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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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. …

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 …

Posted June 1, 2020

Drawn Comb is Gold

In April I wrote about methods for swarm control. I’ve been giving a ‘live’ version of that article all over the country — talking to bee clubs through zoom to make sure beekeepers everywhere aren’t going to lose their valuable overwintered bees to the trees (or to their neighbor’s soffits). After every talk, the main …

Posted June 1, 2020

June 2020

International Honey Market Report Ron Phipps – 615 Summer Reads: Book Reviews Carol Hrusovszky and Tina Sebestyen – 631 For Today at Least, It is Spring Mary Bammer – 641 Naturally Mite-resistant Colonies Evolve On Hawaii Stephen Martin – 649 Beekeeping in the United States: A New Century — The 1800s Peter L. Borst – …

Posted June 1, 2020

June 2020 ABJ Cover

Spring splits: Michael Kelling of Brenham, Texas, took this photo while helping a commercial beekeeper split hives. Each double-deep colony was divided into a nuc (for sale) and two single deeps, with queen cells added to all three.

Posted May 1, 2020

The Classroom – May 2020

Q Attracting Swarms My last colony moved out and I’m now beeless. I’ve got lots of hive bodies and I don’t want to chase swarms. Any advice on how I may attract swarms to move into my existing equipment? Bob Dye Missouri, February A Sorry to hear that you are beeless at the moment. I …

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

Posted June 1, 2020