National Honey Board Announces New Chief Executive Officer

Posted March 1, 2015

National Honey Board Announces New Chief Executive Officer

Firestone, Colo., January 15, 2015 – The National Honey Board (NHB), an industry-funded agriculture promotion group, announced that the Board has unanimously selected Margaret Lombard as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective December 29, 2014. Lombard succeeds the NHB’s past CEO Bruce Boynton who announced his desire to retire in early 2014 after almost 26 years …

Posted March 1, 2015

Getting Up Close and Personal on Nosema ceranae in Honey Bees

As one of the possible causes of honey bee losses, the gut pathogen Nosema ceranae has proved controversial. It seems accountable for colony losses in Spain, yet elsewhere it seems not to cause obvious problems despite being widespread. Two papers published recently in the Journal of Apicultural Research help to shed some light on the problem, with close studies …

Posted March 1, 2015

March 2015 Cover

The cover picture for this issue is actually a beautiful watercolor work by artist Jim Whiteside. Jim donated the painting and it was purchased at the American Beekeeping Federation Convention auction this year for $700 by Mary and Dave Mendes from Florida. Read more on page 233.

Posted March 1, 2015

Family Borginaceae: The Borage or Forget-Me-Not Family

The family Borginaceae consists of about 100 genera and 2000 species of mostly herbs and some shrubs and climbers. The family is found on all continents including Antarctica, but is generally from temperate and tropical parts of the world. About 22 genera are native to the U.S., many of them in the west. The plants …

Posted March 1, 2015

March 2015 Table of Contents

International Honey Market Ron Phipps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …

Posted February 1, 2015

The Rise, Flourish, and Fall of Spring Nectar Flows

Knowing your local nectar flows is an essential part of beekeeping. They tell you when to put on honey supers or if supplemental feeding is necessary. The nectar flows occur roughly by the calendar dates, but that formula approach is not sufficient. The plants respond to the weather. The weather is quite variable, so the …

Posted February 1, 2015

The Road to Apis mellifera: Putting the “Honey” in Honey Bee

I’m convinced that beekeeping provides a place for nearly every kind of human personality and interest. There are as many reasons for getting into beekeeping as there are beekeepers, and whether the initial attraction in your case was pollination for your garden, a sideline income, a family tradition, a social outlet, a shared family project, …

Posted February 1, 2015

Stocks of Bees in the United States

All beekeepers must choose the type of bee that will be the workhorse of their beekeeping operations. Which bee to use can be the subject of intense debate among beekeepers. Should you use Russian bees or Minnesota hygienic bees? Which is better: Italian or New World Carniolan bees? The answers to these questions are not …

Posted February 1, 2015

The Classroom February 2015

Q COLLOIDAL SILVER FOR BEE HEALTH? Being a beginner beekeeper with 3 years to my credit, I always look forward to reading “The Classroom” upon receiving the ABJ. Many thanks for your answers and insight. I have a friend who constructs colloidal silver generators. He gives them away to people of interest who have various ailments, …

Posted February 1, 2015

Dealing With Dead-Outs

A beehive that withstands the cold winter months has tremendous potential. In spring, over-wintered hives can be split, re-queened or managed to produce significant quantities of honey. Establishing the conditions that enable a hive to survive the winter and flourish in spring is one of the many gratifying aspects of beekeeping. So it serves to …

National Honey Board Announces New Chief Executive Officer

Posted March 1, 2015