Midwestern corn and soy landscapes can be good for bees when native prairie habitat is included. If you live in the Midwest, or anywhere else where corn and soy dominate the landscape, you’re aware of what a “green desert” looks like. It’s a landscape that’s filled with single-species monocultures of plants that provide bountiful food …
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Extracted honey can never hold a candle to honey in the comb. Imagine harvesting the choicest Zinfandel, Chianti, Syrah, and Merlot, then swirling them altogether in a cavernous vat. The result is anemic red wine. The high notes and the low, the color and the bouquet, are all confused into an insipid muddle not memorable …
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The honey bee mating system is not just respectfully elaborate, it’s unbelievably dramatic. I spend most of my day thinking about sperm. Ah, the life of a scientist: The profession authorizes us to deeply muse topics which would otherwise be quirky, fringe, or inappropriate. Scientists are just highly educated weirdos, really. And this freedom lets …
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Today’s frame, based on the bee space, officially commenced with patent number 9300, on October 5, 1852, put forth by Reverend L. L. Langstroth (see Figures 1 and 2). Besides the standard sizes, currently the rectangular frames come with minor variations: The top bar has a removable wedge or is grooved; the bottom bar is …
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When my dog was due for a rabies vaccine, I took him to a veterinarian to get his shots. When I needed to sell some sheep to a farmer in Indiana, I called a veterinarian to get a health certificate. When my bees got sick, I never needed to call a veterinarian — until recently. …
Read MoreThe Condensing Colony Bill Hesbach – 175 How to Raise Queens in a Migratory Operation Tina Sebestyen – 181 Busting Queen Grafting Myths Nissa S. Coit, Gehrig R. Loughran, Elina L. Niño – 187 A Modern Approach to Producing Beeswax Queen Cups Ian Kennard – 193 Two from One: A Technique to Double the Number …
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Stan Gore took this gorgeous photo in mid-December, in his apiary near Burton, Texas. Note the golden light reflecting off the hive covers. “The image is right off my camera. The lighting was surreal, a sky like I’ve never seen before. It was there about five minutes and gone.”
Read MoreA Dream Team? Milbrath, Webster, Oliver and Ellis all in the same edition? AWESOME! That’s a whole lot of practical beekeeping with the science to back it. John G. Yakim RPh Pittsburgh, PA Playing Opossum Reference: Queens “Playing Possum” (December 2019 letters): First of all it’s spelled with a “silent” O! You can take the …
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Email Questions to Jamie at classroom@americanbeejournal.com Follow my lab on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram An introduction: Greetings everyone. My name is Jamie Ellis and I am the new columnist for the American Bee Journal’s long running column “The Classroom.” As all of you dedicated readers know, this column was authored by Jerry Hayes for …
Read MoreDecember Editorial Eugene, I just finished reading the Editorial. I’m an older man (age 68) and have been a beekeeper since 1980, and for me, beekeeping is a continuous learning process. I am also formerly president of the Essex County Beekeepers Society (New Jersey) twice over, and I well know the experience of leading a …
Read More"I want the American Bee Journal to be the finest publication about bees and beekeeping in the world."
- C.P. Dadant, Editor of ABJ 1912-1938
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