Reference
Reference books on all aspects of the craft
This is the only single volume that covers all aspects of the syllabus for this examination. This Third Edition published in 2014 has a contents list which is based upon the existing syllabus. As such it is a very necessary text for all those interested in sitting the examination and will also prove helpful for all interested in microscopy.
As a simple birdwatcher I have always been a bit scared by the bewildering world of insects. Bumblebees provide an inviting introduction to this world, and this book is an excellent gateway into the fascinating life of bumblebees.
Found right across the Uk, including in my back garden, bumblebees are familiar as a group, but this book provides the means to identify those species and to understand much more about their variety of behaviour, ecology and lifestyles.
The threats to bumblebees are very similar to those to birds – changes in agricultural practice are of great importance. Recognition of this provides opportunities for the promotion of practices that should benefit the survival of healthy populations of both groups.
I’m delighted that this excellent book has been revised, enlarged, updated and republished. So delighted that, as I write these few words with snow on the ground outside my home, I am waiting with some impatience for the first sunny days of spring when I resolve to banish my fears and start getting to grips with these wonderful little beasts. Why don’t you too?
Dr Mark A very
Conservation Director, RSPB
January 2011
Using his extensive portfolio of beautiful photographs, Lindtner tells the story of the important relationship between pollinators and plants. Lindtner’s life work is the cataloging of plants that serve as important resources to honey bees, arguably our most important pollinator in the agricultural arena. He couples his photographs with ecological and taxonomic information about each plant, and provides a rating system that reflects the importance of each plant to honey bee nutrition. Pictures of pollen and descriptions of the morphology of the pollen grains set this work apart from other guides to pollen plants.
This book, which could be considered a “coffee table” book due to the beautiful images throughout, will become a beekeepers and gardeners handbook. The search for planting options for honey bees and other pollinators is arguably one of the most understudied and anecdotal pursuits in the art and science of beekeeping. The valuable information provided in this book allows us to see the plant’s value from the honey bee’s perspective.
This is a reprint by Northern Bee Books of the manual originally published by P. W. Stanley, F.R.E.S. of Badgerdell Apiaries UK by courtesy of the Division of Bee Culture, United States Department of Agriculture.
In 1895 there was, in the American Bee Journal, a department of “Questions and Answers,” with Doctor C. C. Miller in charge, the object being to give information to readers on special subjects, perplexing to the beekeeper, and not specifically covered by the different bee literature. In the twenty-two years that Doctor Miller has answered these queries of subscribers … almost every subject in beekeeping has been touched. His wide experience, his inimitable style, and the clearness with which he writes have made these answers invaluable. The present volume is a compilation of a thousand questions, culled out of many thousands and arranged in alphabetical order for convenience. Its object is not to supplant existing text-books on beekeeping, but rather to supplement them.
These notes cover Modules 5 – 8 of the BBKA Examinations. John & Dawn Yates have provided within one cover, all the details required in the syllabus of each module for examination purposes, in order to minimise the cost of purchasing the many books required to seek out the necessary information. Hopefully everything that is likely to appear in an examination has been covered, thereby preventing any surprises to the candidate on examination day.
These notes cover Modules 1 – 3 of the BBKA Examinations. John & Dawn Yates have provided within one cover, all the details required in the syllabus of each module for examination purposes, in order to minimise the cost of purchasing the many books required to seek out the necessary information. Hopefully everything that is likely to appear in an examination has been covered, thereby preventing any surprises to the candidate on examination day.
Healthy Bees are Happy Bees is a comprehensive guide to bee health and sickness. The book details beekeeping problems, pests, parasites and diseases in depth and offers practical guidance rooted in beekeeping experience about preventing, controlling or curing threats to bee colonies to encourage more sustainable beekeeping practice. Environmental considerations, the effects of food, genetics, health and hygiene and the interactions of bees with the weather all combine to bring a hew and holistic approach to the topic. This book presents the reader with an in-depth examination of all aspects of bee diseases in a way that has not previously been available in a single book.
It is widely known that our bee population is under threat and that honeybees, bumblebees and solitary bees are all in decline. Our own population growth directly impacts that of the bees as the spread of intensive agriculture destroys the bees’ flower-rich habitats, threatening them and the important contribution they make to our lives.
Our gardens are therefore fast becoming an alternative source of food for many of our bee species and these spaces are crucial if our native bees are to survive and thrive. Mixed planting will provide food for all species of bee and ‘Plants for Bees’ presents a comprehensive list of which plants are most suited to which bees and gives expert guidance on the level of importance of each.
A simple key system allows the reader to quickly identify which plants are best suited to which bee and is supported by beautiful photographs of plants and bees. Highly informative and extremely useful for experts and hobbyists alike, ‘Plants for Bees’ provides all the information you need to plant a bee-friendly garden.
