physics to Attract Pollinators

A new review indicates that flowers may be able to manipulate the laws of physics, by playing with light, using mechanical tricks, and harnessing electrostatic forces to attract pollinators. The New Phytologist review describes the latest advances in our understanding of how plants use their flowers to ensure reproductive success. Flowers use light to attract …

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Honey Bee Memories: Another Piece of the Alzheimer’s Puzzle?

Posted February 1, 2017

Honey Bee Memories: Another Piece of the Alzheimer’s Puzzle?

Researchers show a molecular mechanism that regulates memory specificity over time, and point to how understanding memory in honey bees could help us combat degenerative brain diseases A breakdown of memory processes in humans can lead to conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. By looking at the simpler brain of a honey bee, new research …

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Jazz is Music to His Ears, But So Are the Bees

Posted February 1, 2017

Jazz is Music to His Ears, But So Are the Bees

He’s been beekeeping and playing the clarinet for 69 years. Meet Norman Gary, a UC Davis emeritus professor of entomology who retired in 1994 after a 32-year academic career.  As an apiculturist and researcher, he authored scores of peer-reviewed publications, and most recently wrote a how-to-book, The Honey Bee Hobbyist: the Care and Keeping of …

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Letters to the Editor – February 2017

Posted February 1, 2017

Letters to the Editor – February 2017

Response to “Beekeeping Stakeholder” Article In an article published in this magazine’s December 2016 edition (“Beekeeping Stakeholder”), author Luke Goembel makes several inaccurate and potentially damaging statements regarding the Maryland Department of Agriculture and its Managed Pollinator Protection Plan (MP3). In the interest of promoting pollinator health—and collaboration amongst stakeholders—we felt it necessary to clear-up …

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The Uncertain Evolution of Social Immunity

Posted February 1, 2017

The Uncertain Evolution of Social Immunity

We are continuing a short series on social immunity – individual behaviors and situations inside a bee nest that collectively discourage the entry, establishment, and proliferation of a parasite in the nest. The term “social immunity” is used in distinction to “innate” or “personal” or “individual” immunity of the kind that occurs in single organisms …

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The Classroom – February 2017

Posted February 1, 2017

The Classroom – February 2017

Q Bee House or Bee Hive? A group in the UK is selling a frameless bee house. It would not be legal in the USA. It is something between a managed colony and a truly feral colony. My question for you: What would be the ethical, i.e., good for bees and people (& legal) version …

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U.S. Honey Crops and Markets – February 2017

US Crops and Honey Markets
Posted February 1, 2017

U.S. Honey Crops and Markets – February 2017

UNITED STATES February signals the beginning of the pollination season for migratory beekeepers who start the season with the largest crop pollination event in the country—California’s almond crop. An estimated 1.7 million colonies will be needed to pollinate California’s most valuable crop. Early indications are that demand and prices for almond pollination will be similar …

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Unknown Smokers

The first unknown smoker, which I am calling the John Doe smoker. This smoker is made from copper, a soft metal easy to bend, but also delicate and easy to destroy.
Posted February 1, 2017

Unknown Smokers

Since the mid 1970’s, I have collected bee smokers. Along with acquiring smokers, I try to identify who or what company made them. Over the years, I have managed to identify many of my manufactured smokers. To identify old smokers, I search through the historical beekeeping literature. In the past, numerous small bee supply companies …

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