So, you’re thinking about diving into the fascinating world of beekeeping? Or maybe you’ve already got a hive buzzing in your backyard and want to make sure you have the right gear to keep your bees happy and healthy. Either way, having the essential beekeeping tools and equipment is a game-changer. It makes your beekeeping journey smoother, safer, and way more enjoyable. Let’s explore the must-have tools that every beekeeper, from newbie to seasoned pro, should have in their toolkit. Why...

Link to paper: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.28.656706v1.full In this paper, the researchers investigated the causes behind the extreme honey bee colony losses reported by U.S. commercial beekeepers in early 2025. According to the study, losses exceeded 60% in many operations, which is unusually high and economically devastating, especially because these losses occurred just before the California almond pollination season. The authors focused on whether...

Author: William W Gartner (References listed below)   Introduction Pesticides are one of several interacting stressors affecting honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) health worldwide, alongside parasites, pathogens, nutrition, and habitat loss. While public debate often focuses on large commercial pollination operations and neonicotinoid insecticides, most beekeepers manage small, stationary apiaries in suburban or rural settings and primarily experience chronic, low-level exposure via the...