American Bee Journal

Q Stopping sugar water fermentation Nelson Pomeroy, in his book “Bumblebee Keeper” describes how Koppert solved the problem of fermenting syrup a long time ago: 0.05% potassium sorbate. The explanation is on page 108. Chris May Australia, April A Thanks for the information. I confess that I am answering this question prior to getting access to the book. I did a…

Parents can’t help but grin when their children insist that food comes from grocery stores. Where else? But many adults know little more than their kids, especially about modern farming. Many of us still envision Old MacDonald, the friendly farmer with the dog and the duck, the goat and the goose, surrounded by undulating hills that provide unlimited corn, potatoes,…

I spend a lot of time worrying about Melissococcus plutonius and Paenibacillus larvae, the bacteria that cause European foulbrood (EFB) and American foulbrood (AFB) diseases, respectively. Both are rare compared to that insidious parasitic varroa mite, but they can cause major problems if they rear their heads in my apiaries. I also teach veterinarians about these diseases because the 2017…

Why did it have to be ants? It happened quickly. Literally, the second day that two nucs were set up, black ants were already in the top feeder of one of the new colonies. Overnight, foraging ants found the internal feeder long before the bees, and the ants had to travel a much greater distance. I’m forced to admit that’s…

In the previous article, we briefly examined the vast biology of paper wasps and confronted a typical problem with yellow jackets. Here we continue with yellow jackets and finish these descriptions with the European hornet (Vespa crabro). Currently the European hornet is the most similar social insect to the Asian hornets (which occur as 22 species, all in the same…

Perhaps I’m old school about food. I like apples to taste like apples, trout like trout, and honey like honey. But other people are more complex, preferring foods that taste like others. We now have Oreos redolent of strawberries, coffee that reeks of chicory, and banana-flavored doughnuts without a banana in sight. Yes, I sometimes spread honey on cinnamon toast,…

Q More on Comb Orientation Regarding your answer regarding cell orientation in the nest: I recently left a half frame flat in an eke on top of a colony to let them clear out some old feed that was still . A week or three later, returning to the hive, I discovered the downward facing cells contained eggs, so wondered…

For this article and the next, I am going to describe the life cycles of paper wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets, for the region confined to North America, in its temperate climate with well-defined seasons. I see the need from two main perspectives. First, a beekeeper among others who do not routinely work with insects becomes the “expert” on all…

My friend Annie Swarey, an Amish beekeeper, planned to sell nucs and needed an apiary inspection and permits for colonies crossing county lines (an Illinois regulation for over half a century). April 8 was the perfect day for it — a beautiful day nestled in between a stretch of chilly, rainy days. She invited me to bring my husband and…

My lab is proud of our culture. We’ve worked hard for many years to create a supportive environment that’s conducive to sharing of knowledge and skills. Because of this culture, new people to our lab quickly gain new knowledge and skills, our team makes progress, and we have a bit of fun along the way. We humans like to think…