These seasonal events are complicated simplicity First and foremost — the “nectar flow” If you are new to beekeeping, the primary nectar flow is the period, in your area, when major nectar-producing plants do their seasonal flowering thing. It’s why beekeepers constantly make plans for this intensive part of the year. Oh yes, it’s a …
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Today’s menu specials! Teresa Munn sent this photo from East Texas, about midway between Canton and Athens. Taken with her iPhone (which she also used to call the Editor), the image provides a beautiful contrast between incoming pollens. Teresa said it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact pollen sources during the first week of March when …
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Researchers find that learning and culture are needed for one of the most intricate forms of communication known outside humans Passing down shared knowledge from one generation to the next is a hallmark of culture and allows animals to rapidly adapt to a changing environment. While widely evident in species ranging from human infants to …
Read MoreThe Wisconsin Honey Producers Association is proud to announce a new national award entitled, the Lee Heine ‘Good People’ Award in honor of Lee Heine, a longtime friend and leader in the beekeeping industry who passed away in 2021 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. With Lee’s passing, we lost a significant figure; a …
Read MoreInternational Honey Market Report Ron Phipps – 483 Justin Schmidt (1947-2023): The Man Who Was Stung for Science M.E.A. McNeil – 507 Why Aren’t We Sampling Drones? As preferred hosts, they can serve as an early-warning system for varroa infestation Zac Lamas – 515 A Study on Bee Drift and Mite Immigration — Part 4 …
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A three-banded Italian honey bee gathers nectar from a Thai basil plant in early November, a low-nectar time of year in Illinois. Photographer Steve Hinrichs, of 11 Acre Studio, writes about this plant on Page 569.
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Q Can laying workers produce female offspring? I received two questions on this topic. I list both questions before providing my answer. I am a southern California backyard beekeeper and have been enjoying the hobby for ten years or so. The articles “The Honey Bees in Africa” & “The Cape Bee, an Unusual Pest of …
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Last year I installed bees in large multi-comb (wide and tall) observation hives with frames (when a usurpation swarm interrupted my work). [See “An Illuminating Encounter with a Usurpation Swarm,” December 2022.] This article continues that work, showing one of its benefits. These observation colonies went in my bee house, originally designed to house 30 …
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A hallmark of beekeeping Swarming, a complicated bee behavior A swarm of honey bees is a biological wonderment. For most people who don’t keep bees, a single encounter with a swarm becomes a lifelong memory. For the established beekeeper, hiving a swarm is an economical moment — free bees. For the public, it’s a spicy …
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Witch hazel has always flustered me. As a kid, witch hazel-scented products reminded me of a suffocating aunt who delivered too many perfumed hugs. If I smelled it at a picnic or a church supper, my stomach would flip-flop. Even the name tormented me. For decades, I avoided anything to do with witch hazel until …
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- C.P. Dadant, Editor of ABJ 1912-1938
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