Beekeeping Books

These beekeeping books offer a wealth of information on many different aspects of beekeeping: setting up a colony, buying in your first package of bees, capturing honeybee swarms, splitting hives, bringing in a new queen, building your own supers, feeding your bees during gaps in the nectar flow, managing the hives through the year, treating and preventing disease, and harvesting bee products like honey, propolis and wax. Some books even have recipes for what to do with all that honey and wax. Some of the books take a conventional approach to beekeeping, while others are focused on more natural beekeeping methods. Whether you are a beginning beekeeper or have years of experience, we know these books can show you something new. We have read all these beekeeping books and have found value in each one of them.


Backyard Beekeeper - Revised and Updated, 3rd Edition: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden, by Kim Flottum

The editor of Bee Culture magazine lays out the basic information needed for anyone who wants to get off to a good start with beekeeping. Very highly recommended!


Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture, 2nd Edition, by Ross Conrad

Natural beekeeping methods are gaining more attention recently as other aspects of sustainable agriculture gain ground and gain acceptance. While Conrad's methods are still conventional than some would advocate, his recommendations are in general fairly middle-of-the-road and serve as a practical approach to beekeeping.




Hive Management: A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers (Storey's Down-To-Earth Guides)

This book has been very helpful because it assumes you know something about honeybees, and now are in a position to manage a handful of hives through the year. The beekeeper's tasks are typically organized by season, weather and nectarflow, rather than specific dates. So his guidance has been very helpful.




First Lessons in Beekeeping

This is the classic introduction to beekeeping, by one of the founding fathers of American apiculture. While the language in this little booklet may seem a little dated, and some of the materials have evolved over time, this is still a classic reference.




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