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

Honey Crops of the Past Appeared much Different than Today

Honey Bee Biology - April ABJ
Posted April 1, 2016

Honey Crops of the Past Appeared much Different than Today

As Spring draws near, beekeepers begin to anticipate the honey season. The same was true in 1870. Beekeepers of the past wished, planned, and prayed for a bountiful season. While we share the same sentiments, their beekeeping conditions were vastly different from ours today. Movable frames were still spreading across the country, displacing fixed-comb hives. …

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The Rhamnaceae, The Buckthorn Family

Posted April 1, 2016

The Rhamnaceae, The Buckthorn Family

The Rhamnaceae consists of about 58 genera (10 native to the US) and 900 species, which consist of trees, shrubs and vines, and only rarely, herbs. The family is found in many parts of the world. The leaves are simple (not compound) can be placed either alternately or oppositely on their stems and come with …

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EPA Releases the First of Four Preliminary Risk Assessments for Insecticides Potentially Harmful to Bees

Posted March 1, 2016

EPA Releases the First of Four Preliminary Risk Assessments for Insecticides Potentially Harmful to Bees

First-of-its-kind assessment delivers  on President Obama’s  National Pollinator Strategy WASHINGTON– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a preliminary pollinator risk assessment for the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, which shows a threat to some pollinators. EPA’s assessment, prepared in collaboration with California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, indicates that imidacloprid potentially poses risk to hives when the …

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Conflict Among Honey Bee Genes Supports Theory of Altruism

Posted March 1, 2016

Conflict Among Honey Bee Genes Supports Theory of Altruism

Using modern genetic approaches, a team of researchers has provided strong support for the long-standing, but hotly debated, evolutionary theory of kin selection, which suggests that altruistic behavior occurs as a way to pass genes to the next generation. The researchers — who include Christina Grozinger, distinguished professor of entomology, and David Galbraith, postdoctoral scholar …

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Colony Collapse Disorder – Eight Years Later

bee bread collection
Posted March 1, 2016

Colony Collapse Disorder – Eight Years Later

Over 3,000 entomologists and insect scientists from around the world descended on Minneapolis, MN to participate in the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA). The four day Synergy in Science conference ran from November 15th-18th, 2015. Bright and early on Sunday morning honey bee researchers convened in the convention center to …

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Letters to the Editor – March 2016

Patricia Bohls, the recent recipient of the AAPA Scholarship Award
Posted March 1, 2016

Letters to the Editor – March 2016

AAPA Scholarship Award Recipient I am Patricia Bohls, the recent recipient of the AAPA Scholarship Award. I have attached for you a picture, a brief biography, and a summary of my proposal for your publication. Patricia Bohls Bohls, PA. – PROTEOMIC AND COMPARATIVE GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF SEMINAL FLUID IN APIS MELLIFERA DRONES FROM REGIONS WITH …

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U.S. Honey Crops and Markets – March 2016

US Crops and Honey Markets
Posted March 1, 2016

U.S. Honey Crops and Markets – March 2016

UNITED STATES Almond pollination in California this year may very well turn into a mud derby for beekeepers. Some of our reporters indicated very wet conditions in the almond groves, which is something beekeepers will have to readjust to after several years of having passable roads into the groves. Some reporters were also worried about …

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The classroom March 2016

Posted March 1, 2016

The classroom March 2016

Q AFRICANIZED HONEY BEES Many moons ago, you may or may have not written a letter to a queen breeder in Arizona about the queens mailed to a beekeeper in FL, who, as I recall, ended up with such “hot” hives, he had to call in reinforcements from your department to help him deal with …

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More on My Two-queen Colony

new bottom board with conjoined hive bodies on top
Posted March 1, 2016

More on My Two-queen Colony

One of our readers wanted to know why I am experimenting making a new two-queen system instead of simply using the existing tried and true management scheme already incorporated for many years to have two-queen systems: a traditional hive that incorporates a double screen and an extra hive body?  With this traditional two-queen system, the …

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Honey Bee Colonies as Superorganisms: The Hive or the Honey Bee?

bees drinking honey
Posted March 1, 2016

Honey Bee Colonies as Superorganisms: The Hive or the Honey Bee?

I travel quite a bit, giving lectures about bees to various interested groups. One of the lectures that gets requested of me quite often is the one that I give on superorganisms. This is a topic that I have found quite interesting myself, after being introduced to it about 15 or so years ago. At …

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