The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861
Volume 165, No. 9 September 2025 Cover Features a Bee on a pink flower. Callouts: Honey Bee swarms are different - 963, Just what does "Africanized" mean? - 991, The BeeCAUSE Alliance - 1013

GEOFF WILLIAMS NAMED DIRECTOR OF NEW AUBURN BEE CENTER

Geoff Williams - Director of New auburn Bee Center
Posted June 1, 2025

GEOFF WILLIAMS NAMED DIRECTOR OF NEW AUBURN BEE CENTER

AUBURN, Ala. – Geoff Williams, associate professor, graduate program officer and longtime director of the AU-Bees Lab, is director of the new Auburn University Bee Center, effective Tuesday, April 1. In February, the Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Auburn University Bee Center, which combines research, extension and education to advance innovative solutions …

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SUPPORT THE HONEY INTEGRITY ACT – PROTECT U.S. BEEKEEPERS AND CONSUMERS

Posted June 1, 2025

SUPPORT THE HONEY INTEGRITY ACT – PROTECT U.S. BEEKEEPERS AND CONSUMERS

Each year, the U.S. produces an average of 130-150 million pounds of American honey. Yet, Americans consume an average of 600 million pounds of honey per year. Since domestic production falls far short of demand, the U.S. must import large quantities of honey. Unfortunately, these imports often bring a host of problems for both consumers …

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Contents – June 2025

Posted June 1, 2025

Contents – June 2025

If Honey Could Talk: There’s More in That Jar Than You Think Alison McAfee – 621 How Long Does a Dead Colony Live? And what does that mean for varroa? Michael L. Smith – 637 How a Colony’s Worker Know When to Start Building Comb Thomas D. Seeley – 651 Adding Beeswax to Make Honeycomb …

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ABJ JUNE 2025 COVER

American Bee Journal June 2025 Cover Cover Callouts: Who still wires beeswax foundation - 631, Pollination is more than food - 643, Managing comb construction - 651, 656 The cover depicts a swam clinging to a branch that goes horizontal across the cover. The tree has pink blooms and new leaves growing and several multi-colored hive boxes can be seen in the background.
Posted June 1, 2025

ABJ JUNE 2025 COVER

Jennifer Rust took our cover photo in her yard in Moscow Mills, Missouri. The family’s hives are in the background, but the swarm come from the opposite direction. It was up to the head beekeeper, 9-year-old Madelyn, to retrieve the bees from the peach tree and hive them.

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The Classroom – May 2025

The Classroom - ABJ - Jamie Ellis
Posted May 1, 2025

The Classroom – May 2025

Q: Bees Scenting Brood Cells I recently was told during a honey bee biology class that the workers scent the brood cells they want the queen to lay in by marking them with pheromones. This kind of makes sense to me since you always see queens investigating several brood cells before deciding to lay in …

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In Beekeeping and in Life, Few Things Stay the Same

Posted May 1, 2025

In Beekeeping and in Life, Few Things Stay the Same

Beekeeping then and beekeeping now For many years now, I have absolutely loved keeping bees, but over time, my commitment has had to evolve. Since I began approximately 52 years ago, many beekeeping things have changed and many people have come and gone. But for the most part, the bees are still the same. I …

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Simple and Homemade Implements to Make Swarm Catching Easier and More Versatile

Posted May 1, 2025

Simple and Homemade Implements to Make Swarm Catching Easier and More Versatile

Compared to the cost of a three-pound package of bees, the loss of a large swarm is easily around $200. Most swarms will not land low on a branch as in Figure 1. Even when it does happen, hiving some swarms still requires careful thought before disturbing the cluster (see Figure 2). I want to …

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Crushing It: Pressed Plants for Beekeepers

Posted May 1, 2025

Crushing It: Pressed Plants for Beekeepers

The first pressed plants I remember fell from a tattered hymnal. Three tiny pink roses tied with a narrow ribbon, and several four-leaf clovers, wafted to the floor as my younger self flipped through the book, looking for pictures. Although thoroughly dry, the specimens were supple enough to touch and hold upright, turn and examine. …

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Letters to the Editor – May 2025

Posted May 1, 2025

Letters to the Editor – May 2025

Linder’s “anti-science” analysis In [Charles Linder’s] article “Where Have the Bees Gone?” in the April 2025 issue, we read: “If we learned anything from the last attention we received, it is that scientists and researchers are of little help. … While a whole lot of research has been done, it has all pretty much been …

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AG DAY IN CALIFORNIA – A PLEA TO LEGISLATORS

Posted May 1, 2025

AG DAY IN CALIFORNIA – A PLEA TO LEGISLATORS

March 19, 2025 was California Ag Day. Representatives of the CA State Beekeepers Association (CSBA) visited 126 legislative offices in Sacramento to invite legislators to the annual event at the capital. Our plea was simple this year: California’s overtime laws are increasing the cost of our food and decreasing pay for our workers. Commercial beekeeping …

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