BEE FRIENDLY MISSOURI: MSBA’S NEW LICENSE PLATE INITIATIVE

Posted August 1, 2024

BEE FRIENDLY MISSOURI: MSBA’S NEW LICENSE PLATE INITIATIVE

The Missouri State Beekeepers Association (MSBA) has embarked on a project to support beekeeping and raise awareness about the importance of bees: the “Bee Friendly Missouri” license plate. This initiative is not just about adding a unique touch to vehicles, but represents a significant step in promoting bee conservation and supporting local beekeepers in Missouri. …

Posted August 1, 2024

Contents-August 2024

International Honey Market Report Ron Phipps – 805 Some Old Swarm Terms Peter L Borst – 835 A Commercial Perspective – August Already Randy Oliver – 863 Adventures with Queens Tina Sebestyen – 869 How I Caught My Pickup on Fire Kirk Kirksey – 874 Creating a Pollinator Paradise Means Making Tough Decisions Peter Keilty …

Posted August 1, 2024

ABJ AUGUST 2024 COVER

Sunflowers typically bloom in late summer or early autumn, and are a favorite feast for pollinators, including our beloved honey bees. Our cover photo was taken in August 2022 by Chris Banks, of Banks Honeybee Homestead in Chapmansboro, Tennessee.

Posted July 1, 2024

The Classroom – July 2024

Q Stopping sugar water fermentation Nelson Pomeroy, in his book “Bumblebee Keeper” describes how Koppert solved the problem of fermenting syrup a long time ago: 0.05% potassium sorbate. The explanation is on page 108. Chris May Australia, April A Thanks for the information. I confess that I am answering this question prior to getting access to …

Produce display at a grocery store depicting a number of different vegetables.

Posted July 1, 2024

Bee-Free Honey and Modern Farming: A Body Count

Parents can’t help but grin when their children insist that food comes from grocery stores. Where else? But many adults know little more than their kids, especially about modern farming. Many of us still envision Old MacDonald, the friendly farmer with the dog and the duck, the goat and the goose, surrounded by undulating hills …

A man dressed in a white lab coat and gloves is depicted holding and inspecting a a piece of honey comb in a lab setting checking for American Foulbrood (AFB).

Posted July 1, 2024

EFB and AFB in the USA: Trends Between 2015 and 2022

I spend a lot of time worrying about Melissococcus plutonius and Paenibacillus larvae, the bacteria that cause European foulbrood (EFB) and American foulbrood (AFB) diseases, respectively. Both are rare compared to that insidious parasitic varroa mite, but they can cause major problems if they rear their heads in my apiaries. I also teach veterinarians about …

Posted July 1, 2024

Ants: A Pest of Bees or Beekeepers?

Why did it have to be ants? It happened quickly. Literally, the second day that two nucs were set up, black ants were already in the top feeder of one of the new colonies. Overnight, foraging ants found the internal feeder long before the bees, and the ants had to travel a much greater distance. …

Posted July 1, 2024

A Beekeeper’s Introduction to the Other Stinging Insects – Paper Wasps, Yellow Jackets, and Hornets: Part 2

In the previous article, we briefly examined the vast biology of paper wasps and confronted a typical problem with yellow jackets. Here we continue with yellow jackets and finish these descriptions with the European hornet (Vespa crabro). Currently the European hornet is the most similar social insect to the Asian hornets (which occur as 22 …

A beekeeper performing a sugar-roll mite check. the beekeeper is holding the jar of bees over a white container on a black wire table clothed in a beekeepers jacket and veil with gloves.

Posted July 1, 2024

Keeping Bees is More Fun with Knowledge

I was taught early on that nothing in life is free. If you want something you have to work for it. My introduction to beekeeping started at an early age. I had a father, grandpa, and uncle to guide me. At times I wished that they did something other than keep bees. As a teenager, …

Posted July 1, 2024

Letters to the Editor – July 2024

Queen Replacement I really enjoyed this excellent article by Eleanor Schumacher [“Queen Status — and Assisting the Coronation,” June], and would like to add my thoughts to her approach to requeening a dud colony. I find a great alternative to the shook swarm (or even hunting for a dud queen or laying bees), that will …

BEE FRIENDLY MISSOURI: MSBA’S NEW LICENSE PLATE INITIATIVE

Posted August 1, 2024