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

What will growers use if neonicotinoid insecticides are banned?

Hoverfly
Posted August 1, 2019

What will growers use if neonicotinoid insecticides are banned?

Last year, the European Union (EU) banned outdoor use of several neonicotinoid insecticides due to the risk posed to wild and managed bees. Several Canadian provinces have also recently placed partial restrictions on neonicotinoids, and some U.S. states have partially restricted the use of neonicotinoids as part of their Pollinator Protection Plans. Because neonicotinoids are …

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A Short History of the Valkyrie Hive

Canvas Cover On Bee Hive
Posted August 1, 2019

A Short History of the Valkyrie Hive

What should you do when something comes between you and your honey bees? Perhaps something like a walker or wheelchair? Well, if you are creative and innovative, you might discover the perfect solution — one that works for you and pleases your bees. Master beekeeper Naomi Price of Prineville, Oregon did exactly that. Living with …

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Leveraging Hormones to Fight the Mite

Beekeeper tending to Beehive with Smoker
Posted August 1, 2019

Leveraging Hormones to Fight the Mite

A pupa is more than just a food source for varroa — it supplies the mite with vital hormones. And when the supply is cut off, the mite can no longer reproduce. Hormones control everything from our mood to our sex drive, sleep patterns, and hunger. Without these chemical messengers, our day-to-day lives would be …

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Insurance Against Doom: The Late Summer Nuc

bee hives
Posted August 1, 2019

Insurance Against Doom: The Late Summer Nuc

One of the most basic parts of beekeeping is figuring out how not to lose all your bees in one year. Beekeeping is hard. A couple of fun quotes from mentees sum it up well … “I’ve figured out the worst thing I can put in my hives … my hands”; and, “I haven’t discovered …

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The Classroom – August 2019

The Classroom - American Bee Journal
Posted August 1, 2019

The Classroom – August 2019

REMINDER from Jerry Beekeepers, this is now August. Days are already getting shorter and bees are equally understanding this seasonal cycle, getting ready for winter coming really soon as we live by the days. Winter Bees are different than Summer Bees. Winter Bees have to live much longer and store food in their bodies as …

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Letters to the Editor – August 2019

Three Year Old Beekeeper holding frame of bees
Posted August 1, 2019

Letters to the Editor – August 2019

Three-year-old beekeeper Three-year-old Gary is proud of his hive! Susanne Cooper (Grandmother) Nashville, Tennessee Breeding treatment-free bees We are so grateful to see Randy Oliver’s post; especially after almost ALL of our speakers at our annual Buzz in N.E. Oklahoma have been telling us to develop our own local survivor bees. We had been taught …

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GENE KILLION AWARDED THE CARL AND EUGENE KILLION TROPHY

Posted August 1, 2019

GENE KILLION AWARDED THE CARL AND EUGENE KILLION TROPHY

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has officially renamed its Carl Killion Trophy as the Carl and Eugene Killion Trophy, making a ceremonial presentation to Gene Killion at its Springfield headquarters on June 26th. The award is given each year as the Illinois State Fair’s “Sweepstakes” trophy, to the top Open Class exhibitor in the Bee …

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BEES REQUIRED TO CREATE AN EXCELLENT BLUEBERRY CROP

Posted August 1, 2019

BEES REQUIRED TO CREATE AN EXCELLENT BLUEBERRY CROP

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, June 17, 2019—Getting an excellent rabbiteye blueberry harvest requires helpful pollinators—particularly native southeastern blueberry bees—although growers can bring in managed honey bees to do the job, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. This is especially true for commercial rabbiteye blueberry producers in Mississippi and Louisiana. With sufficient pollinators, they have been …

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Contents – August 2019

Posted August 1, 2019

Contents – August 2019

From the Home Office Gabe Dadant – 865 Pesticides in the News Randy Oliver – 875 The Agronomist: British Oilseed Rape Following the EU Neonic Ban Richard Rickitt – 885 Beekeeping With a Disability William L Blomstedt – 903 Beth’s Journey into Blindness While Tending Honey Bees Christopher J Stalder  – 915 The Seasonality and …

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August 2019

Posted August 1, 2019

August 2019

Infra-Red Dawn: Triggered by a curious chipmunk (not seen here), Wyatt Mangum’s game camera captures dawn in a top bar apiary. Defaulting to infrared in low-light conditions, the camera creates a dreamlike image reminiscent of a nineteenth-century daguerreotype. The original photo — starring the chipmunk — appears on page 898.

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