About the Author

Marissa Ames

Editorial Director for Ogden Publications, Marissa Ames runs a small homestead in Fallon, Nevada, where she focuses on saving and propagating rare breeds of goats and garden vegetables. She and her husband, Russ, travel to Africa where they serve as agricultural advisors for the nonprofit I Am Zambia. She spends her free time eating lunch.
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Articles by Marissa Ames

Judging the Best Honey in the World
December 21, 2022 · · Honey & Beeswax

Where does the best honey in the world come from? And how is it determined “best?”

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Backyard Beekeeping June/July 2022
August 5, 2022 · · Magazine Previews

Backyard Beekeeping June/July 2022 — 2/3 is now available! Subscribe to Backyard Beekeeping for great stories on mason bees, honey extractors, splits, how to clean a smoker, recipes, and more!

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Backyard Beekeeping April/May 2022
February 24, 2022 · · Magazine Previews

Backyard Beekeeping April/May 2022 — 2/2 is available now! Subscribe to Backyard Beekeeping for great stories on different types of comb, how to move hives, teaching children not to fear bees, natural queen rearing, and human uses for bee pollen and venom. PLUS: Officer Darren Mays, a retired policeman who conducted swarm removals for the NYPD!

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Backyard Beekeeping February/March 2022
December 27, 2021 · · Magazine Previews

Backyard Beekeeping February/March 2022 — 2/1 is available NOW! Subscribe to Backyard Beekeeping for great stories on determining why hives failed, feeding honey from another hive, Langstroth hives, and what garden veggies bees actually pollinate. PLUS mad honey, the product of wild bees harvesting from toxic rhododendron species.

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Backyard Beekeeping December 2021/January 2022
November 9, 2021 · · Magazine Previews

Backyard Beekeeping December 2021/January 2022 — 1/3 is available now! Subscribe to Backyard Beekeeping for great stories on cleansing flights, buying bees, planning out your pollinator gardens, and making mead. PLUS how to make fondant for bees!

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How late in the year can I requeen?
September 17, 2021 · · Ask the Expert

You can requeen a colony at nearly any time of year. The queen will slow her laying sometime after the summer solstice and continue to decrease the rate of laying until perhaps October or November. Most queens begin increasing the rate of lay soon after the winter solstice.

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Backyard Beekeeping October/November 2021
August 26, 2021 · · Magazine Previews

The October/November 2021 issue of Backyard Beekeeping is here! Subscribe for stories including The Origin and History of Beekeeping, Wrapping Hives, Combing Through Your Combs, Winter Feeding, and Ask the Expert answers to reader questions! PLUS: Is honey really antimicrobial?

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American Foulbrood: the Bad Brood is Back!

American Foulbrood is a bacterial apiary disease that spreads between hives. And it has the potential to wipe out the entire industry.

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