The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
American Bee Journal Volume 166 No. 1 January 2026 Cover Callouts: Invisible Bee Communication - 45, Vadescana: A new varroa control - 51, The impacts of pollen trapping - 61 Cover depicts a honey bee with propolis on its legs.

September 2016

Posted September 1, 2016

September 2016

Keeping Honey Bee Colonies Safe from the Varroa Mite Meghan Milbrath……………………………………………………………………………….985 Light or Heavy Syrup for Drawing Foundation Randy Oliver…………………………………………………………………………………..993 “Smooth Honey”—The Art of Making Creamed Honey Ron Miksha……………………………………………………………………………………997 Delaware’s Big Joe Nicolai Keeps Busy with Bees and His Careers Cecil Hicks……………………………………………………………………………………1001 Anita Deeley—Keeping Bees and Helping Beekeepers in Massachusetts Mary and Bill Weaver……………………………………………………………………….1007 Understanding …

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September ABJ Cover

American Bee Journal September 2016 Cover
Posted September 1, 2016

September ABJ Cover

September Cover Picture Photographer Michael LaSpina captured this excellent photo of a honey bee working Yellow Star Thistle in Northern California.

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Letters to the Editor – August 2016

Posted August 1, 2016

Letters to the Editor – August 2016

Bee Water and Sphagnum Peat Moss Perfect solution! Thank you so much for publishing Tibor Csincsa’s Letter to the Editor titled “More On Bees and Water” in the June 2016 issue. I have struggled over the years to develop a dependable watering solution for my bee yards where water is not readily available. Either the …

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U.S. Honey Crops and Markets – August 2016

US Crops and Honey Markets
Posted August 1, 2016

U.S. Honey Crops and Markets – August 2016

The season has been one of extremes. Earlier spring heavy rains in the Southeast and Southwest were followed by torrential rains and disastrous flooding in the Mideastern states, especially in West Virginia. Later in the spring and early summer extreme heat gripped much of the South, especially the Southwest and Southern California. Heat advisories in …

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7th Annual Illinois Queen Initiative – 10.29.16

Posted August 1, 2016

7th Annual Illinois Queen Initiative – 10.29.16

The 7th annual fall meeting of the Illinois Queen Initiative (IQI) will be held Saturday, October 29, 2016 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Asmark Institute Agricenter, 14171 Carole Drive, Bloomington, Illinois; Doors open at 8:30.  The IQI is an organization of volunteers dedicated to educating Illinois beekeepers on rearing queens, with an …

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The Classroom – August 2016

Posted August 1, 2016

The Classroom – August 2016

Q Big swarm, now what? I collected a very large swarm yesterday. It filled 2.5 deep boxes. I just happened to have 3 boxes that had all drawn comb. I did replace 5 frames with new foundation to keep them busy. My questions are: With such a large swarm, and now the queen will start …

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Parasitic Cape Honey Bees Out-Reproduce Other Bees Using a Few Unusual Gene Regions

Parasitic Cape honey bees out-reproduce other bees using a few unusual gene regions. Credit: Andreas Wallberg and colleagues
Posted August 1, 2016

Parasitic Cape Honey Bees Out-Reproduce Other Bees Using a Few Unusual Gene Regions

Genes related to hormone signaling and sex cell division let worker bees reproduce asexually PLOS Parasitic Cape honey bees exploit and overrun other honey bee colonies by triggering changes that let worker bees reproduce. This social parasitism is enabled by differences in several gene regions, including some related to hormone signaling and chromosomal segregation, report …

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Honey Bees Pick Up ‘Astonishing’ Number of Pesticides Via Non-crop Plants

Posted August 1, 2016

Honey Bees Pick Up ‘Astonishing’ Number of Pesticides Via Non-crop Plants

Purdue University WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University study shows that honey bees collect the vast majority of their pollen from plants other than crops, even in areas dominated by corn and soybeans, and that pollen is consistently contaminated with a host of agricultural and urban pesticides throughout the growing season. Christian Krupke, professor …

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Comparing Two-queen Colony Management Methods

Horizontal two-queen hive configuration. The top super was half full so I added two more supers.
Posted August 1, 2016

Comparing Two-queen Colony Management Methods

There have been a few inquiries regarding two-queen systems since my last article. There are several methods of making a two-queen colony. Some others may be more productive than the horizontal method to which I am committed. Most two-queen systems have extracted honey production as a goal. Double-queen systems date back many years. Farrar reported …

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Other Stressors of Honey Bee Colonies

Posted August 1, 2016

Other Stressors of Honey Bee Colonies

As a follow-up to my last article, I will continue to discuss the major stressors of honey bee colonies. I covered the main biotic stressors (pest, pathogen, predator, parasite) of honey bee colonies in my July article. Now, I will discuss the other major stressors of honey bee colonies: managed-related stressors, nutrition, queen-related stressors, and …

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