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

New Hampshire Beekeepers Association Fall Meeting With Dr. Samuel Ramsey

Posted June 30, 2020

New Hampshire Beekeepers Association Fall Meeting With Dr. Samuel Ramsey

New Hampshire Beekeepers Association Fall Meeting Saturday October 17, 2020 Location:  Manchester Community College 1066 Front Street, Manchester, NH   Keynote Speaker:  Dr. Samuel Ramsey Talks:  Varroa Mites True Diet Feeding on Honey Bees and A New Mite, A New Threat: Tropilaelaps Mercedesae. Time:   9 am – 3 pm (Lunch will be provided for a …

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24th Annual Field Day at the USDA Honey Bee Lab in Baton Rouge

Posted June 29, 2020

24th Annual Field Day at the USDA Honey Bee Lab in Baton Rouge

The USDA Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory and the Louisiana State Beekeepers Association will hold the 24th Annual Field Day on Saturday, October 10, 2020. The event will be held at the laboratory, located at 1157 Ben Hur Rd, Baton Rouge LA 70820. This is near the intersection of Nicholson Drive (Hwy 30) …

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The Classroom – June 2020

The Classroom - ABJ - Jamie Ellis
Posted June 1, 2020

The Classroom – June 2020

Email Questions to Jamie at classroom@americanbeejournal.com Follow my lab on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram Q Record Keeping With all the lessons I’ve learned and with all the knowledge I’m soaking up from the UF/IFAS Master Beekeeping Program, how do I keep good records? I need to keep records of bloodlines, timing, problems, treatments, selective traits, etc. I keep …

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U.S. CUSTOMS AGENCY TO PURCHASE NMR EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING OF HONEY IMPORTS

Posted June 1, 2020

U.S. CUSTOMS AGENCY TO PURCHASE NMR EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING OF HONEY IMPORTS

AHPA officials meet with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Congressional staff on new testing to prevent imported honey fraud April 20, American Honey Producers Association – Last month, two senior Customs and Border Protection officials provided details for its new program for stopping fraudulent honey imports to senior staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee …

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DHS AND USDA ADJUST H-2A TEMPORARY WORKER RULES TO SUPPORT FLOW OF AMERICA’S FOOD SUPPLY

Posted June 1, 2020

DHS AND USDA ADJUST H-2A TEMPORARY WORKER RULES TO SUPPORT FLOW OF AMERICA’S FOOD SUPPLY

Department to Temporarily Amend Certain H-2A Requirements During COVID-19 National Emergency (Washington, D.C., April 15, 2020) – The Department of Homeland Security, with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has announced a temporary final rule to change certain H-2A requirements to help U.S. agricultural employers avoid disruptions in lawful agricultural-related employment, protect …

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Letters to the Editor – June 2020

European Hornet and Asian Giant Hornet
Posted June 1, 2020

Letters to the Editor – June 2020

Georgia Hornets — Not Asian but European Thank you for printing my last letter (April 2020). I was able to have a bit of research done in regards to the wasps in my area. It was not V. mandarinia I battled that day, but Vespa crabro, the European Hornet. Very similar, but with brighter, more …

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Queen Introduction: Historical Cages Part 1

Queen bee cages
Posted June 1, 2020

Queen Introduction: Historical Cages Part 1

Requeening is an important component of bee management. Replacing old queens with young vigorous egg-layers helps keep colonies strong and productive. Queen replacement also gives the beekeeper control over the stock to maintain gentleness, disease and mite tolerance, reduced inclination to swarm, and high honey production. The basic strategy of requeening is straightforward in principle. …

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Even Beekeeping Isn’t Immune to COVID-19

beekeepers in bee yard with hives
Posted June 1, 2020

Even Beekeeping Isn’t Immune to COVID-19

Uncertainty over the supply of packages and queens to Canada should make us re-evaluate the sustainability of our practices If any industry should be sheltered from the shock of COVID-19, it should be beekeeping. After all, beekeepers have been socially distancing since the day we picked up our hive tools. But on March 23, I …

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Is oxalic acid vaporization and/or brood interruption effective at controlling varroa?

beekeepers in protective clothing
Posted June 1, 2020

Is oxalic acid vaporization and/or brood interruption effective at controlling varroa?

Perhaps it’s the wrong time of year to be writing about oxalic acid (OA). Most beekeepers apply this treatment in late fall or winter when brood is absent from colonies. But brood gaps can occur in mid-summer, especially if you’re creating those brood gaps as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) varroa control strategy. …

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The Vocabulary for Pollination

bee pollination
Posted June 1, 2020

The Vocabulary for Pollination

Those new to the world of bees often believe that honey bees can pollinate anything. Some beekeepers are barely aware of oth­er pollinators or the great diversity among them. But the single-pollina­tor theory couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, millions of years of evolution have brought plants and specific pollinators together, each trading for …

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