C.P. Dadant had earlier written, “I want the American Bee Journal to be the finest publication about bees and beekeeping in the world.” We, the editors who are continuing its publication, have this as our goal and guiding light.

1. ABJ MARCh 2023 Cover

   Austėja is the goddess of honey and bees in Lithuanian lore. Patron of both bees and honey, her cult flourished from hunter-gatherer days to the 16th century. See Peter Borst’s “Beekeeping in Lithuania” in this issue. Illustration by VIKOBELO.

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2. The Classroom – March 2023

   Q  Commercial Beekeeping With 8-frame Equipment As a sideline beekeeper, I am thinking of taking my business to the next level. This includes providing locally adapted queens, nucs, and pollination services. I live close to the Missouri Bootheel and the watermelon producers of northeastern Arkansas. My question to you is this: Am I making a ...

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3. Two Obscure Bee Supply Companies Reveal Old Patterns in Spring Beekeeping

   In the mid 1800s, the apicultural industry began to flourish in America. By the early 1900s numerous small bee supply businesses were scattered across the country. While exceptions did occur, most of these bee businesses seemed to live fairly brief lives, serving local beekeepers, before time consigned them to the forgotten past. Evidence of these ...

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4. A sunflower medicine to combat varroa?

   I just returned from the annual American Beekeeping Federation conference in Jacksonville, Florida. It was an exceptionally well-run meeting. In my opinion, what stood out the most was the interest that people had in non-synthetic chemical controls against varroa and other parasites and diseases. I was asked about phytochemical therapeutics (i.e., plant-derived medicines against troublesome ...

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5. Beekeeping in the Words of an AI Chatbot

   Everyone is turning to artificial intelligence these days. As a website owner, I receive over fifty emails per week extolling the virtues of AI. I’m told I can save time, money, and frustration by allowing AI to write blog posts for me. For a nominal price, my week’s articles — enhanced for search engines, grammar-checked, ...

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6. Some typical spring Management Tasks

   The spring season begins again – and again Spring management during the winter This is a true story. Just yesterday, it was one of those beautifully warm winter days. Of course, I took a walk to my dormant apiary where some few bees were flying — and robbing. Winter robbing activity is common, but that ...

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7. Letters to the Editor – March 2023

   Building my 2023 Layens Hives During the winter months I enjoy building a few Layens hives to use or sell in the early spring. I thought you and your readers would enjoy seeing these beehives. I start with unassembled standard Layens frames from Horizontalhive.com. I make a slit in the top bar of the frame ...

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8. NEW OREGON BEE-THEMED LICENSE PLATE SUPPORTS POLLINATORS

   There’s a new way to be a pollinator protector in Oregon: Buy a bee-themed license plate to bring attention to beneficial insects and support Oregon State University Extension research on native bees. Each Pollinator Paradise license plate ordered sends $35 to OSU’s Pollinator Health Lab and Honey Bee Lab programs focused on the state’s 600 ...

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9. Contents – March 2023

   American Beekeeping Federation Conference Wrap-up Kent Pegorsch – 261 Small Hive Beetle Found in Bangladesh Robert Owen – 263 A Study on Bee Drift and Mite Immigration — Part 2 Randy Oliver – 265 There’s a New AFB Vaccine: What does that mean exactly? Bill Hesbach – 273 A Year as a Commercial Beekeeper — ...

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10. The Classroom – February 2023

    Happy February 2023 everyone! I hope you are enjoying this new year and are excited about the upcoming beekeeping season. I try to answer ten questions for each month’s The Classroom. However, I only had two questions asked of me this month. I have been answering questions for this column just over three years. This ...

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