
click image to zoom
Robin Dartington made his first Long Deep hives around 1975, to reduce the problems when keeping bees on the roof of a five-storey house. Very simply, the Long Deep hive is a Deep National with a back extension, so avoiding the need for an extra hive when making an artificial swarm. New Beekeeping has now been developed into a comprehensive…

click image to zoom
ZEST (Zero Energy SusTainable) "Beekeepers require a user friendly hive that helps the bees keep warm in Winter, stops them ver heating in the Summer and reduces the risk of varroa and bee related diseases. It must be economical to buy, easy to construct, have minimal maintenance and storage issues, be a hive that is sustainable, that gives the bees…

click image to zoom
A basic introduction to alternative forms of beekeeping practiced by some apiarists in the Lune Valley, Cumbria, UK. www.lunevalleybeekeepers.co.uk The notes in this booklet are intended for beekeepers who have some knowledge of conventional beekeeping but wish to explore less intensive and more bee friendly approaches. I have been keeping bees for 20 years and was initially trained as a…

click image to zoom
Bee Hive to Beekeeper: Bees, beekeeping organisations, authors and research. The companion to Bee Space to Bee Hive, is expected mid-September. This book covers the introduction and development of bee strains to the UK, followed by details of the oldest UK beekeeping journal, a major beekeeping equipment supplier and important beekeeping organisations. Groundbreaking research into mating, parthenogenesis, bee behaviour, pheromones…

click image to zoom
A topbar hive is both ancient technology and newfangled trend. The main reason this "back-to-basics" hive is finding new supporters is its more natural approach to keeping bees and the novel concept of stepping back and allowing honeybees to make more of the hive decisions themselves. A topbar hive is, in itself, "thinking outside the box", not only because of…

click image to zoom
"This book provides a fascinating insight into how beehives, beekeeping equipment and beekeeping methods have developed over the centuries. Lengthy observation enabled the discovery of the importance of bee space by Revd LL Langstroth, and after this discovery the ingenuity of many beekeepers has solved numerous problems associated with colony management. The evolution of ideas and creations by many well…

click image to zoom
"Trish Nelson is to be commended on compiling this brilliant book. Whether you are happy with the type of hive and style of management you use, if you are trying to decide which is best suited to your particular situation and needs, or if you are just plain curious, this book will answer all of your questions and satisfy your…

click image to zoom
Solitary bees and other beneficial insects need our help, not just on an international level but in every domestic garden, courtyard and balcony. Creating little homes for insects to lay their eggs in is a really easy way to help the insect population, and at the same time bring wildlife diversity and plant propagation to your outdoor spaces. This book…

click image to zoom
This second edition of the Healthy Hive Guide is provided to help both new and experienced beekeepers identify problems within their honey bee hives. Each of the images has a short explanation; however it is clear that not all problems manifest themselves in exactly the same way every time. It is sometimes enough for beekeepers to recognise that they may…

click image to zoom
From building a hive to harvesting honey, a top urban beekeepers shows how to keep bees the simple way. Global bee populations have been rapidly declining for years, and it's not just our honey supply that's at stake: the contribution of bees to the pollination of various crops is essential to human survival. But even in industrial apiaries, bees are…

click image to zoom
The Latest important book from a world leading scientist! (Hardback, 432 pages) Humans have kept honey bees in hives for millennia, yet only in recent decades have biologists begun to investigate how these industrious insects live in the wild. The Live of Bees is Thomas Seeley's captivating story of what scientists are learning about the behaviour, social life, and survival…

click image to zoom
In a sense the combs in a honey bee nest are an extension of the bees that made them and it is really the bees and combs together that constitute the colony. In fact, the average honey bee worker spends 95% of her life on the combs in the hive. The combs are built to be multi-purpose in the sense…

click image to zoom
Bee keepers require a user friendly hive that helps the bees keep warm in winter and stops them overheating in the summer. It must be economical to buy, easy to construct, have minimal maintenance and storage issues, be a hive that is sustainable and gives ample area for honey storage. Beekeeping with Zest claims all of these and the volume…

click image to zoom
A reprint of the first modern book on bee houses. John Spiller, a Taunton based solicitor explains clearly the advantages of this type of beekeeping
.

click image to zoom
George Speis takes the reader through beekeeping culture and the heritage that surrounds beekeeping as seen on the Isle of Andros.

click image to zoom
The author suggests that Top Bar hives offer a gentler way of practicing the craft. "We have a duty to our bees and as beekeepers we must be in the forefront of change for nature, not mere puppets in some commercial enterprise". This volume gives advice on managing colonies in top bar hives and provides notes and illustrations for the…

click image to zoom
Jim Slade suggests a system of beekeeping, based on years of experience, which is natural, sustainable and economical. There are also constructional details for those who wish to make their own hives.

click image to zoom
When first published, this was the only book on the observation hive. Since then there have been others but Karl Showler has written one which will stand the test of time.

click image to zoom
Following the Wild Bees is a delightful foray into the pastime of bee hunting, an exhilarating outdoor activity that used to be practiced widely but which few people know about today. Thomas Seeley, a world authority on honey bees, vividly describes the history and science behind this lost pastime and how anyone can do it.

click image to zoom
In The Quest for the Perfect Hive, entomologist Gene Kritsky offers a concise, beautifully illustrated history of beekeeping, tracing the evolution of hive design from ancient Egypt to the present. Kritsky guides us through the progression from early mud-based horizontal hives to the ascent of the simple straw skep (the inverted basket which has been in use for over 1,500…

click image to zoom
In recent years, beekeepers on several continents have been suffering heavy losses of colonies. If we, systematically investigate factors causing the losses, we can justifiably ask whether the way in which honey bees are kept is part of the problem. Could hive design, frames, foundation, intrusion, artificial queen breeding, drone suppression, queen excluders, artificial feeding, medication, transhumance and overstocking -…

click image to zoom
This inspiring, practical, clearly laid out book contains everything you need in order to build and run a Warré hive, Topics include tools, siting, obtaining and hiving bees, monitoring, feeding, wintering, enlarging the hive, harvesting and extracting honey with simple kitchen equipment. An ideal book for the aspiring natural beekeeper.

click image to zoom
Thomas Bates Blow was from a working class background and leading a life with little direction until he was befriended by a member of a leading British family: with his patronage and much hard work, Thomas laid the foundation of what was to become the largest business in Europe supplying the requirements of beekeepers. This volume charts the history of…

click image to zoom
In this work, the author explains his own use of a particular pattern of long hives which he has made to his own design, but which is derived from standard lines. The hives have been in use for ten years, which some bee keepers will say is not long enough to prove its efficiency. However, many different systems have been…

click image to zoom
'This is an excellent guide for hobby beekeepers who wish to keep bees using top-bar hives. Drawing on his more than thirty years of beekeeping experience in New Mexico, author Les Crowder describes in detail the special comb-management techniques that this low-cost, but relatively intense, form of beekeeping requires. Top- Bar Beekeeping also provides an eloquent appeal for beekeepers to…

click image to zoom
This volume is a guide for new beekeepers and for all beekeepers who have acquired the increasingly popular Warré and Top Bar Hives and anyone who wishes to stop the use of chemicals in their beekeeping. It gives practical guidance, with clear instructions, line drawings, and photographs. Joe is a retired systems engineer and has kept bees for over 30…

click image to zoom
A short but very useful introduction to this method of keeping bees. Apart from John Spillers - The House Apiary, published just after the last war this is the only English book on the subject.

click image to zoom
A small well illustrated booklet in which there are illustrations of each frame of a beehive in mid Summer. The explanations are in all the major European languages.

click image to zoom
A second, updated edition of a monograph for the initiated and the uninitiated on the strengths and weaknesses of current bee hive design. The author, John Yates is a much respected beekeeper, a former Chairman of the BBKA Exam Board and retired in 1986 as Chairman of his own consulting engineering company. It is in his professional role as a…

click image to zoom
For over 70 years Wedmore's Manual has been the reference book of choice for answers to all practical beekeeping questions. This updated reprint, with contributions from an eminent panel of contributors is one that all serious beekeeper should have on their bookshelf.

click image to zoom
Observation hives have fascinated people since they were first invented. This book explains for the first time, in detail, how to set up, maintain and use an observation hive in nearly any location. It also goes into great detail on how to use an observation hive as a teaching tool in nature centres, school rooms, museums and other educational sites.

click image to zoom
The internationally acclaimed honeybee photographer Eric Tourneret spent fifteen years traveling the world to capture the awe-instilling diversity of bees and beekeeping traditions on six continents. His fascination with the bees and the richness of human culture led to the creation of the most stunning collection of bee photography ever produced, complemented by the writing of his spouse Sylla de…

click image to zoom
Best Book Award National Agricultural Society, France Learn natural beekeeping from Europe's foremost beekeeping authority. Georges de Layens, inventor of the world's most popular horizontal hive, shares a lifetime of experience on how to: • get started in simplified beekeeping • choose the best hive model for you & your bees • manage your hives with just two visits per…

click image to zoom
This book represents the continuation of a beekeeping textbook publishing tradition that began in 1853 with the Rev. L.L. Langstroth, the father of American Beekeeping. In 1881 Langstroth entrusted the continuation of his book to his trusted friend, Charles Dadant and his son, C.P. Dadant. Since that time the Dadant family has kept that trust, while modernising and expanding the…

click image to zoom
Are you a beginner curious about bees, or a practicing beekeeper looking for natural alternatives that work? This book is for you! Fedor Lazutin, one of Europe's most successful natural beekeepers; shares an approach that is fun, healthful, rewarding, and accessible to all. Discover his unique insights on how to: • keep bees naturally without interfering in their lives; •…

click image to zoom
The book describes the development, construction and operation of the "People's Hive" of Abbé Émile Warré. The original L'Apiculture Pour Tous ran to twelve editions in French. This a translation of the last edition by Patricia & David Heaf is the first such in English. Warré's hive can be easily made by anyone with basic woodworking skills or is available…