The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
American Bee Journal Vol 165, No. 2 February 2025 Cover Callouts: Understanding honeybee castes - 171, Build a groovy shim for winter feeding - 183, How bee look to each other - 191

How do you like your thixotropic honey, shaken or stirred?

bee on flower
Posted February 1, 2024

How do you like your thixotropic honey, shaken or stirred?

Here’s a quiz: What do ketchup, yogurt, gelatin, and heather honey have in common? You got it! They are all thixotropic liquids. Thixotropic materials are thick and viscous when motionless but become thinner when agitated. At my home, we always keep a humongous bottle of ketchup on the kitchen counter. After leaving it untouched for …

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Hauling Bee Packages Some suggestions, comments, and stories

package bees
Posted February 1, 2024

Hauling Bee Packages Some suggestions, comments, and stories

Yes, you can probably do this job Why wouldn’t you go get your packages? After all, you get to take a trip in early spring to a warmer climate. You get to see another aspect of the U.S. bee industry, and you get your packages straight home without depending on someone else to do the …

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Letters to the Editor – February 2024

Posted February 1, 2024

Letters to the Editor – February 2024

A “Thank you” to Randy Oliver Randy is awesome! That article basically says that he FORMALLY asked EPA if off the shelf oxalic acid is OK [“The Status of Our Industry Regarding Varroa Management,” December 2023]. The “non-response” from EPA speaks volumes. Do what we need to control varroa. Oxalic acid is not to be avoided, but …

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MAINE BEEKEEPERS GIVE JANE DUNSTAN THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Posted February 1, 2024

MAINE BEEKEEPERS GIVE JANE DUNSTAN THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

As the current director of the Knox Lincoln County Bee School, Jane is passionate about teaching and cares deeply about the success of all new beekeepers. She has further enhanced existing bee school curriculum by creating a comprehensive, multi-modal approach with a rotation of hands-on learning stations interspersed with formal class instruction. Intermediate classes, offered …

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TESTS INDICATE MOST STORE HONEY IS PURE HONEY

Posted February 1, 2024

TESTS INDICATE MOST STORE HONEY IS PURE HONEY

Tinley Park, IL – Since first published in 2011, an article suggesting that most store honey isn’t actually honey has been recirculating in the media without any real supporting evidence or critical examination.1 This claim was substantially refuted in an article published later in 2011.2 This year, RQA Inc., under contract with a client in …

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PENN STATE HONEY AND POLLEN DIAGNOSTIC LAB OFFERS POLLEN IDENTIFICATION SERVICE

pollen identification
Posted February 1, 2024

PENN STATE HONEY AND POLLEN DIAGNOSTIC LAB OFFERS POLLEN IDENTIFICATION SERVICE

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Honey and Pollen Diagnostic Lab now is accepting honey and pollen samples from researchers and beekeepers who would like to identify the plants at the genus level from which honey bees are collecting nectar and pollen. “Bees and other pollinators, such as flies or butterflies, collect the nectar …

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Contents-February 2024

Posted February 1, 2024

Contents-February 2024

AHPA San Diego: A Meeting of Minds and Beehives Mattie Joiner – 141 Welcome to the 4th Agricultural Revolution! Randy Oliver – 143 Darwin Among the Hives Peter L Borst – 159 Observation Hives Add Fun to Beekeeping Dewey M. Caron – 165 Self-organization and collective behavior in honey bee colonies, Part 1 Frédéric Eggers …

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ABJ FEBRUARY 2024 Cover

ABJ Cover February 2024
Posted February 1, 2024

ABJ FEBRUARY 2024 Cover

Pretty in peach: Early spring peach blossoms provide a feast for honey bees and other pollinators. Terry Holm took this photo in March 2020 of her beehives in a Stayton, Oregon peach orchard.

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The Classroom – January 2024

The Classroom - ABJ - Jamie Ellis
Posted January 1, 2024

The Classroom – January 2024

Q  Preventing Varroa virus transmission  Has there been any research on practical methods to prevent the viruses that are transmitted through Varroa? We all want Varroa to go away but it seems like it will be here for a while. Could we treat or prevent the viruses from getting into the bee colony, fight the …

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Honey Extractors of the 1870s: Part 1

vintage honey extractor
Posted January 1, 2024

Honey Extractors of the 1870s: Part 1

The January 1870 American Bee Journal contained an article by J.L. Peabody, who presented a description and a picture of a honey extractor invented by his brother H.O. Peabody (see Figure 1). During this early time of developing a suitable honey extractor, numerous creative designs arose. Some of these designs would be surprising to the …

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