AG SECRETARY ROLLINS ANNOUNCES USDA REORGANIZATION

Posted September 1, 2025

AG SECRETARY ROLLINS ANNOUNCES USDA REORGANIZATION

Beltsville Bee Research Lab to be closed, with functions continued but relocated (Washington, D.C., July 24, 2025) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), refocusing its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry. Over …

Posted September 1, 2025

Contents – September 2025

A Controlled Swarm Splitting Method for Increasing Colony Count While Maximizing Honey Production Kevin J. Gross – 917 From Dust to Superfood: Bee Bread as Food for Bees and People Part 2: A Superfood for people May Berebaum – 977 The Current Method of Testing for Africanized Bee Genetics is Overdue for an Upgrade Alison …

Volume 165, No. 9 September 2025 Cover Features a Bee on a pink flower. Callouts: Honey Bee swarms are different - 963, Just what does "Africanized" mean? - 991, The BeeCAUSE Alliance - 1013

Posted September 1, 2025

ABJ SEPTEMBER 2025 COVER

Smartweed: Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’ is native to the Himalayas, but it thrives along roadsides and stream-beds throughout much of North America. This and other smartweed varieties are a great fa;; nectar source for much of the U.S., and are featured in this month’s installment of “What’s Blooming in Your Neck of the Woods?” Author Ed Syzmanski …

Posted August 1, 2025

The Classroom – August 2025

Q: Measuring Honey Production In my reading, I am confused by beekeepers not stating the method used to measure their colony’s honey production. Is it by counting the number of frames extracted and using an estimated weight, weighing frames or supers before and after extraction, changes in hive weight before and after nectar flow, weights …

Posted August 1, 2025

Fat Bees and Colony Survival

One of the things I love about beekeeping is how much there still is to learn and discover. Any one of us could be the one to uncover clues to enhance the survival of our beloved honey bees. A great example of this is Dr. Sammy Ramsey, whose Ph.D. research paper in 2018 revolutionized our …

Posted August 1, 2025

The Dirty Business of Eradicating Honey Bee Colonies

It’s an odd situation. Beekeepers, by their very name, “keep” their bees alive and productive. But by becoming so familiar with their bees, and their biology, beekeepers also become very aware of how bees can be killed. I have never known anyone who actually enjoyed the job of killing bees. There has never been a …

Posted August 1, 2025

A Swarm Entering Two Bait Hives: It Happened Again

Swarm season in the spring of 2025 had difficult weather for conducting my research. Summer-like heat came early, advancing the bees and plants into growth too early. Then the cold returned. The low humidity and cloudless nights cratered the night-time temperatures. Brood chilled. Just as expected, the bees dragged out the dead, leaving some at …

Posted August 1, 2025

Why Microplastics Might be Bad for Bees

Each year, we read about honey bees in peril. The number of troubled colonies fluctuates, giving us hope in the good years. But in others, we carry on despite the devastation, hoping to get by, struggling to make ends meet. We also hear of native bee calamities, often accompanied by claims that honey bees make …

Frame from a hive with a patch of of purple honey among the lit colored honey,

Posted August 1, 2025

Letters to the Editor – August 2025

Purple Honey Hi Eugene, I was just reading [Rusty Burlew’s] “The Curious Beekeeper” article on purple honey, and I remember seeing some in a few of my frames several years ago, but I couldn’t figure out why it was there. These pics aren’t very good, but they were taken in May 202. I’m in South …

Photo of Brooke Decker, who has been elected President of the Apiary Instructors of America. She is smiling at the camera while holding a sign that details an Apiary Program.

Posted August 1, 2025

VERMONT BEE EXPERT ELECTED PRESIDENT OF APIARY INSPECTORS OF AMERICA

January 17, 2025, Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is pleased to announce that Brooke Decker has been elected President of the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA), a non-profit organization established with a mission to promote sustainable and healthy honey beekeeping conditions in North America. Decker, the Pollinator Health Specialist …

AG SECRETARY ROLLINS ANNOUNCES USDA REORGANIZATION

Posted September 1, 2025