The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
American Bee Journal Volume 166 No. 1 January 2026 Cover Callouts: Invisible Bee Communication - 45, Vadescana: A new varroa control - 51, The impacts of pollen trapping - 61 Cover depicts a honey bee with propolis on its legs.

The Old Craft of Box Hive Beekeeping: a bygone minimalist bee management technique

Posted May 1, 2024

The Old Craft of Box Hive Beekeeping: a bygone minimalist bee management technique

Here’s the truth There is a staggering amount of beekeeping lore and instruction on the internet. The recent addition of archived books, pamphlets, catalogs and publications has gone even further in adding to the stock of bee information — information that is both old and new. I have long since learned that the web has …

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Letters to the Editor – May 2024

Posted May 1, 2024

Letters to the Editor – May 2024

Darwin Among the Hives In reference to my February article, a reader wrote to me: “I have read your many contributions over the years with both respect and admiration, and thus was a little surprised to find myself in some disagreement with the February contribution — ‘Darwin among the Hives.’ My impression is that you …

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UW RESEARCHER LEARNS HOW NECTAR-LADEN HONEY BEES AVOID OVERHEATING

Posted May 1, 2024

UW RESEARCHER LEARNS HOW NECTAR-LADEN HONEY BEES AVOID OVERHEATING

— February 13, 2024, University of Wyoming Honey bees carrying nectar have the remarkable ability to adjust their flight behavior to avoid overheating when air temperatures increase, according to research led by a University of Wyoming scientist. Jordan Glass, a postdoctoral research associate in UW’s Department of Zoology and Physiology, conducted the study to determine …

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USDA ASKS AMERICANS TO LOOK FOR INVASIVE EGG MASSES

Posted May 1, 2024

USDA ASKS AMERICANS TO LOOK FOR INVASIVE EGG MASSES

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2024—Help the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) stomp out invasive pests this spring! Challenge your detection prowess: Look for spotted lanternfly and spongy moth egg masses on vehicles, trees, and other outdoor surfaces during the winter and early spring. If you find them, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) …

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BEE BOX

Posted May 1, 2024

BEE BOX

Lucile Morehouse, age 13, is an active 4-H member in Choctaw County, Oklahoma. She created a service project that focuses on saving pollinators. Last year Lucile was awarded the Youth Enhancement Grant from the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation. This one-time grant allowed Lucile to distribute 600 seed packets that went to 16 different states. This year, …

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Contents-May 2024

Posted May 1, 2024

Contents-May 2024

A Field Trial of Probiotics, part 2 Randy Oliver – 481 The Dynamics of Honey Bee Flight Bill Hesbach – 496 Let’s Throw a Bee! Peter L Borst – 501 Having It Your Way in a HOA Peter Keilty – 519 Rescuing Plastic Foundation Wes Henry – 521 Revealing Hygienic Behavior with UBeeO Tine Sebestyen …

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ABJ May 2024 COVER

Posted May 1, 2024

ABJ May 2024 COVER

Line ’em up: Oklahoma beekeeper Jody Wallace took our cover photo after a day’s work with Strehlow Bees. “Something about a lineup of smokers plugged with woodsy trinkets always catches my eye. It took many beekeepers with smokers to build these nucs.”  

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Bees & Beekeeping: Past & Present – April 2024 The Dangerous Lives of Foraging Bees: Part 2

Figure 1: A bee on a goldenrod flower being attacked by a crab spider that is perfectly camouflaged with the yellow flowers.
Posted April 1, 2024

Bees & Beekeeping: Past & Present – April 2024 The Dangerous Lives of Foraging Bees: Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, we ended with bees becoming ensnared in spider webs. We continue with watching bees forage. I spend a considerable amount of time studying bees, especially in the summer. Watching bees forage, chasing them from flower to flower, camera in hand, filming and feeling for when the camera begins to …

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The Classroom – April 2024

The Classroom - ABJ - Jamie Ellis
Posted April 1, 2024

The Classroom – April 2024

  Q  Keeping sugar water fresh I have +/- 200 single hives. I pail feed and am running into black mold in the pails. I have heard of putting a teaspoon of bleach in each pail with the sugar water. I do not want to do that as I feel it may harm the bees. …

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Notes from the Lab – April 2024:

A set of photos and a diagram side by side demonstrating varroa destructor and their preferences, when feeding on honey bee pupae. The strongest preference being the second abdominal segment.
Posted April 1, 2024

Notes from the Lab – April 2024:

Varroa and Tropilaelaps feed primarily on honey bee hemolymph when they reproduce Until 2019, everyone knew varroa was a vampire that fed on honey bee hemolymph. But then Sammy Ramsey published his paradigm-altering study (Ramsey et al., 2019; highlighted in the April 2019 Notes from the Lab: 159(4):443-445), showing varroa was actually more like a …

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