In 1873, Moses Quinby, a beekeeper from New York, invented a practical bee smoker, the design we use today. The new design stood upright with the bellows to the side of the fire box (the smoker barrel), and was easy to use with one hand (see Figure 1). Not surprisingly, creative beekeepers offered their modifications …
Read MoreOn a late summer day — October, it was — a bitter breeze nipped my face and slithered beneath my jacket. I shivered. Overhead, an arrogant Steller’s jay threatened, scolding me in a harsh, get-the-heck-outta-here voice. And nearby, in a thicket of western red cedar, a Townsend’s chipmunk caterwauled in a rapid chip, chip, chip …
Read MoreHelping weak colonies — too much review? Maybe I write about this subject too much. After all, we seem to agree that honey bees are not as vibrant as they were a few decades ago, but in life, we seem to forget the bad and remember the good. Am I, and others like me, just …
Read MoreDrones are the underappreciated, but (in)dispensible gift in your hives. They are indispensible in that they are the key to keeping good genetic traits in your colonies and surrounding apiaries. They also seem dispensable, since we humans think that there are always more than we need, and culling the larvae is such a valuable tool …
Read MoreA Beekeeper’s Valentine Like a bee to a flower I come to your bright colors, Your intoxicating scent. I can’t get enough of your sweet nectar, Your abundant pollen covers me completely. I’m all a-buzz in your company. And when I finally leave you, You’ll be the fuller for it, and I, I will carry …
Read MoreWASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today introduced the Trade Cheating Restitution Act of 2025, legislation that would support American honey producers and producers of other commodities, like crawfish, garlic, and mushrooms, who have been harmed by unfair trade practices, primarily by China. Specifically, the bill would direct U.S. Customs …
Read MoreFour major North American beekeeping organizations released the first-ever North American Bee Strategy (https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/NABS/) this week, a coordinated, continent-wide plan to protect honey bees, strengthen the viability of professional beekeeping, and safeguard food security across the United States and Canada. The strategy is the result of a cross-border collaboration between the American Beekeeping Federation, the …
Read MoreThe Beekeepers of Indiana (TBoI) is pleased to offer a scholarship opportunity to provide tuition assistance to a junior or senior enrolled in an accredited U.S.-based undergraduate degree program that is preparing the candidate to pursue a career in apiculture. Candidate must have kept honey bees for a minimum of two (2) years by the …
Read MoreTHE CLASSROOM Jamie Ellis – 137 BEEKEEPING BASICS Have your cake and eat it, too Tina Sebestyen – 143 THE CURIOUS BEEKEEPER Decoding Your Apiary Ecosystem the iNaturalist Way Rusty Burlew – 147 The Tremble Dance: A Hidden Language of Honey Bee Colonies Katharine Julia Lanz – 153 The Spired Beehives of Rosslyn Chapel Samuel …
Read More
Bees of the borealis: Intense solar activity this past year causes several occurrences of aurora borealis, or northern lights, across much of North America. When solar particles ejected from the sun energize magnetic waves in the earth’s atmosphere, it can create dazzling, yet eerie, light displays. Chris Cecil took our cover photo during one such …
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
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL
51 S. 2nd St., Hamilton, IL 62341
Phone: 217.847.3324
Fax: 217.847.3660
info@americanbeejournal.com
©2026 Copyright the American Bee Journal. All Rights Reserved.
website developed by CleverOgre
