The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
American Bee Journal Volume 166 No. 5 May 2026 Cover features a close up of a drone bee emerging. Calouts: Do you really need a new queen - 491, AHB in the USA - 523, Where do honey bees mater?-527

When do honey bees compete with native wild bees? Part 2

Posted September 1, 2022

When do honey bees compete with native wild bees? Part 2

In the March 2022 issue of Notes from the Lab [162(3):325-327] I summarized a study from Marseille, France, which showed that when there were greater numbers of managed honey bees at a national park, native wild bees visited flowers from different plant species. One interpretation of the study is that honey bees outcompeted the wild …

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Seeing Finer Details in Honey Using a Polariscope

honey
Posted September 1, 2022

Seeing Finer Details in Honey Using a Polariscope

When I kept bees in the 1970s, 125 hives along the James River west from Richmond, Virginia in several apiaries for about 40 miles, the spring wildflower, mostly tulip poplar, made dark honey. A polariscope seemed exotic, and I did not know how it worked. I made honey by the ton, but demand was weak …

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BE INFORMED PARTNERSHIPSURVEY RESULTS

Posted September 1, 2022

BE INFORMED PARTNERSHIPSURVEY RESULTS

United States Honey Bee Colony Losses 2021-2022: Preliminary Results show losses down from last year  Note: This is a preliminary analysis. Sample sizes and estimates are likely to change. A more detailed final report is being prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed journal at a later date. The Bee Informed Partnership (http://beeinformed.org) has monitored managed …

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“NORTHERN GIANT HORNET” ADOPTED AS COMMON NAME FOR VESPA MANDARINIA

Northern Giant Hornet
Posted September 1, 2022

“NORTHERN GIANT HORNET” ADOPTED AS COMMON NAME FOR VESPA MANDARINIA

Invasive hornet found in more northerly range among related species in Asia Annapolis, MD; July 25, 2022 — The Entomological Society of America has adopted “northern giant hornet” for the species Vespa mandarinia in its Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List. Vespa mandarinia is an invasive hornet native to Asia that has been …

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HONEY BEE HEALTH COALITION & USDA ARS SEEK 100 BEEKEEPERS FOR AMITRAZ RESISTANCE TESTING

Posted September 1, 2022

HONEY BEE HEALTH COALITION & USDA ARS SEEK 100 BEEKEEPERS FOR AMITRAZ RESISTANCE TESTING

The Honey Bee Health Coalition, working in partnership with Dr. Frank Rinkevich at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is entering into the fourth year of a project to determine the extent of amitraz resistance in varroa mites (Varroa destructor) in managed honey bee …

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Letters to the Editor – September 2022

Posted September 1, 2022

Letters to the Editor – September 2022

  When the almond tree blooms, and more on drone cells Ecclesiastes 12:5 “… and the almond tree shall flourish …” As do most people I think, I look at the first blossoms of spring as the beginning of the cycle of nature. But this is not necessarily so or is not necessarily accurate. Phenology …

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Contents – September 2022

Posted September 1, 2022

Contents – September 2022

Which Type of Hive is Right for You? Jim Berndt – 971 The Beekeepers of Ukraine, Their Bees and War M.E.A. McNeil – 978 Colony Confidential … What Really Goes on Inside the Hive Chapter 8: Cornucopia Peter Keilty, with illustrations by Bridget White – 986 Formic Pro and Queens in Hot Weather Randy Oliver …

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ABJ Cover September 2022

ABJ September 2022 Cover
Posted September 1, 2022

ABJ Cover September 2022

Mountain mint, genus Pycnanthemum, includes several species native to the eastern United States, ranging into the Midwest and lower Canada. Its genus name means “densely flowered,” and while it blooms in July and August it attracts a wide variety of pollinators.   This photo is courtesy of Scott Langlais, EAS Master Beekeeper and former President …

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The Classroom – August 2022

The Classroom - ABJ - Jamie Ellis
Posted August 1, 2022

The Classroom – August 2022

Q  Does shaking a frame harm brood? When handling queen cells, we are often warned to be extremely careful with the capped cells in order to avoid causing damage to the developing queen, especially the wing buds. However, we often vigorously shake frames of bees when doing various hive maintenance tasks. Are we harming any …

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Can an Emerging Queen Ever be Put Back in Her Cell? By Only the Worker Bees? Oh Yes! But How!?

Posted August 1, 2022

Can an Emerging Queen Ever be Put Back in Her Cell? By Only the Worker Bees? Oh Yes! But How!?

It’s the time of year when the bees can swarm their colony to destruction, becoming so weak that small hive beetles and wax moths will consume the combs in the heat of summer. It’s the time of year when a colony can launch multiple swarms, the bees somehow ensuring each swarm has at least one …

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