The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
Cover for the November 2024 issue of the American Bee Journal. The cover depicts a painting of a bee hive in the foreground surrounded by lavender, with seveal white building with brown roofs in the background. Call-outs: The honey bee is not the enemy - 1185, DWV: Is there a vaccine for that? - 1175, Unlocking the sexuality of the honey bee - 1179

Soybean yield increases when bee-friendly habitat is located next to fields

soybean field
Posted May 1, 2022

Soybean yield increases when bee-friendly habitat is located next to fields

If you live east of the Rockies, chances are you live within a few miles of a soybean field. After corn, which covers 92.7 million acres in the United States, soybean fields cover the most land of any agricultural crop — 87.6 million acres. Soybean fields are a ubiquitous part of the landscapes that many …

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The Honey Bee’s Amazing Inability to Sonicate

honey bee on flower
Posted May 1, 2022

The Honey Bee’s Amazing Inability to Sonicate

Roughly eighty-nine percent of flowering plants need animal assistance for ideal pollination. Oddly, about eight percent of those needy plants make the process as difficult as possible. This strange minority hides its pollen in protective capsules that keep most pollinators at bay. Eight percent may sound like a paltry number until you realize it’s about …

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Repeated Summer Oxalic Acid Treatments are Not as Effective as You Think

Oxalic Acid Treatments
Posted May 1, 2022

Repeated Summer Oxalic Acid Treatments are Not as Effective as You Think

New research shows that applying oxalic acid vapor in the brooding season is a preventative measure, at best — if you stick to the label rate Since its approval for use in Canada in 2005 and the U.S. in 2015, oxalic acid has become a standard method of varroa management. Though widely known to be …

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Swarm Basics, Part 2: Can We Control Swarming?

honey bee swarm
Posted May 1, 2022

Swarm Basics, Part 2: Can We Control Swarming?

The behavior of swarming is probably one of the most dramatic occurrences in the life of a bee colony. And also, for the beekeeper. Wally Shaw, 34-year Welsh beekeeper in Anglesey, Wales, a retired research ecologist and author of numerous BeeCraft articles and a 200-page paperback “Swarming-Biology and Control,” echoes the sentiment of many: “There …

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Letters to the Editor – May 2022

beehive deadout
Posted May 1, 2022

Letters to the Editor – May 2022

Deadout Caused by Mite Treatment? Note to Dewey Caron: Your article in March ABJ (page 262), the picture of “Spring deadout.” You didn’t mention why they died. I noticed the dead bees were out along their walls and I noticed the mite strip. It brought memories of the first year I had bees. A beekeeper …

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NOD APIARY IRELAND LTD. WELCOMES FREDDY PRONI AS NEW EU REGIONAL MANAGER

Posted May 1, 2022

NOD APIARY IRELAND LTD. WELCOMES FREDDY PRONI AS NEW EU REGIONAL MANAGER

Dublin, Ireland – NOD Apiary Ireland Ltd. is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Frederick (Freddy) Proni to the NOD team as European Regional Manager, effective immediately. Leading marketing and sales activities across Europe, Freddy will contribute to NOD’s commitment to outstanding customer service and education for the betterment of the global beekeeping community. …

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RESEARCHERS ID SEX PHEROMONE OF INVASIVE GIANT HORNET

Posted May 1, 2022

RESEARCHERS ID SEX PHEROMONE OF INVASIVE GIANT HORNET

Chemicals used as bait to trap and track so-called “murder hornets” as they expand their footprint in the Western United States   The world’s largest hornet has been the focus of extensive news coverage of late due to its menacing appearance and expanding footprint in North America. But while the “murder hornet” label attached to …

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2022 WISCONSIN HONEY QUEEN

Posted May 1, 2022

2022 WISCONSIN HONEY QUEEN

The Wisconsin Honey Producers Association is proud to announce that Shannon Lamb of Dane, Wisconsin was selected as the 2022 Wisconsin Honey Queen. Shannon is the daughter of Sandra Helt of Dane, Wisconsin. She is a May 2021 graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Platteville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Soil and …

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MISSOURI AUTHOR RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION THROUGH INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD

A Beekeeper's Diary Self-Guide to Keeping Bees
Posted May 1, 2022

MISSOURI AUTHOR RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION THROUGH INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD

March 14, 2022, Glen Ridge, N.J. — The 2022 Independent Press Award (IPA) recognized A Beekeeper’s Diary Self-Guide to Keeping Bees by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins as a first place winner. The book was chosen as the best in the “How to” nonfiction category. The 310-page paperback guides new beekeepers on how to set up, and …

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Contents – May 2022

Posted May 1, 2022

Contents – May 2022

Virgin Queens Take the Throne Best Trevor Bawden – 507 2022 Extended-release Oxalic Update — Part 3 Randy Oliver – 515 Colony Confidential … What Really Goes on Inside the Hive Chapter 4: Rescue Ops Peter Keilty, with illustrations by Bridget White – 526 AHPA 2021 Conference — A Reunion Worth Waiting For Mattie Joiner …

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