One of the greatest joys of beekeeping is acquiring one’s first hive. I dedicated an entire article to discussing how to acquire bees and queens (see Ellis, J.D. 2015. Acquiring bees and queens. American Bee Journal, 155(1): 29-33). In the current article, I discuss the next step in becoming a beekeeper: initiating your new colonies. …
Read MoreApiary Inspectors are the unsung support network of successful beekeepers in many states. I think they are sometimes taken for granted because they fill both the roles of Extension and Regulatory and this is a confusing combination. But, I wanted to take a closer look at State Apiary Inspectors and so from time to time …
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As I type this, spring may be around the corner. Hard to tell, when Monday starts with 30°F, blustery wind, snow flurries, sleet and rain, while Friday ends with 68°F and partly cloud skies. No matter. Beekeeping work must go on if one is to be ready for the real spring buildup and subsequent harvest. …
Read MoreThe Wisconsin Honey Producers Association is proud to announce that Kim Kester was selected as the 2015 Wisconsin Honey Queen at their annual convention. Kim is the daughter of Jim and Barb Kester of Nekoosa, Wisconsin. She is a July 2014 graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where she double-majored in Dairy Science …
Read MoreThe American Beekeeping Federation is proud to announce that Gabrielle Hemesath and Hayden Wolf were selected as the 2015 American Honey Queen and Princess at its annual January convention in Anaheim, CA. Queen Gabrielle is the 19-year-old daughter of Mary and Russell Hemesath of Clermont, IA, and the granddaughter of Karen Hemesath of Castalia, IA, …
Read MoreHOUSTON— Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have seized since October illegally imported Chinese honey valued at $2.45 million destined for U.S. consumers. The seized illicit honey that was abandoned or forfeited totals 660 barrels weighing 203,280 kilograms (448,156 …
Read MoreHANOVER, N.H. – Nicotine isn’t healthy for people, but such naturally occurring chemicals found in flowers of tobacco and other plants could be just the right prescription for ailing bees, according to a Dartmouth College-led study. The researchers found that chemicals in floral nectar, including the alkaloids anabasine and nicotine, the iridoid glycoside catalpol and …
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Rebecca Eldridge, 2015 Indiana Honey Queen, sent us this beautiful photo of a honey bee working buckwheat blossoms. Besides being a talented photographer, Rebecca helps her family maintain 70 to 100 hives. Read more about Rebecca on page 357 of this issue.
Read MoreThe Chenopodiaceae consists of about 1500 species and about 102 genera distributed around the world. They are nearly hopelessly variable in the characteristics that are usually used to define a family, and for that reason, field identification is not easy. The family consists primarily of succulent annual or perennial herbs, some are shrubs, and only …
Read MoreSwarming Causes & Controls Roy Hendrickson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …
Read More"I want the American Bee Journal to be the finest publication about bees and beekeeping in the world."
- C.P. Dadant, Editor of ABJ 1912-1938
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