Bee Culture: From Gleanings in Bee Culture to Today's Beekeeping Monthly
Profile updated November 2026
Bee Culture is a monthly beekeeping magazine published in Medina, Ohio, by the A.I. Root Company, the family business that also makes Root Candles. It began in the early 1870s as Gleanings in Bee Culture, started by beekeeping pioneer Amos Ives Root, and it is one of only two early American bee periodicals still publishing, alongside American Bee Journal.
| Original title | Gleanings in Bee Culture |
|---|---|
| Founder | A.I. Root, early 1870s |
| Publisher | The A.I. Root Company (Root Candles family) |
| Address | 623 West Liberty Street, Medina, Ohio 44256 |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Editor | Jerry Hayes, since 2019 |
| Official website | BeeCulture.com |
History of Bee Culture
Amos Ives Root founded his beekeeping business in Medina, Ohio, in 1869, growing it out of his work teaching others to keep bees. A few years later he began publishing Gleanings in Bee Culture; an account of the company's 150th anniversary dates the first edition to 1872. The magazine helped popularize movable-frame beekeeping and the ideas of L.L. Langstroth, Moses Quinby and C.C. Miller, and Root family members including E.R. Root and John Root kept it going for generations.
Over time the word Gleanings was dropped and the magazine became simply Bee Culture. Its archive, including issues such as February 1991, is now posted online by the magazine.
Kim Flottum served as longtime editor, with his wife Kathy Summers contributing. In 2019, as the A.I. Root Company celebrated its 150th anniversary with a two-day event in Medina, Flottum stepped down and Jerry Hayes, who had written The Classroom column for American Bee Journal, took over as editor.
Bee Culture Today
Bee Culture publishes every month from Medina. Jerry Hayes edits the magazine, with Jen Manis handling advertising and customer service and Stephanie Bayerl serving as graphic designer and customer service coordinator. The website carries a calendar of events, audio content and a long-running series on the history of A.I. Root and the early days of Gleanings.
The magazine has also been featured on the Beekeeping Today Podcast, which explored its place in Medina's beekeeping legacy.
What Bee Culture Is Publishing Now
Colony management
Seasonal hive care, queens, swarms, varroa and disease, and honey harvest for hobby and sideline beekeepers.
Research and Q&A
Research roundups and reader questions answered by experienced beekeepers and scientists.
History and community
Stories of A.I. Root and American beekeeping history, club news and event calendars.
Bee Culture Editors and Staff
Bee Culture's team page lists:
- Jerry Hayes - Editor
- Jen Manis - Advertising and Customer Service
- Stephanie Bayerl - Graphic Designer and Customer Service Coordinator
- Kim Flottum - Former longtime editor (stepped down 2019)
The magazine's office is at 623 West Liberty Street in Medina, Ohio.
Who Reads Bee Culture
Readers are backyard, sideline and commercial beekeepers, bee club members, educators and researchers. USDA NASS Quick Stats publishes national and state honey production, colony numbers and honey prices, the market backdrop for the practical advice Bee Culture offers each month.
Bee Culture readers spend their weekends in veils, smoking hives and explaining to neighbors that the swarm in the maple tree is perfectly normal. For a break from inspections, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor in a dry rural voice, with ranch humor for beekeepers who park their pallets on cattle country. Its farm jokes are sweet, sticky and free of mites.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
Bee Culture Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Bee Culture: The Bee Culture Team - current staff and address.
- Beekeep.info: A.I. Root 150th anniversary - company history and the 2019 editor change.
- Bee Culture: The Story of A.I. Root - the early days of Gleanings in Bee Culture.
- Oregon State University Extension: Kim Flottum podcast - the former editor on bee publishing.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - honey production and colony statistics.
Bee Culture FAQ
What was Bee Culture originally called?
Gleanings in Bee Culture, founded by A.I. Root in the early 1870s.
Who publishes Bee Culture?
The A.I. Root Company of Medina, Ohio, part of the Root Candles family.
Who edits Bee Culture?
Jerry Hayes, who succeeded longtime editor Kim Flottum in 2019.
How often is Bee Culture published?
Monthly.
A century and a half after A.I. Root's first issue, Bee Culture is still gleaning the best of beekeeping every month.