Japanese Knotweed Honey: Taste, Lab Data and Why Not to Plant It
Japanese knotweed honey is a dark, reddish honey like a milder buckwheat. See lab data on its moisture and resveratrol, and where the plant is a regulated weed.
Sofia T.
Sofia has around 7 years of beekeeping experience and works with a family apiary of roughly 30 colonies in southeastern North Dakota. She focuses on honey production, hive equipment, wax handling and the practical work of running an apiary through a short northern season. She writes about honey harvesting and quality, beeswax, frames, hive types, tools, protective clothing and hive maintenance. Her woodworking and hive-construction experience informs what she writes about equipment and repairs. She belongs to a regional beekeeping association. Her articles here are mostly on honey harvesting, extraction, bottling and storage, and on hive equipment and hardware. Several of her honey-quality articles, including those on grading, refractometer moisture testing and fermentation, work from the USDA's published grade standards for extracted honey rather than rules of thumb, and her equipment articles come from someone who has built and repaired hive boxes and frames herself. Most of her articles are second-reviewed by Elena P., who checks the science in them, and Sofia reviews a smaller number of colleagues' articles on equipment and honey handling.
Goldenrod Honey: Taste, Smell, Color and How It Sets
Goldenrod honey is buttery, mildly spicy and quick to crystallize. USDA data on its glucose and color, plus the dirty-sock hive smell and the allergy myth.
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: Endangered Status, Range and How to Identify It
The rusty patched bumble bee became the first federally endangered bumble bee in 2017, and about 1.53 million acres in six states became its critical habitat on July 1, 2026. This guide covers its legal status, current range, field marks, look-alikes and how to help.
Top Honey-Producing Countries in the World
China produced 444,800 tonnes of honey in 2024, about 22% of the world total, ahead of India, Türkiye and Ethiopia. A FAOSTAT-based ranking of the top 15 producers, with U.S. production and imports.
Ireland Beekeeping Laws and Regulations
What Irish law requires of beekeepers in 2026: DAFM registration to sell honey, the four notifiable bee diseases under S.I. 130/2016, EU rules for bringing bees in, the native bee import-ban bill, and honey labels.
Best Gifts for Beekeepers: Ideas by Recipient and Budget
A gift guide for beekeepers sorted by recipient and budget, with prices checked at US suppliers in October 2026 and the fit checks to make before buying hive parts.
Massachusetts Beekeeping Laws and Regulations: Registration, Boston Rules and Honey Sales
Massachusetts does not require a state permit or registration to keep bees, but state law covers inspections, disease reports and imports. What Boston, Cambridge and Raynham require, and how to sell honey legally.
Florida Beekeeping Laws and Regulations: The Complete Guide
Florida requires every beekeeper to register with FDACS and pass an apiary inspection. This guide covers fees, hive marking, colony limits, HOA rules, moving bees and selling honey, with the statute or rule behind each.
Paper Wasps: Identification and Why They’re Less Aggressive Than You Think
Paper wasps are slender Polistes wasps with open umbrella nests. This guide covers how to identify them, how they differ from yellowjackets, their life cycle and diet, and how likely they are to sting.