The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
Volume 165 No. 12 December 2025 Cover American Bee Journal. Cover features a queen bee surrounded by worker bees. Cover Callouts: Managing pests and pathogens organically - 1321 Stem cells, weeds, and bees - 1337 Lower-energy beekeeping-1343

America’s Most Wanted is a Master Carpenter

Eastern Carpenter Bee
Posted April 1, 2022

America’s Most Wanted is a Master Carpenter

Emblazoned t-shirts, coffee mugs, and license plate frames exhort us to “Save the Bees!” Scores of organizations single out species of concern, such as honey bees or native bees, while others promote any old bee. According to a representative of the Xerces Society, bee training seminars that once attracted a half-dozen participants now attract hundreds. …

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Almond growers should avoid using insecticides and adjuvants during bloom

beekeeper tending hives
Posted April 1, 2022

Almond growers should avoid using insecticides and adjuvants during bloom

As I write this article, approximately 2.1 million honey bee colonies are pollinating ~1.3 million acres of nut-producing almond trees in California. Since the estimated number of colonies in the United States is 2.92 million according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, that means ~70% of the country’s managed honey bee colonies are currently …

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Bee Eggs: Soon You Will be Searching for Them

bee-egg biology
Posted April 1, 2022

Bee Eggs: Soon You Will be Searching for Them

Finding honey bee eggs in brood combs is a necessary beekeeping skill. Understanding how they can indicate a queen problem is important to know in bee management. Knowing other aspects of bee-egg biology is fascinating and enriches our beekeeping experience. In this article we will look at some historical observations along with the results of …

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Letters to the Editor – April 2022

Posted April 1, 2022

Letters to the Editor – April 2022

We enjoyed Peter Grayman’s letter in the December issue, “Feelings, Priorities, and the Joy of Beekeeping.” Working with bees feels good; “a well-done job evokes a sense of satisfaction in the heart.” Caring for honeybees serves the harmonization of the world around us and brings a sense of joy and satisfaction and makes the world …

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NEW RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT CAVITIES ARE A MAJOR FACTOR IN THE SPREAD OF BEE DISEASES

Posted April 1, 2022

NEW RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT CAVITIES ARE A MAJOR FACTOR IN THE SPREAD OF BEE DISEASES

– April 1, 2022 According to Dr. April Scherz of Freiebienen University, worker bees who dry nectar to make honey are exposed to concentrated sugar solutions for extended periods of time. Using an electron microscope Dr. Scherz and her team examined the mandibles of hundreds of house bees, finding a direct correlation between the time …

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SURVEY SAYS: HONEY CONSUMPTION ON THE RISE

Posted April 1, 2022

SURVEY SAYS: HONEY CONSUMPTION ON THE RISE

In 2021 Consumer Survey, Positive Perceptions and Self-Reported Usage of Honey Increase Longmont, Colorado, February 9, 2022 – Following on annual gains in positive perceptions of honey, U.S. consumers also reported significant upticks in honey usage this past year. The increase, revealed in the National Honey Board Consumer Attitudes & Usage Study 2021, follows a …

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USA Honey Market Report

US Crops and Honey Markets
Posted April 1, 2022

USA Honey Market Report

As we near our press deadline, Putin’s Russia has officially invaded Ukraine.  It is difficult to predict the long-term effects of that aggression, but early oil-price spikes and financial-market upheaval suggest the U.S. economy will take at least a short-term hit. As a nation, we are already seeing close to double-digit inflation resulting in part …

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Posted April 1, 2022

Book Reviews: Spring Reads Carol Hrusovszky and Tina Sebestyen – 381 The Consequences of a Honey Bee Swarm Edward Balogh – 393 2022 Extended-release Oxalic Update — Part 2 Randy Oliver – 397 Colony Confidential … What Really Goes on Inside the Hive Chapter 3 Peter Keilty, with illustrations by Bridget White – 410 Early …

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ABJ APRIL 2022 Cover

April 2022 American Bee Journal Cover
Posted April 1, 2022

ABJ APRIL 2022 Cover

Elaine Timm of Lebanon, Oregon, took our cover photo last April in her Willamette Valley bee yard. “It was,” she says, “my first chance to do inspections after a rainy spell. It was memorable for two reasons. First, because this was the first swarm in a THREE swarm day — ugh! The second swarm went …

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Contents – March 2022

Posted March 14, 2022

Contents – March 2022

Lawsuits and Bee Suits: A Sad History of Bees and Pesticides in U.S. Agriculture May R. Berenbaum – 267 2022 Extended-release Oxalic Update — Part 1 Randy Oliver – 273 Migratory Beekeeping Part One: Early Migratory Beekeepers Peter L Borst – 287 Colony Confidential … What Really Goes on Inside the Hive – Chapters 1 …

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