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 MoreMost areas are reporting colonies in fair to good condition going into winter. General inflation seems to have settled in at around 3%, but most consumers feel it is higher, especially when it comes to food. Yet most of our reporters still see strong demand for local honey at the retail level. Unfortunately, larger producers …
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Q: Female Varroa Behavior What happens to a foundress Varroa after she emerges from the cell with an adult bee? A The word “foundress” is used to describe an adult female Varroa that invades a cell occupied by a honey bee larva and reproduces on the immature bee once the cell is capped. This mite …
Read MoreUsing locally reared queens selected for local conditions is a smart and proven way for bee businesses to thrive. My concern after studying bees for over 50 years regards a fundamental weakness in raising these queens. The queens are not available early in the spring In Virginia, unlike queens from the South. To have locally …
Read MoreWatching a honey bee mulishly smash into a light bulb is disconcerting, surreal, as if the bee is shouting and pleading with the natural world: Hear me! Help me! I will never forget the bee tinking against the hot glass, desperate to evade the thing savaging her body, chewing her organs, hollowing her to a …
Read MoreJust a short time ago, as did you, I started another new year. What is it about a new year’s beginning? Maybe it’s just me, but I’m always reflective, optimistic — even sappy as the new year begins. Normally, I boldly predict major upcoming changes in my bee life that will — finally — make …
Read MoreHoney bee dance communication is well known and intriguing, but there is a lot of communication going on in the hive that is invisible, and more important for us as beekeepers to be aware of and understand.1 Having a better understanding of the invisible ways that bees communicate with one another can be very helpful …
Read MoreUp Close and Personal with an Absconded Colony Mike and I had the strangest experience on a Saturday afternoon in early October with a hive that absconded. I am not talking about when you look at your hive and it is gone; this was completely different. We stopped at a large bee yard to feed the …
Read MoreSamantha Murray, education and garden coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven and a bee specialist, has just received a grant from the El Dorado Beekeepers (EDB) to support her research on how nutritional supplements affect honey bee health and colony performance. Jim Guilliams, president of EDB, and his wife, Debbie Katz, secretary of EDB, …
Read MoreOn October 17, 2025, the yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, was discovered in Auckland, the capital of New Zealand, with five confirmed detections to date. Two small nests were discovered about one mile apart, suggesting that the hornet is established with other nests still to be found. It is believed they have not yet moved outside …
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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